Iasi City Hall has the mandate to operationalize and implement reserved or socially clause-based procurement as stipulated by the Social Economy Law and the National Public Procurement Strategy; the recommendations developed within this project for Iasi Municipality will provide an updated and vastly improved local framework for integrating national-level policy objectives into municipal procurement practices within the Local Development Strategy.
It integrates specific actions to promote social procurement and the inclusion of vulnerable groups in employment. With a focus on employment and social cohesion, the Local Development Strategy brings together policies from 3 separate national laws (1. Law No. 98/2016 on Public Procurement; 2. Law No. 99/2016 on Sectoral Procurement; 3. Law No. 76/2002 on the Unemployment Insurance System and Employment Stimulation) and ties them into the local economic fibre of the IASI Community.

The purchasing and procurement policy is a guiding and normative steering document that describes how the municipality should work with procurement. The policy does not contain any goals and is based on a sustainable development policy and social sustainability programme. The social sustainability programme contains political goals on how the municipality should work with social sustainability, for example in mental health, the labour market and integration.

For example:
1. When drafting requirements for tenderers, suppliers and procurement objects in connection with a purchase, relevant social sustainability requirements must be set and followed up.
2. In procurement, the possibility of setting requirements in the procurement regarding the fact that persons with income support or other similar support, following instructions from the City of Lund, can be offered internships or similar within the framework of the service that is procured must always be taken into account. However, such a requirement can only be made when it is in accordance with applicable legislation or when it can be considered appropriate in relation to the service being procured.

As the purpose of the procurement is to fully or partially achieve the entry of persons with disabilities or persons who otherwise have difficulty entering the labour market, the possibility of carrying out a so-called reserved procurement must always be taken into account.

The social economy policy of the Province of Flemish Brabant, as outlined in the multi-year plan, consists of four main components: funding the social economy through two subsidy regulations, promoting the social economy, organizing consultations and network formation among social economy companies and with other sectors, and business development, primarily in the circular economy and the care sector. In case of the promotion of the social economy, we developed two platforms: www.doeners.be and www.peoplemade.be. The one contains the diversity of services provided by the social economy, the latter contains the products made by the social economy.

In promoting social economy, two seminars have already been organized in the past on social procurement for local governments, focusing mainly on the principle of reserved contracts. These seminars were well attended. Stimulating cooperation between the social economy and the regular economy through public procurement is less known, even within the provincial administration. Moreover, we have taken our first steps in social and circular procurement, but we notice that this is still uncharted territory.

The budget of the Social Economy Cell amounts to 500.000 euros, and 3 FTEs work on this theme. The Social Economy Cell is highly experienced, with one of the employees having worked there for 25 years and with an academic background in the field of social economy.

The Specific Objective (SO) of ROP Sterea Ellada 21-27 is “RSO4.1. Strengthening the effectiveness and inclusiveness of labor markets and access to quality jobs through the development of social infrastructure and the promotion of the social economy (ESF+)”.
RSO4.1 aims to enhance labor market effectiveness and inclusiveness, as well as access to quality jobs, through social infrastructure development and social economy promotion. This objective aligns with the third pillar of Greece's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Development Objective of the Partnership Agreement 2021-2025, and the "Human Resources and Social Cohesion" sectoral program. RSO4.1 interventions will focus on improving regional infrastructure for labour market access, targeting unemployed and long-term unemployed individuals, with an emphasis on equality, inclusion, and non-discrimination. Additionally, these actions will support the EU's goal of becoming climate-neutral by 2050 and transitioning towards a resource-efficient and competitive economy.
The interventions are in line with the directions of the European Pillar of Social Rights action plan for creating employment opportunities in the real economy. Actions have interregional, cross-border and transnational characters and aim to safeguard equality, inclusion and non-discrimination following the relevant conventions.

The Regional Development Program (RDP) is designed to harmonize development goals in the fields of economy, social, education, public health, spatial planning, environment, and culture in the Gorenjska region, which comprises 18 municipalities (NUTS 3 level). The RDP's strategic component provides a foundation for goal-oriented regional development planning and intervention.

Social entrepreneurship, a crucial measure under the economic priority, has not yet been adequately addressed concerning social procurement and social outcome contracting. Enhancing support mechanisms that emphasize social aspects in procurement processes is essential for fostering a conducive environment for social entrepreneurship.

Oliveira de Azeméis has been committed to recognizing the Social Economy, which serves a fundamental purpose in the organization of society. To this end, it has developed a Municipal Plan for Social Innovation.
The plan has five major strategic objectives: to guide the promotion and development of social innovation within the Municipality; to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of communication and intersectoral collaboration in Oliveira de Azeméis; to establish collaborative structures and co-creation processes among social economy entities operating in the municipality; to create a support infrastructure for innovative solutions to social problems; and to develop a replicable model that can be applied in other social and territorial contexts.
The present application represents an opportunity to help transform this territory into a favorable ecosystem for the social economy; in this regard 18 operational measures have been outlined in the aforementioned plan, of which the most relevant are - among others - a capacity building programme for innovation and social responsibility; the creation of a municipal working group for innovation and social responsibility, the creation of the "Azeméis Inova" label; the creation of open data repositories on community, territory and organizations involved, and establishing communities of practice on social procurement and smart management to engage local stakeholders and institutions.

Through Reg.307, the City of Turin allocates a percentage of at least 3% of the total amount of all contracts (supplies of goods, services and ordinary maintenance and service concessions) for promoting the employment of disadvantaged and disabled people.
The subjects admitted to procedures under Reg.307 are economic operators, social enterprises, cooperatives and their consortia, which pursue the objective of social and professional integration and which have at least 30% of their employees who are disadvantaged and disabled people.
The subjects to be protected are identified precisely by the Civil Code that refers to both persons with disabilities referred to the Law 12 March 1999 n. 68 and disadvantaged persons to the Law 381/91.
The standard refers to the broader categories of disadvantaged people defined by numerous European regulations such as the EU Regulation 651/2014.
In procurement it is also possible to introduce award mechanisms aimed at achieving equal opportunities between generations, between men and women and for disabled or disadvantaged people, with a clear reference to the standards approved under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and to the resources of the Next Generation EU Funds.

As employment rates stagnate and prolonged unemployment constitutes one of the more complex issues of labour market, policies taking social criteria into account in public procurement practices might be a viable way to foster social enterprises that primarily employ this specific group of people. Procurement practices of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg are ever-evolving, especially regarding labour conditions; the policy instrument we will use in this project is the strategy put forward by the City of Hamburg to implement viable and effective procurement practices to cope with this issue. Other German states have already implemented policies which target the promotion of collective bargaining on wage-setting through new procurement legislation.

The City of Amsterdam's procurement policy, Commissioning and Purchasing with Influence, integrates social and innovative priorities into public procurement. It aligns with six key themes: social, sustainable, healthy, inclusion and diversity, innovative, and regional/SME friendly. Through PROSECO, Amsterdam embeds social and innovative ecosystems in regulations and policy. The policy emphasizes social impact, requiring contractors to contribute to employment, education, and work opportunities for those facing employment barriers. It adheres to strict integrity rules and the Procurement Act, with local policies ensuring compliance. Strategic tools like the ambition web guide procurement professionals in targeting social and innovative goals. The policy connects with broader frameworks like circular economy, sustainability, diversity, and inclusion. Amsterdam collaborates with networks to refine and innovate procurement strategies, supporting initiatives like community wealth building and impact entrepreneurship. Priority measures include strengthening social procurement, enhancing Social Return mechanisms, utilizing CSRD for partnerships, developing a social procurement portal, fostering business-to-business collaborations, and promoting outcome-based contracting. By embedding social responsibility into procurement, Amsterdam fosters an inclusive, innovative, and sustainable economy.