PreCo Project will raise awareness of pre-commercial procurement (PCP) and address the barriers in public sector Participatory Research, Development and Innovation (RDI). PCP is defined as an approach for acquiring Research and Development services which enable public procurers to:

• share the risks and benefits of designing, prototyping and testing of new products and services with the suppliers and other stake-holders such as the end-users
• create the optimum conditions for wide commercialization and take-up of R&D results through standardization and/or publication
• pool the efforts of several procurers.

The overall objective of PreCo is to support public authorities in undertaking pre-commercial procurement actions which stimulate innovation and citizen participations. For this propose, the project will establish a thematic network for the development and the adaptation of European wide models, frameworks and policy recommendations in two main areas: eHealth and eEnergy.

The thematic network will contribute to the Lisbon strategy goals by fostering growth and innovation. It will further develop synergies with other policies, and stimulate, encourage and facilitate the participation of SMEs and civil society organizations in the activities of public purchasing processes. The network will bring together a wide range of stakeholders including public authorities and relevant support actors, in order to encourage practical co-operation, exchange of experiences and knowledge on PCP.

The project is financed by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

Project duration: 1.11.2009 – 31.10.2011.

Project brochure: PreCo Brochure