Public procurement, innovation, and 'missions'
In this session of the Research Forum, we explored 'mission-oriented' public procurement.
The Research Forum on Outcomes in Cross-Sector Collaboration is a gathering of researchers whose work engages with, or relates to, outcomes-based approaches to public service provision. Every two months, the Forum hosts guest speakers to present an aspect of their research or talk through a particular issue that is influencing their work. The research forum is co-hosted by the Government Outcomes Lab, University of Oxford, and The Center for Research on Public-Private Collaboration, Roskilde University.
Themes of interest to the Forum include:
- Cross-sector partnerships (e.g., PPPs) in the pursuit of policy goals
- Outcomes-based approaches to public service provision including social outcomes contracting
- Stewardship of mixed economies of public service delivery (outsourcing, insourcing, voluntary sector involvement, place-based working)
We aim to reflect the full breadth that these topics entail, as well as issues relating to research process and methodology. We therefore welcome empirical content from different locations around the world, as well as theoretical discussions covering the various conceptual frameworks through which efforts to improve social outcomes can be interpreted and understood.
The sessions are intended to be informal in nature, allowing for free-flowing discussion, the testing of ideas among peers, and wrestling with the challenges of interdisciplinary work in this space. The Research Forum therefore provides an arena for researchers away from the demands of having a polished ‘policy message’ or published paper. In doing so, we hope to develop a scholarly network that will enrich our research, disseminate ideas, and foster collaboration across institutions.
What to expect
Research Forum meetings are one hour and 15 minutes long, and are held online. They are free to attend, and anyone who is interested is welcome to join. The target audience is principally researchers, however, and these sessions will particularly appeal to members of academic institutions, consultancies, and/or think tanks, whose work relates to the above outlined themes.
If you are interested in presenting at the Forum please contact Eleanor Carter, Research Director at the Government Outcomes Lab, or Ole Helby Petersen, Director of The Center for Research on Public-Private Collaboration, Roskilde University.
Session overview
From healthcare to agriculture, many public policy initiatives are currently being formulated as 'missions'. A well-defined mission aims to stimulate innovative approaches to redressing complex, long-term problems. As a major governmental instrument, procurement no doubt has a central role to play. Yet this is not the first time that a new framework for the uses of public procurement has been in vogue. In this session, Veiko Lember and Elvira Uyarra joined us to review a variety of approaches to the procurement of innovation, and the evidence of their impact. We considered what the history of these strategies might tell us about the uses of public procurement for today's needs - particularly regarding progress on the major societal challenges that policy missions seek to tackle.
Ole Petersen provided a response to the two presentations, before we opened to audience discussion and questions.