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KEINO Academy for sustainable procurement management
Published on 07 December 2021
Finland
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
Many skills are required for successful public procurement such as substance competence, budget and pricing expertise, operational procurement competence, expertise in procurement law and communication skills. In addition to higher education in Finland that provides some degrees and courses on public procurement, KEINO Academy, as part of the KEINO Competence Centre, annually offers competence enhancing activities (events and courses online and offline as well as guidance through email) for public purchasing authorities.
KEINO Academy includes free of charge tools for analyses of purchases to evaluate the procurement sustainability, e.g. maturity of the management, analysis of sustainability and carbon neutrality of procurements (tool “hankintapulssi”), as well as impact assessments (tool Upright Impact model).
KEINO Competence Centre is part of the implementation of the Finnish Government Programme and its operations are steered and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. KEINO supports and helps Finnish public contracting authorities with the development of sustainable and innovative procurement. By implementing life cycle thinking and life cycle management skills in everyday procurement processes, sustainability goals will be much easier achieved. In Keino Academy, public authorities are networked, thus offering important peer support for learning process.
KEINO Academy includes free of charge tools for analyses of purchases to evaluate the procurement sustainability, e.g. maturity of the management, analysis of sustainability and carbon neutrality of procurements (tool “hankintapulssi”), as well as impact assessments (tool Upright Impact model).
KEINO Competence Centre is part of the implementation of the Finnish Government Programme and its operations are steered and funded by the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment. KEINO supports and helps Finnish public contracting authorities with the development of sustainable and innovative procurement. By implementing life cycle thinking and life cycle management skills in everyday procurement processes, sustainability goals will be much easier achieved. In Keino Academy, public authorities are networked, thus offering important peer support for learning process.
Expert opinion
Europe's public authorities are major consumers. By using their purchasing power to choose environmentally friendly goods, services and works, they can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production. But procuring is a technical process that implies that the buying agent assumes the responsibility of his/her actions. Therefore, any deviation from standard procedures is dangerous and therefore many individuals shy away from trying out new or different ways to purchase goods and services. Building confidence among procurers in differend administrations is of high importance and high impact when the policy goal is to buy more green and socially responsible. The good practice from Helsinki area shows how one entity can support many buying public bodies by linking them with peers and helping address various questions that come up with new buying actions. The practice is transferable and promising.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
Each Academy season provides about 10 teaching days and self-educational tasks. Human resources (specialists) required for education (materials, time).
Evidence of success
Since starting of the Academy, almost 50 public organizations and municipalities have utilized the education and networking services provided by KEINO Academy. Currently (by August 2021) 96 examples are described at KEINO website, including many with KEINO Academy services included. The amount of procurement strategies has increased. The attention of sustainability criteria and innovativeness have increased significantly within procuring strategies.
Potential for learning or transfer
This good practise can readily be replicated in any region. It is based on existing KEINO platform that provides information and networking about public procurements. Within this platform, participants for KEINO Academy are selected by specialists each year to maximise efficient learning and support opportunities. Academy practise has been able to combine both the procuring personnel and the management responsible bodies of an organisation, which has increased management coherence as well as knowledge-based procurement management within an organisation. In Finland, generally procurement strategies exist by 61% of organizations, whereas among KEINO Academy participant organizations, 81% had created procurement strategies. For functionalisation of the procurement strategy, plans existed among 73% of the Academy participant organisations, compared to 48% in general.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
Finland
Helsinki-Uusimaa
Contact
circular economy specialist