Overview

The module was divided in two tracks, one on Social Procurement and the other one on Innovation Procurement. According to their personal choice, students could decide to attend either the Social or the Innovation track. All the students were however required to attend the first introductory class about Emerging Issues in Procurement, which was aimed at addressing the state of play about recent international trends, including the way in which countries are using procurement to achieve broader policy objectives than just cost effectiveness. At the end of the two tracks, all the students attended a final closing lecture about the strategic function of public procurement and the evolution of this concept over time. The meaning of economy, efficiency, equity and value for money was illustrated and discussed, as well as the challenges faced today by purchasing agencies in transforming procurement in deploying the strategic leverage of public procurement.  

The Social Track 

The Social Track was divided in three lectures. The first one, discussed the role of Public Procurement Reforms in fragile and post-conflict states, especially as a tool of good governance and institutional reforms. The second class discussed the existent frameworks relevant to human rights in public procurement and possible ways to address the risk of human rights abuses in state supply chains. The last class, aimed at discussing with students the different ways of viewing the relationship between sustainable development (with a specific focus on human rights and environmental concerns) and public procurement. 

The Innovative Track 

The Innovative Track was divided in two lectures; the first one discussed the role of public procurement as an explicit instrument for innovation policy. The second lecture, after an introductory overview of the economic mechanisms behind innovation, gave students the fundamental concepts needed to approach and understand the role of procurement as a tool for innovation. 

Objectives of the Module

• Understanding the fundamentals of good governance;
• Understanding human rights due diligence and exploring what human rights due diligence looks like across the procurement cycle;
• Studying innovation in procurement, its economic rationale, its pre-conditions and obstacles and its political support mechanisms;
• Providing fundamental concepts needed to approach and understand the role of procurement as a tool for innovation.  

Methodology

Material

The main reference will be the slides presented in class by the lecturers, case studies materials and readings. 

Lecturers

• Jakob Edler
• Nicola Dimitri
• Daniel Morris
• Christopher McCrudden