As the European Parliament prepares for the pivotal vote on the Public Procurement Report (2024/2103(INI)) on 25–26 June, the Network for Sustainable Development in Public Procurement (NSDPP) calls on the Members of the European Parliament to support a procurement framework that places long-term value, fairness, and sustainability at its core.
Today, the EU spends around 14% of its GDP on public procurement, which concerns purchase of goods, services and supplies by public authorities. The Social Platform and its members have worked/advocated extensively for the inclusion of social and environmental considerations, prioritising criteria related to the quality of the services, works or goods procured, instead of emphasizing lowest cost criteria.
Knowing of the opportunity socially responsible public procurement unveils in pursuing social policy objectives in the EU, the NSDPP calls for the adoption of recommendations for the votes in IMCO Committee to:
- Move beyond the lowest price competition
- Prioritise decent work, fair wages, quality and sustainability
- Ensure access to public procurement tenders to social economy actors and small and medium social services
- Prioritise social inclusion of disadvantaged groups
- Align procurement with EU values and commitments within the Circular Economy Act, European Pillar of Social Rights, and the Social Economy Action Plan.
