Procurement for (a) social economy – Implementation of social procurement for a sustainable transition
An initiative to strengthen social procurement capacity among authorities and companies, promoting inclusive employment and integrating social economy actors in nine European regions.
GA number: 03C0982
Funded by: INTERREG Europe Duration: 01/05/2025-31/07/2029
Challenge
Europe continues to experience high unemployment among vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities (17.1% compared to 10.2% for people without disabilities), non-EU citizens (12.2% compared to 5.4% for EU citizens), and young people (14.5%). These groups often encounter structural barriers, limited support, and a mismatch between their skills and available jobs. One way to address this is through social procurement: when public or private buyers choose suppliers that create social value—for example, by employing people from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, this approach remains underused, limiting progress in reducing inequality and improving access to the labour market.
Innovation
PROSECO supports EU regions in using social procurement to improve access to employment for vulnerable groups. To this end, PROSECO facilitates the exchange of good practices among public authorities, social enterprises, and businesses, improves interregional policies, promotes the use of social clauses in tenders, and encourages innovative methods such as social outcome contracting.
Action
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or INTERREG Europe. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Partners
