The European Commission has released the second edition of a guide addressed to European contracting authorities on how to introduce social criteria into public tenders. It is a non-binding document that provides guidance for public buyers to consider the social impact of their purchases and to use social procurement to achieve social goals.

The guide reflects the changes introduced by the 2014 EU directives on public procurement, which created a flexible legal framework for the use of socially responsible public procurement (SRPP). This flexibility allows for the pursuit of various social objectives, such as job creation, inclusion opportunities, and fair treatment regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, or disability.

SRPP is crucial as it recognises that public purchases must not only be guided by the lowest price or best value for money, but also by ensuring that procurement achieves social benefits throughout the entire procurement process and prevents or mitigates adverse social impacts during the performance of the contract. It can be a powerful tool for advancing sustainable development, and for delivering quality services and products to local communities.

This is of particular importance nowadays, with the COVID-19 crisis and the ongoing green and digital transitions increasing social challenges. It is crucial that public buyers move away from the lowest price logic and make the best use of public procurement rules to make sure that available resources are used to achieve a positive social impact for their communities.

On June 14th, Eurodiaconia will hold a Social Services Network Meeting for members, with a focus on Socially Responsible Public Procurement in Diaconia, where this new guidance will be discussed.You can register on this link.

To access the European Commission’s guide (available in all EU languages), please refer to this website.