Public procurement

Public procurement, the rules that govern how Interreg programmes enter into contracts, are subject to both EU standards and national rules. Of course, protecting and making the best use of public money is always a clear priority, but shaping effective procurement to ensure our procurements match our values, especially for a greener Europe, is a key challenge to balance an absolute imperative to make the best use of funds, with wider policy challenges.

Interact's work involves building and sharing Interreg-specific experiences in a wider context of EU fund management, particularly with the policy challenges of greener, strategic, circular, and sustainable.

Where to start

Resources for public procurement are being updated, while resources from 2014-2020 are useful, any reference to rules and regulations should be reviewed against the new regulatory framework.

Interact events which explored this topic further can also provide additional insight.

Public procurement in Interreg, Green Public Procurement (event, Nicosia, Cyprus, 21.03.2023, to be added shortly) 

What we are working on

Coinciding with Valencia being the 2024 European Green Capital, there will be an event in Q3 to explore the opportunities and challenges of green public procurement. The event is open for all programmes' staff from the Joint Secretariats, Managing Authorities, and other relevant programme bodies (NCPs, MC Members, etc.) involved in the thematic content dealing with public procurement (strategic, responsible, green public procurement).

We will also update the Q&A on public procurement and provide ongoing support and representations to the DG REGIO Peer2Peer community on public procurement.