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Reforms and Investments

Supporting implementation of innovation procurement in Croatia

Supporting reforms to reinforce efficient and high quality public administrations

Funding Programme
Year
  • 2022

Supporting implementation of innovation procurement in Croatia

Public procurement can significantly drive innovation, especially green and digital, by integrating innovative practices and technologies into government purchasing processes, enhancing public services and economic growth.
The Croatian Ministry of Economy recognised the critical role of public procurement in supporting the government’s broad strategic goals and with EU support, is working on promoting innovation procurement through developing a capacity building system and a structured monitoring framework for innovation procurement.

Context 

In 2023, public procurement in Croatia accounted for 19.98% of GDP (MINGO, 2024[32]). The Guidance on Innovation Procurement (IPP) published by the European Commission mentions incremental innovation and transformative innovation as the different degrees of innovation. PPI allows the public sector to use its purchasing power to act as an early adopter of innovative solutions which are not yet available on a large scale, on a commercial basis.

Croatia recognises the critical role of public procurement in supporting the government’s broad strategic goals to contribute to the country’s economic growth and recovery. 

Funded by the European Union through SG REFORM Technical Support Instrument, the key objective of this Action was to support the government of Croatia in promoting innovation procurement in the country through developing a capacity building system and proposing a structured monitoring framework for innovation procurement.

Support delivered 

The project funded by the EU Technical Support Instrument, implemented in cooperation with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, from January 2023 to January 2025, produced the following outputs:

  1. Report on the current state of play of innovation procurement in Croatia
  2. Implementation of ProcurCompEU self-assessment survey
  3. Proposal on establishing a monitoring system for innovation procurement
  4. Development of the manual on innovation procurement
  5. Organisation of capacity-building workshops and development of training modules related to innovation procurement:
    1. Pilot training workshops for public procurement officials by trained trainers (February 2024);
    2. Training of Trainers (ToT) programme (June 2024);
    3. Awareness-raising workshops for economic operators (November 2024). 

Results achieved 

  • 75 procurement officials from 15 entities participated in the self-assessment survey
  • 9 steps presented to carry out innovation procurement (IP) in the manual
  • 15 trained trainers in the 3.5-day ToT Programme
  • 25 trained procurement officials by trainers during 2-day pilot training (Zadar/ Zagreb)
  • 1077 economic operators participated in the survey on perception of IP
  • 396  Representatives from economic operators participated in the webinar
  • 33 indicators presented to measure the performance of IP

Useful links

Innovation Procurement in Croatia: Strengthening framework conditions for innovation procurement in Croatia: regulatory and institutional frameworks, strategies, and monitoring system | OECD

More about the project

You can read the documents related to the project here: