Join the Webinar 

The Sapiens Network, in collaboration with the Faculty of Political, Administrative and Communication Sciences of Babes-Bolyai University, is organizing a workshop titled “Public Procurement: a systemic approach to sustainability and technology” as part of the Sapiens Workshop series. The event will be moderated by Dacian C. Dragos, Professor of Administrative and European Law with the Public Administration and Management Department at Babes-Bolyai University (Romania),  Sebastien Lizin, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Business Economics and vice-chair of the Department of Economics at Hasselt University (Belgium) and Roxana Vornicu, PhD, Senior Lecturer at King´s College London, Centre of Construction Law, and Managing Partner of Sirbu & Vornicu Law.

The issue that will be discussed

As governments and public institutions increasingly recognize the need to address environmental and social challenges, the integration of sustainability criteria and digital tools in public procurement processes has become a key priority. Public procurement plays a crucial role in driving sustainability and technological innovation, and this workshop aims to explore the latest research and insights on how it can be leveraged to promote sustainable practices and foster innovation, with a particular focus on the construction industry and the role of data monitoring.

The Scope

Bringing together experts from academia, the workshop will discuss various aspects of sustainable and digital public procurement. By adopting a holistic perspective, it seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with advancing sustainability and technology in this field. The presentations will cover topics ranging from the relationship between digital tools and sustainable procurement, the importance of data monitoring, a systemic approach to integrating sustainability into procurement processes, the role of EU legislation in driving sustainability in specific sectors, to the potential of life cycle assessment research in informing sustainable building design and procurement policies.

The Agenda

Four Marie Curie Fellows from three universities will share their insights:

1. Nadia Sava (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania) will discuss the relationship between digital and sustainable public procurement and the importance of public procurement data monitoring in her presentation, “Digital and sustainable public procurement – the role of data monitoring.”
2. Felippe Vilaça (Högskolan i Gävle, Sweden) will present “A holistic approach to sustainable public procurement,” examining the elements involved in integrating sustainability into public procurement from a systemic perspective.
3. Alexandru Buftic (Babes-Bolyai University, Romania) will explore how the European Union is driving sustainability in public procurement through sectoral legislation. His presentation, “Advancing Sustainability in EU Public Procurement through Sectoral Legislation,” will focus on the construction industry and the role of Directive 2023/1791 EED in promoting energy efficiency and green public procurement practices.
4. Haitham Abu Ghaida (UHasselt, Belgium) will share key findings from his recently published paper, “Accounting for product recovery potential in building life cycle assessments: a disassembly network-based approach.” His presentation, “Promoting Sustainable Building Design through Public Procurement: Insights from Life Cycle Assessment Research,” will highlight the role of design for disassembly principles in reducing embodied greenhouse gas emissions in buildings and the implications for public procurement policies in driving sustainable construction practices.

Save the date and join the discussion

The workshop is scheduled for Wednesday, June 5, 2024, from 1:30pm to 3pm (CET) and will be conducted virtually via Google Meet. Save the date and join the discussion using the following link: https://meet.google.com/dnh-itng-xvf.

This event provides a platform for discussing the latest research and insights on the role of public procurement in promoting sustainability and technological innovation. Participants will have the opportunity to engage with the speakers and explore these critical issues in depth.