About Sapiens Network
SAPIENS will be the first training network and academic research project integrating SPP as a sub-discipline within the
scientific field of sustainable public procurement studies.
Furthers the understanding of SPP in its legal, political, and economic context
Tackles many currently pressing issues for the well-being of our societies
Brings together supervisors from fields and professions relevant to SPP
Our Story
The only training program purposefully designed for the inherently interdisciplinary nature of SPP
Our Objective
The objective of the Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems (SAPIENS) is to foster interdisciplinary research into the evolving use of public procurement to address the social and environmental challenges of the 21st century with a view to create a significantly increased European knowledge base and research capacity on the law, the economics and the business sciences of SPP, thus helping Europe in addressing social and environmental challenges.
Our Impact
By including SPP implementation into the analysis, SAPIENS will have an impact on the actual uptake of SPP in Europe and beyond and it will significantly foster SPP as an already emerging sub-discipline of sustainability studies through its interdisciplinary approach and the inclusion of new SPP objectives, instruments, and techniques (and their effectiveness). SAPIENS will address a pressing need by training a cohort of SPP specialists capable of addressing the three dimensions of the SDGs (social, economic, environmental).
Public authorities in Europe are major buyers of goods and services, spending approximately 1.8 trillion annually, representing around 14% of the EU’s gross domestic product. Public Procurement Law, also shaped by EU and international law, provides procedures to be followed by contracting authorities (CAs) to select their contracting partners from the private sector. By using their purchasing power to select socially responsible goods and services with lower impact on
the environment (sustainable public procurement – SPP), CAs can make a significant contribution to sustainable consumption and production.
By promoting and using SPP, CAs provide the private sector with real incentives for developing green technologies and products and for being socially responsible, ideally also beyond their government contracts. SPP allows governments to leverage public spending to increase demand for sustainable products and services, based on social and environmental criteria, increasing their market share and providing business with tangible incentives. PP is a highly relevant lever in the hands of governments to achieve the Social Development Goals (SDGs).
Research Objectives
Beneficiaries
Early Stage Research Projects
Partner Organisations
What we do
Research, train, and provide open access to SPP materials and tool for wider use
Social
For SAPIENS Network, the SDGs range from eliminating poverty; enhancing gender equality; and promoting social, economic, and political inclusion for all.
Economic
Along with eliminating poverty, economic goals also cover achieving higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading, and innovation to mobilizing additional financial resources for developing countries and more.
Environmental
From improving water quality to enhancing inclusive sustainable urbanization; reducing waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reusing; and supporting the integratration of climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning, the 15 ESRs run the gamut for inclusive sustainable public procurment
