The power of public buyers is immense. This is especially the case when public buyers follow a strategic, dialogue-driven approach to engaging their supply chains, all with the aim of continually improving. Integrating independent monitoring also ensures meaningful improvements.

Building on their experience from organising market engagement, ICLEI Europe and Electronics Watch have put forth recommendations for procurers to pursue dialogue-based, strategic approaches to procurement, which go beyond the tendering phase and include developing relationships with the market before and after tendering. One common way to pursue this approach is via hosting a 'dialogue event'; however, organising such an event is not necessarily straightforward.

ICLEI and Electronics Watch have thus launched market engagement guidance with a focus on dialogue events, as well as a publication overviewing the relevant European legal framework. The step-by-step guidance document aims to provide public procurers across Europe with a clear pathway towards hosting meaningful dialogue events, online or in-person.

Explore the practical guide here, and the overview of the European legal framework here.

This work has been done as part of the Make ICT Fair project. Click here to learn more.