PPE+ Europe 2024: Application Phase Starts Now

European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA), B-1049 Brussels, BELGIUM

Office: SB34 03/DCS – Tel. direct line +32 229-50193

EUROPEAN INNOVATION COUNCIL AND SMES

EXECUTIVE AGENCY (EISMEA) Innovation Ecosystems, SMP/Entrepreneurship and Consumers

SMP/SME Pillar, Internal Market and Support to Standardisation

Brussels EISMEA.I.02.2/ABP

Subject: Strategic procurement training for centralised procurement organisations.

Applying for the training programme PPE+ Europe 2024

Dear Sir, / Dear Madam,

The European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) under the

powers delegated by the European Commission, signed a contract of 4 years for the

implementation of the training programme PPE+ Europe 2024 – “Strategic

procurement training for centralised procurement organisations”. Funded under the

Single Market Programme/SME Pillar, the project is designed and implemented by the

Austrian Federal Procurement Agency BBG, ICLEI Europe and EY Romania.

The project consortium leverages the strengths of a well-established and successful Central

Purchasing Body (CPB) alongside a city network experienced in public procurement. It

features internationally renowned trainers to ensure state-of-the-art knowledge transfer and

expert teaching in modern public procurement. An international team of professors and

experts from across Europe will contribute to blending practical and theoretical

approaches. Additionally, the consortium offers tailored one-on-one support for public

buyers seeking to implement the program’s insights, through a series of consultancy

services led by EY.

Public procurement, representing 14% of the EU GDP, is a critical element of the

investment ecosystem. In light of recent and current global challenges, such the COVID-

19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, public authorities must use procurement strategically

to ensure better value for public spending and achieve rapid, efficient, sustainable, and

innovative procurement.

The PPE+ Europe 2024 programme covers essential topics, enabling participants to

develop SME-friendly tendering strategies, encourage environmental and social

sustainability as well as foster innovative procurement. Participation in this programme

can significantly enhance your organisation's procurement practices, making them more

contemporary and SME-oriented.

2

The programme is intended for employees working for large public buyers (CPBs) or staff

with policy, regulatory, or control functions in public procurement in EU Member States

and SMP participating countries.1

We encourage you to seize this opportunity to invest in the professionalisation of your

organisation and staff. To apply for this training programme, please visit the programme’s

community page on the Public Buyers Community platform. For any questions, please

contact the project implementation team at [email protected]. Places are

limited and application for the programme is opened until 21 August 2024.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Yours faithfully,

Natalia Martínez Páramo

Head of Unit I-02

1 list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf (europa.eu)

Electronically signed

Electronically signed on 01/07/2024 16:19 (UTC+02) in accordance with Article 11 of Commission Decision (EU) 2021/2121

Strategic Procurement Training for Centralised Procurement Organisations

1

Shaping Modern Public Procurement!

Professionalisation and collaboration are key factors in successfully

overcoming the many challenges of achieving value for money in

public procurement. Issues and risks in the areas of supply chains,

market structures, prices as well as climate change aspects require a broad

range of competences and expertise. At the same time, we are

responsible for the most efficient and legally compliant use of public

funds.

The very positive response to the former European training programmes

Public Procurement Excellence (PPE) 2018 - 2023 from all participants

and stakeholders, as well as the demand for further training, show the

continued relevance and importance of professionalisation in the field

of public procurement.

Therefore, the Austrian Federal Procurement Agency (BBG) and its

partners are honoured and delighted to announce the continuation of

this training programme – the PPE+ Europe 2024-2028!

It is initiated and funded by the European Commission and implemented

by a consortium led by Austrian Federal Procurement Agency (BBG)

together with Ernst & Young Romania (EY) and ICLEI – Local

Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI) and it is dedicated to the further

professionalisation of public procurement experts from Central

Purchasing Bodies (CPBs) and other centralised procurement

organisations from EU Member States and Single Market

Programme (SMP) participating countries.

The training programme offers a unique combination of practical and

academic approaches and participants can benefit from the

extensive knowledge and experience of the consortium as well

as other international experts in the field of modern public

procurement. This includes practical exercises and use cases as

well as tools, methods and templates used for daily work

routines.

A new component of the training programme is the possibility

for participating organisations to apply for individual support

service packages (up to 60 hours) to initiate and assist

transformation projects based on the knowledge and expertise

acquired through the programme.

We are looking forward to welcoming you to the first edition of

the new training programme: PPE+ Europe 2024.

The Team of PPE+ Europe

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Training Programme for Certified Public Procurement Experts

THE PROGRAMME

The new PPE+ Europe training programme offers a unique

combination of an academic and a practical approach. The goal

is to provide state-of-the art knowledge, tools, and methods for

modern public procurement, including policy objectives like

SME-friendly, green, and innovative procurement. Additionally, in-

depth training modules on topics including Food, Security &

Defence, Health & Medical and ICT procurement are offered.

Special attention is given to the development of competencies

that allow for the facilitation of effective and sustainable

transfer of knowledge within organisations. Participants

benefit from extensive knowledge and experience of the

consortium and other relevant European Central Purchasing Bodies

(CPBs) and public procurement experts. Together with lecturers from

the Vienna University of Economics and Business and international

universities they form a unique teaching team.

Working in public procurement means managing different –

sometimes even contradictory – requirements and challenges.

The public procurement professionals define the conditions for

the most efficient and legally compliant use of public funds and

at the same time contribute to the realisation of socio-political

objectives. Knowledge of a wide range of disciplines is therefore

required, e.g. law, product and market expertise, technical know-

how and socio-political objectives as well as project management

and effective communication and stakeholder management.

Procurers must be able to balance all these disciplines to create

meaningful tendering strategies.

Furthermore, the training programme will encourage

networking activities by admitting participants to an already

established PPE Alumni Network.

A new component of the training programme is the possibility

for participating organisations to apply for individual support

service packages (remote - up to 60 hours) to initiate and assist

transformation projects based on the knowledge and expertise

acquired through the training programme (e.g. improving

procurement processes and organisational practices etc.).

A final Closing Conference in 2028 will give the participants of

all four training rounds the opportunity to meet with all PPE+

Europe Alumni, best practitioners in public procurement,

representatives of the European Commission and other

relevant stakeholders.

1 list-3rd-country-participation_smp_en.pdf

THE TARGET GROUP

› EEA countries and SMP countries1

› Personnel working either in a CPB (operational at national, regional, or

sectorial level), in an institution that currently is in a transformational

process to function as a CPB, or staff working in regulatory or policy

making departments in charge of aggregated public procurement.

› Experienced public procurement staff (operational staff /

executive staff) with minimum 3 years of professional

working experience.

› Individuals with Upper-Intermediate level of English.

THE STRUCTURE

› The training programme comprises 31 training days and is planned

to be held in on-site and online modes. The following structure is

currently envisaged, more information will be provided to

applicants upon acceptance to the programme. Main structure:

› Block 1 (on-site - Vienna): 2024, Calendar Week 45+46

› Block 2 (online): 2024, Calendar Week 48+49

› Block 3 (online): 2025, Calendar Week 3+4

› 2 x In-depth (online): 2025, Calendar Week 7-9

› Block 4 (on-site - Brussels): 2025, Calendar Week 12

› Agile Leadership (3-day asynchronous module between Calendar Week 50 and Calendar Week 2)

› Final PPE+ Europe conference in Q1 2028 (1 day)

› Training Times:

› On-site: Monday – Friday, 8 hours per day,

› Online: Monday – Friday, 4 hours per day

THE VENUE

On-site blocks will take place in Vienna, Austria and Brussels, Belgium

THE TEACHING LANGUAGE

English

3

Training Modules

Care has been taken to provide a well-balanced and engaging curriculum for participants. An overview of the programme and the individual modules comprising it can be found below. For each training programme a total of two In-depth modules will be delivered to participants depending on their professional interests and background.

loc 1 2 ee s onsi e ( ienna)

nline odule 18 Agile Leadership (3 days asynchronous)

loc 2 2 ee s online

loc 3 2 ee s online

loc 1 ee onsi e

( russels)

nline n ep h ecuri y efence (2 days)

nline n ep h eal h edical (2 days)

nline n ep h (2 days)

nline n ep h Food (2 days)

4

Training Programme Details

GRADUATION

› Certificate from WU Executive Academy

› Degree: Certified Public Procurement Expert (15 ECTS)

BENEFITS FOR PARTICIPANTS

› Personal professional development

› Expansion of specialist skills in the field of public procurement

› Participation in sustainable and effective expert and alumni network

› Application and distribution of acquired know-how in their

organisation

› Eligibility to apply for individual Support Service Packages

FEE & FINANCING

› Programme is funded by the European Commission under the

Single Market Programme

› No tuition fee

› All lectures and materials are included

› For on-site trainings and final conference, accommodation

and subsistence allowance rates are granted (Vienna and

Brussels)

› Individual Support Service Packages (remote – up to 60 hours) for

participating organisations are funded

TEACHING AND LEARNING METHODS

› Practical and academic input

› Interactive programme

› Peer-to-peer learning

› Learning from best practice and international experts

› Based on ProcurCompEU and the needs of the participants

APPLICATION CHECKLIST

Applicants will be required to provide the

following documents/information during the

application process:

› Curriculum Vitae

› Letter of Motivation

› Letter of Support from the applican ’s management / employer

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Information & Contact

Project Management by BBG

Bundesbeschaffung GmbH

Austrian Federal Procurement Agency

Lassallestraße 9b

1020 Vienna [email protected]

www.bbg.gv.at

Application Management by ICLEI Europe

ICLEI - European Secretariat GmbH Leopoldring 3 79098 Freiburg im Breisgau Germany [email protected] www.iclei.org

All information provided in the brochure is

subject to misprints and changes.

This document has been prepared for the European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA). However, the information and views set

out in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of EISMEA or the European Commission. Neither EISMEA,

nor the European Union institutions and bodies or any person or organisation acting on their behalf may be held responsible for the use which might be

made of the information contained therein.

Bundesbeschaffung GmbH | Lassallestraße 9b, 1020 Wien

+43 1 245 70-0 | [email protected] | www.bbg.gv.at

Gerichtsstand Wien | Handelsgericht Wien | FN 210220 y | UID: ATU55798907

Hypo Oberösterreich | IBAN: AT44 5400 0000 0070 5061 | BIC: OBLAAT2L

UniCreditBank Austria | IBAN: AT33 1200 0506 1909 0000 | BIC: BKAUATWW

Erste Bank | IBAN: AT69 2011 1824 1211 1401 | BIC: GIBAATWWXXX

E-Mail-to: [email protected]

Rahandusministeerium

Suur-Ameerika 1, 10122 Tallinn

Estonia

Vienna, 2 July 2024

NEW Training Programme PPE+ Europe 2024 -2028

“Strategic procurement training for centralised procurement organisations”

Dear Sir/Madam

As central procurement organisations we all face numerous challenges every single day. Latest global challenges,

such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have once again highlighted the importance of Central

Purchasing Bodies (CPBs). We must ensure that urgently required goods as well as services are purchased relia-

bly, that processes are efficient and transparent and supply chains are resilient.

At the same time, we are responsible for the most efficient and legally compliant use of public funds. On top of

that we face progressive changes in market conditions such as globalisation, digitalisation, industry 4.0, the re-

quirements to innovate, the acceleration of product cycles and the very need to give greater priority to socio-

political and green objectives.

In order to meet these ever-increasing demands, we need to strengthen the capacity of our employees so as to

develop SME-friendly tendering strategies, encourage environmental and social sustainability as well as to foster

innovative procurement.

To enhance and support professionalisation of public buyers, the European Commission has published recom-

mendations for Member States to ensure that public buyers possess the necessary business skills, technical

knowledge, and procedural understanding1.

The very positive response to the European training programmes for Public Procurement Excellence (PPE) 2018

- 2023 from all participants and stakeholders, as well as the demand for further training, show the continued

relevance and importance of professionalisation in the field of public procurement.

1 Professionalisation of public buyers - European Commission (europa.eu)

Therefore, we are both honoured and happy to announce a new 4-year project, PPE+ Europe 2024-2028! The

project is funded by the European Commission and implemented by a consortium led by the Austrian Federal

Procurement Agency (BBG) together with Ernst & Young Romania (EY) and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sus-

tainability (ICLEI) and it is dedicated to the further professionalisation of public procurement experts from Central

Purchasing Bodies (CPBs).

The PPE+ Europe 2024 Training Programme

The project builds on the experience gained from previous training

programmes and practical expertise from other EU projects. An inter-

national team of procurement experts and professors from all over

Europe will support the project consortium in combining the practical

and theoretical training approach.

The structure of the training programme covers both procurement

specific and soft skills and is based on the overall procurement cycle

as well as the latest European Competency Framework for Public

Procurement Professionals (ProcurCompEU):

“Procurement-specific competences, which encompass the competences necessary at each stage of the public

procurement lifecycle.

Soft competences, which represent the soft skills public procurement professionals should have in order to master

procurement specific competences.”2

Training Programme Offer

• A well-balanced training programme through the recognition of the strategic role of procurement with

a special focus on strategic and SME-friendly public procurement.

• A unique combination of practical and academic approaches with trainers from well-established CPBs

in Europe and renowned professors from the Vienna University of Economics and Business and other

leading universities. Additionally, relevant stakeholders for important strategic topics like green, social

and innovation procurement will be involved as trainers and speakers.

• A mix of well-tested and newest training and learning methods to maximise the results in terms of

increasing knowledge, understanding public procurement, and addressing the challenges for partici-

pants and their organisations will be used.

• Another important aspect is to foster the concept of peer-to-peer learning: participants and lecturers

will share experiences with the group, discuss challenges and solutions as well as evaluate different

approaches and show cases.

2 ProcurCompEU– the European competency framework for public procurement professionals ProcurCompEU – the European competency

framework for public procurement professionals - European Commission (europa.eu)

Pre-

Award

Horizontal

Post-

Award

Personal People

Performance

Procurement

Specific

----------------------------

Soft

02

01

03

05

06

04

Figure 1: ProcurCompEU Competences

• Participation in a sustainable and effective expert and alumni network that ensures a continuous ex-

change between CPBs and other participating organisations as well as effective implementation of the

newly acquired knowledge in the participants’ organisations.

• Additional in-depth modules to choose and further leveraged expertise in areas of interest.

• Upon completion of the course, the Vienna University of Economics and Business will accredit partici-

pants as “Certified Public Procurement Experts”.

• Participants will be granted 15 ECTS points for the course, allowing for universal recognition and com-

parability.

• NEW: Eligibility to apply for individual Consultancy Service Packages (up to 60 hours remote) for partic-

ipating organisations to trigger and support transformation projects based on acquired knowledge and

knowhow from the programme (e.g. improving procurement processes and organisational practices

etc.)

• Tuition fee as well as Consultancy Service Packages (up to 60 hours remote) are funded by the European

Commission under the SMP (Single Market Programme).

• For travel and accommodation costs of participants, travel cost as well as accommodation and subsist-

ence allowance rates are granted.

Training Programme Structure & Timeline

• Duration of the programme

o 31 training days which are conducted in two on-site and two main online blocks

• Training Location/Software

o On-site trainings are held in Vienna, Austria and Brussels, Belgium

o Online sessions will take place via MS Teams

• Training Block Structure

o Block 1 on-site (10 days), Vienna: 04 – 15 November 2024

o Block 2 on-line (10 half-days): 25 November - 06 December 2024

o Agile Leadership on-line (3 days asynchronous): 09 Dec 2024 – 10 January 2025

o Block 3 on-line (8 half-days): 13 – 24 January 2025

o 2 in-depth trainings on-line (4 half-days): 10 – 28 February 2025

o Block 4 on-site (5 days), Brussels: 17 – 21 March 2025

• Training Times

o On-site: Monday – Friday, 8 hours per day,

o On-line: Monday – Friday, 4 hours per day

• Participants will additionally work on their individual learning journal

Your Benefits

• Strengthen the capacity and competency of your staff;

• Meet EC requirements on further professionalisation of public procurement;

• Establish a network of Public Procurement Experts across Europe and exchange professional experience;

• Use a set of methods, tools, and templates for the implementation of most professional tender proce-

dures;

• Create a set of tangible key performance indicators allowing you to measure economic and qualitative

organisational improvements;

• Create return on investment – highly skilled staff contributes to successful business operations on a

daily basis;

• Participants will be equipped with a comprehensive toolbox of best practice tools, templates and meth-

odologies to enable their organisations to improve processes in various fields of Public Procurement.

• Have access to Consultancy Service Packages (up to 60 hours remote) for individual small organisational

projects

We are honoured to invite your organisation to the new edition of this well-established EU programme.

Please identify professionals in your institution who would benefit the most from this programme. Since the

number of participants is limited, we recommend that interested procurement professionals apply as soon as

possible. For details on the application process, please refer to the Public Buyers Community platform and the

project’s LinkedIn page.

Deadline for applications is 21 August 2024.

For further information or clarifications regarding the application process, please do not hesitate to send your

questions to [email protected].

Yours sincerely,

Dr. Martin Ledolter, LL.M.

Managing Director

Bundesbeschaffung GmbH

Dipl. Kfm. Uwe Flach

Head of Consulting, Organisational Development &

International Affairs, Bundesbeschaffung GmbH