We are proud to announce a new member of our Urban Agenda Public Procurement Partnership:
SERN (Sweden Emilia Romagna Network)
SERN is one of the main transnational networks in Europe fostering relations between Northern and Southern Europe and in particular Sweden and Italy where Italian and Swedish communities and their citizens are key drivers of change towards a more inclusive, sustainable and digitalised society.
This new member joined our Partnership in March 2025. Contact person is Nicola Catellani, Director of the SERN Secretariat.
We have interviewed Nicola and asked him to introduce his organisation and its role in our Partnership by answering below questions:
Why SERN applied for joining the UA Public Procurement Partnership?
SERN decided to join the UA Public Procurement Partnership because we strongly believe in the potential of public procurement as a strategic tool for innovation, sustainability, and social impact in our members’ community. As a transnational network of local authorities from Italy and Sweden, we increasingly see procurement both as an important technical function and key policy tool to make communities more sustainable and inclusive communities. Our members are increasingly interested in adopting innovative and responsible procurement practices, and the Partnership offers an excellent opportunity to exchange experiences, learn from leading practices across Europe, and contribute to a shared agenda. Joining the Partnership allows us to be part of a network that is genuinely committed to rethinking procurement in the EU.
What are the challenges SERN faces in terms of Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement?
One of the main challenges we face is the lack of professionalisation among public procurers and related staff. Many of our member municipalities operate with limited resources and only some of the large local authorities have procurement specialists trained to handle innovative or sustainable procurement processes. This makes it difficult to move beyond traditional procurement models.
We often encounter a cultural and organisational resistance to change. We believe that embedding innovation into procurement processes requires internal capacity building, leadership engagement, as well as more flexible administrative procedures. These are areas where our members are seeking to improve.
What is the added value of the Partnership for SERN?
The Partnership brings a clear added value to SERN through capacity building and knowledge sharing, better connecting our members with innovation actors in Europe which can help making procurement a driver change locally. Last but not least, thanks to the Partnership we can contribute to shaping the European agenda, particularly around the harmonisation of procurement legislation.
If you would like to know more about SERN, please visit their website here.
If you would like to contact Nicola Catellani directly, please send him an e-mail: nicola.catellani@sern.eu