PRESENTATION

OUR MISSION

The "Center of research in Procurement and Supply Chain", Proxenter, undertakes interdisciplinary research on Public and Private Procurement and on the Supply Chain.

It promotes the cultural and scientific debate on these issues, working with governments, institutions and companies..

ACTIVITES

The Proxenter’s main activities are as follows:

  • Organize seminars, conferences, and workshops at national and international level;
  • Promote the publications – on line and hardcopy – of research results;
  • Promote the exchange of information and competences between Proxenter and public and private institutions universities, governments, and industries;
  • Promote research projects with public and private institutions on public and private procurement and on the supply chain;
  • Promote collaborations with public and private institutions;
  • Identify and promote best practices and toolkits on public and private procurement.

WHY A RESEARCH CENTER ON PUBLIC PROCUREMENT?

The purchase of works, goods and services from public administrations (PAs) or public authorities – public procurement- typically concerns 15-20% of a country GDP. This range will increase in the next years because of the increased level of delegation to the private sector of the provision of public services, not only in traditional sectors such as transport, energy and gas, but also in new sectors, such as the prison sectors and waste.

Improving the efficiency of public procurement, reducing its costs and raising the quality of goods, infrastructure and services, can therefore contribute significantly to the welfare of a country. Public procurement is indeed playing a key role in the European strategy.

The Proxenter aims to undertake research on public and private procurement, to provide evaluations, identify best practices, and offer recommendations on procurement policy and regulations.

WHY A CENTER OF RESEARCH ON PRIVATE PROCUREMENT?

When procuring goods or services, private enterprises aim to minimize the price and maximize the quality of the work, good or service they are buying. The efficiency and effectiveness of this procurement process are influenced by the design of the procurement tools. As public buyers, private sector buyers must encourage the participation of suppliers in the procurement procedure and design the tender (award criterion, division into lots, evaluation of technical scores, composition of the committee, etc.) so as to ensure a healthy competition among suppliers, evaluate the offers according to the parameters that reflect the needs of the buyer and efficiently monitor the execution of the contract. Research in private procurement therefore shares many objectives as the one in public procurement. The main difference between the two is that the degree of discretion of a private buyer is much greater than the one of a public buyer, who typically is constrained by strict rules and established procedures, and is limited in the use it can make of negotiations. Furthermore, the private buyer can develop relational agreements, informal rather than formal agreements, with ongoing suppliers to an extent that the public buyer cannot do.