Promoting Strategic and Green Public Procurement in France

Annex A. ProcurCompEU competency framework used as part of the OECD survey

 

Competency	Description	Average level of respondents1
Competency 1: Planning	Knowledge of: the procurement planning and policy priorities of the organisation, including budget plans and options for implementation, as well as relevant policies at national level. The formulation, development and implementation of procurement planning translate the policy choices of the organisation into where and how public procurement should be used to cost-effectively purchase the required supplies, services or works in line with the desired policy impact. The planning should take into account: The political and policy priorities of the organisation; The relevant policies at the State level; The adopted budget plans and available resources; Whether procurement is the right option to meet the identified need; The need to prioritise and manage timelines; The identification of critical procurement for which it is necessary to secure supply chains; Potential opportunities and risks in the implementation process.	2.12
Competency 2: Lifecycle	Knowledge of: the procurement lifecycle from prepublication to post-award, and how the different phases interact with each other. The procurement lifecycle includes the various phases from planning and pre-publication to post-award and contract management. Each step affects the nature of subsequent steps. Understanding the overall lifecycle and the interactions between the steps, over a number of procedures, is necessary for the design and implementation of robust procurement procedures. It allows to anticipate risks and opportunities, thus improving efficiency and value for money.	2.78
Competency 3: Legislation	Knowledge of: the procurement legislation at national and EU level, as well as adjacent areas of law and their implications for public procurement. Public procurement professionals need to understand and be able to apply the relevant national (particularly the public procurement code) and EU level legal frameworks and the principles of non-discrimination, equal treatment, transparency, proportionality and sound financial management. This includes adjacent areas of law and policy, e.g.: Competition, administrative, contract, environmental, social and labour laws, accessibility obligations and Intellectual Property Rights; The legislative framework for environmental considerations and their impact on public procurement (The REEN, EGALIM, AGEC, Climate and Resilience Laws, Green Industry, ETEE Circular (15 Commitments for the Ecological Transformation of the State) etc.) EU funding, budgetary and accounting rules; Remedies; Anti-corruption and anti-fraud measures; Any relevant international obligations, in particular the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals - measure 12 of the Paris Agreement). Knowledge of the legislation is also essential to understand and ensure the desired impact on the procurement system and supply chains. In addition, public procurers need to be familiar with the major government plans, national roadmaps and interministerial policies on sustainable procurement (Ecological Planning, the circular on the State's Commitment to Ecological Transformation, the National Plan for Sustainable Procurement, the State's Decarbonisation Strategy, the Sobriety Circular, the State's Sustainable Procurement Policy, etc.).	2.48
Competency 4: Green procurement	Knowledge of: the green objectives of the organisation and related national policies, as well as of the available tools, standards, and techniques for incorporating these into the procurement process. Green public procurement incorporates strategic public policy goals into procurement procedures, such as such as the reduction of greenhouse gases, decarbonisation, the use of ecolabels or equivalent, energy sobriety, the fight against deforestation, the securing of supply chains, the preservation of biodiversity, etc. It contributes to reducing the environmental impact of procurement, and to improving value for money for the organisation and for society at large. Sustainable objectives can be implemented in many ways: Exclusion criteria that require a minimum level of compliance with environmental and social law by contractors and sub-contractors; Selection criteria that verify the bidder’s qualifications to achieve environmental goals; Technical specifications that include environmental considerations such as label requirements or sustainable production processes; Evaluation techniques such as life-cycle costing and use of environmental award criteria; Contract performance clauses in order to monitor and enforce high sustainability standards; Progress plans to achieve higher sustainability standards and help suppliers to mature throughout the contract; Sector specific legislation requiring, for example, minimum energy efficiency standards, as well as horizontal rules such as accessibility obligations; Green action plans outlining support measures or setting targets.	1.80
Competency 5: Innovation procurement	Knowledge of: the innovation objectives of the organisation and related national policies, as well as the available tools and techniques for incorporating these into the procurement process. Innovation procurement refers to a public procurement that involves either: Buying the process of innovation (e.g. buying research and development services), or Buying the outcomes of innovation created by others (i.e. buying innovative solutions). Innovation procurement helps modernise public services while creating opportunities for companies to develop new markets. By developing a forward-looking innovation procurement strategy and considering alternative competing solutions, contracting authorities can drive innovation from the demand side to meet short term as well as medium to long term needs. A well-designed innovation procurement strategy will reduce the risk of low- or non-performance of the purchased innovations by providing a step-by-step approach from solution design, prototyping, and development to development and product testing.	1.23
Competency 6: Category specific	Knowledge of: the features and specificities relevant to one or more categories of supplies, services or works, including suppliers, technical parameters, and market conditions. Category specific expertise is at the core of the procurement procedure. The characteristics of the category of supplies, services, or works to be acquired, as well as the structure of the corresponding markets and value chains, must be well understood, including by involving experts and stakeholders (professionals and end-users). The procurement strategy and documents have to be tailored to fulfil the identified need and maximise value for money.	2.15
Competency 7: Supplier management	Knowledge of: strategies and processes to develop and manage relationships with suppliers in accordance with public procurement principles. Supplier management involves building and maintaining effective relationships with current and potential future suppliers. It is essential to ensuring the successful delivery of current contracts and of future calls for tender. In addition, increased understanding of suppliers can help procurement professionals drive more robust, ethical, responsible, and economically advantageous supply chains through open channels of communication with suppliers, especially SMEs. Providing information, guidance and potentially support and training to suppliers (e.g. on the use of e-procurement) are efficient ways to achieve these objectives, while ensuring that communication with economic operators during the tendering phase is in accordance with public procurement principles (i.e. non-discrimination, transparency, and equal treatment) and ethical standards.	1.90
Competency 8: Needs assessment	Knowledge of: needs assessment techniques and tools for determining the underlying needs of the organisation and of the end-users regarding the subject matter of the procurement. The needs assessment is the process of determining the needs, including possible impacts in terms of value for money or environmental impacts, regarding the subject matter of the procurement by various means, including: Liaising with internal and external stakeholders, within the organisation itself or third parties to identify their needs; Translating identified needs into procurement planning of supplies, services, or in line with the organisation’s budget plan; Considering aggregation of needs related to the same subject matter; Use the technique of functional expression of needs to develop innovative and sustainable procurement solutions.	2.04
Competency 9: Market analysis & engagement	Knowledge of: market analysis and market engagement techniques and tools that can be used to understand the characteristics of the supplier market as well as the market conditions and trends, in order to define the procurement strategy. Market analysis provides an in-depth view of which supplies and services can or cannot be provided by the market, and under what conditions. It involves collecting information on key market drivers (e.g. political, environmental, technological, and social – PESTEL matrix) and on the potential bidders. This involves using RFI (Request For Information) techniques, which can be published on PLACE, or physical sourcing of economic operators (EOs). This information can be used to define the public purchasing strategy (e.g. division into lots), the reference price, etc.	1.79
Competency 10: Procurement strategy	Knowledge of: the range of available procurement strategies and their components (e.g. in terms of choice and features of the procedures, instruments for submission, types of contracts) in order to reach the organisation’s objectives. The design of the procurement strategy is the deliberate use of different elements in the procurement lifecycle to reflect and exploit the conditions of the subject matter of the procurement and define the most appropriate and impactful process in order to reach the organisation’s objectives and ensure genuine competition. It includes the identification of the most appropriate option between: Types of procurement procedures; Standalone or joint procurement; Features of the procedure, such as scope, duration, and division into lots; Techniques and instruments for electronic submission (electronic auctions and catalogues, and dynamic purchasing systems); Types of contract (e.g. direct or framework agreement) and contract performance clauses.	2.49
Competency 11.1: Technical specifications (CCTP)	Knowledge of: drafting technical specifications that enable potential bidders to submit realistic offers that directly address the underlying need of the organisation. Drafting technical specifications involves transforming the findings of the needs assessment and market analysis into concrete specifications and evaluation criteria that can be used in assessing bids and awarding the contract. This includes setting objective and not over-prescriptive minimum requirements for the subject matter to avoid unnecessarily limiting competition Ensuring that technical specifications are outcome-focused and future-proofed is key to enable innovation and continuous improvement. Technical specifications can also contain references to standards in order to ensure common understanding, transparency, and equal treatment.	1.93
Competency 11.2: Evaluation criteria	Knowledge of: drafting criteria that enable the evaluation committee to select the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). Exclusion, selection and award criteria are used to evaluate the offers in order to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). Exclusion criteria ensure that the contract is not awarded to bidders that have been found guilty of certain offenses or that are in breach of certain tax, environmental, or social security obligations. Selection criteria ensures that the bidder fulfil the minimum requirements prescribed by the bidding documents, in terms of economic, technical, and financial capacity. Finally, evaluation contract award ensures that the selected offer is the most economically advantageous one, based on price only, based on cost (such as life-cycle cost) or based on a combination of price and qualitative factors related to the quality of the technical offer or its environmental quality.	2.45
Competency 12: Tender documentation	Knowledge of: the content of the tender documentation, including the exclusion, selection and award criteria that are the basis for the contract award decision, in order to run a successful procurement procedure. To launch a procurement procedure, tender documentation has to be prepared and the exclusion, selection and award criteria that are the basis for the contract award decision must be defined. The tender documentation (in addition to the technical specifications) explains the administrative requirements of the procedure, justifies the estimated value of the contract, and specifies the terms and conditions under which tenders are to be submitted, evaluated, and awarded. They may include other elements such as draft contract provisions, cancellation conditions for the tender, as well as modifications, performance, and termination provisions, etc..	2.58
Competency 13: Tender evaluation	Knowledge of: the appropriate evaluation process depending on the type of procurement procedures, including the role and responsibilities of the evaluation committee, in order to ensure that all tenders are assessed in an objective and transparent way against pre-defined criteria. The tender evaluation process must ensure that tenders are assessed in an objective and legally compliant way and against exclusion, selection and award criteria defined in the call for tender, in order to identify the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT). The evaluation committee should be led by experienced agents (representatives of the contracting authority, buyers, legal experts etc.) who are well-versed in their roles, responsibilities, and procedural obligations, supported by relevant technical experts in the field of the subject matter, including assessing standards and labels. The process should be documented to provide the evidence and the rationale for the award.	2.42
Competency 14: Contract management	Knowledge of: contract management principles to ensure proper delivery, in compliance with all legal requirements and technical specifications, as well as logistics, environmental and inventory management considerations. Contract management involves ensuring that the subject of the procurement is delivered according to the terms, conditions in the technical specifications and the contract, and in compliance with all legal and environmental requirements and technical specifications. This includes aspects related to governance, risk, performance (and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)), rules on modifications of contracts and financial management of contracts. In the case of supply contracts, contract management also covers logistics and inventory management. This means ensuring that goods are delivered on time and meet quality standards, and that the availability of stocks is consistently and cost-effectively maintained, and that security of supply is guaranteed.	2.36
Competency 15: Certification & payment	Knowledge of: the verification principles and the financial control framework which ensure that the relevant supplies, services or works are delivered in compliance with the terms and conditions of the contract and all applicable financial and accounting rules in order to proceed to the payment. Before proceeding with a payment to a contractor for the provision of supplies, works or services, the procuring organisation needs to perform a verification check to ensure alignment with the specifications of the terms and conditions of the contract and all applicable financial and accounting rules.	2.07
Competency 16: Reporting & evaluation	Knowledge of: monitoring tools and techniques for the implementation and performance of the contracts. Reporting and evaluation is the ex-post assessment of the deliverables and outcomes of a procurement process to assess the strengths and weaknesses and draw lessons for future calls for tender. It is done by collecting relevant data in line with organisational and national reporting obligations.	2.00
Competency 17: Adaptability & modernisation	Knowledge of: change management techniques and tools. Public procurement professionals need to respond and adapt to changing tasks and circumstances. Such changes can occur in terms of working methods (e.g. digitalisation), citizens’ expectations (e.g. food safety), technological solutions and challenges (e.g. big data and cybersecurity), emergency scenarios (e.g. pandemics, natural disasters) and policy challenges (e.g. climate change). Public procurement professionals must keep abreast of relevant changes in the regulatory, political, and technological environment of public procurement. They must keep an open mind to changing conditions, new ideas and viewpoints and working methods. They must adapt, be resilient to change, and even embrace change by looking for modern and innovative solutions to overcome new procurement challenges. They should be capable of reassessing their approach in emergency situations to ensure compliance while making full use of available flexibilities. They should identify learning and development opportunities that support agile adaptation to change and new tools.	1.52
Competency 18: Analytical & critical thinking	Knowledge of: analytical and critical thinking approaches and tools. Procurement professionals need analytical and critical thinking to evaluate information with accuracy and objectivity. In doing so, they use good judgment, anticipate opportunities and threats and solve problems in an efficient and creative way.	1.58
Competency 19: Communication	Knowledge of: communication tools and techniques and how the public procurement principles apply to various communication situations. Communication aims to ensure that the goals and processes of procurement policy in general, and individual procurement procedures, are well understood by stakeholders. It relies on the use of appropriate communication channels (oral, written, electronic) in order to deliver relevant and accurate information in line with the public procurement principles of non-discrimination, transparency, and equal treatment. In doing so, public procurement professionals need to adapt the communication medium and message to each target audience, whether internal (management, technical departments, representatives of the contracting authority, financial services, etc.) or external (suppliers).	2.08
Competency 20: Ethics & compliance	Knowledge of: the applicable procedural rules and principles as well as tools, codes and guidance documents which help ensure adherence thereto. Public procurement stakeholders must ensure compliance with all applicable rules, codes of conducts and guidelines and adherence to the principles of public procurement: equal treatment, non-discrimination, transparency, and proportionality. All stakeholders involved in public procurement must ensure verification throughout the full range of concrete tasks, making use of available tools to assess the risks of conflict of interest, corruption on the one hand, and anti-competitive practices by suppliers such as collusion and bid-rigging, or potential problems with compliance in their work on the other hand. The procurement professionals are subject to a code of ethics that sets out the rights, duties and limits to be respected in the procurement profession.	2.41
Competency 21: Collaboration	Knowledge of: collaborative tools and techniques. No public procurement professional works in isolation. To be successful, procurement professionals need to collaborate with each other and their environment. This means working in teams and encouraging the sharing of ideas and strategies and the gathering input and expertise. This is equally applicable for a small organisation where the public buyer will have to rely on both internal and external stakeholders, as well as for larger organisations and central purchasing bodies, where there is a conscious strategy for building multidisciplinary procurement teams for specific procurement procedures (e.g. lawyer, economist, specialist or subject-matter expert).	1.85
Competency 22: Stakeholder relationship management	Knowledge of: key concepts and methods of stakeholder relationship management. Stakeholder relationship management means creating and maintaining solid internal and external relations based on mutual trust and credibility. Public procurement professionals often need to engage with stakeholders to achieve organisational goals and contribute to the sustainable development of stakeholder relationships.	1.53
Competency 23: Organisational awareness	Knowledge of: the organisation’s administrative structure, procedures and processes, internal culture, and legal and policy framework. Organisational awareness is the understanding of the administrative structure, organisational culture, as well as the legal and policy framework, that impacts the organisation. It allows one to understand the drivers and motivations of different stakeholders, and to take appropriate actions leading to securing value for money and the best outcome for the organisation.	2.36
Competency 24: Project management	Knowledge of: the key concepts and tools of project management relevant for the public administration. The effective delivery of a procurement project requires the understanding and application of key concepts, practices and tools to manage procurement procedures. These project management concepts can be used to ensure that procurement projects are delivered in line with the expected timeline, budget, quality, stakeholder involvement and risk mitigation.	1.92
Competency 25: Performance orientation	Knowledge of: Performance management strategies and methods that help identify inefficiencies and monitor the performance of procurement and the way it delivers value for money. Public procurement professionals need to focus efforts and prioritise work to deliver value for money, in line with public service guidelines and policies. Their role is to achieve cost savings and strategic and sustainable goals, proactively identify inefficiencies, overcome obstacles and adapt their approach to consistently deliver sustainable and high-performance procurement outcomes.	1.30
Competency 26: Risk management & internal control	Knowledge of: The different types of risk in public procurement processes and mitigation measures, functions of internal control and audit from the procurement point of view. Public procurement takes place at an intersection of public and private interests. It is subject to several layers of internal and external oversight, even including media attention, and is widely identified as a key risk area for fraud and corruption. As such, a big part of a procurement professional’s job is managing a number of overlapping risks. This requires rigorous and thoughtful application of mitigation measures and controls, as well as a proactive approach to protecting the interests of the organisation and the public good.	1.26

Note

← 1.  A level 0 corresponds to a less than basic level, level 1 corresponds to a basic level of skills and knowledge, level 2 corresponds to an intermediate level, level 3 corresponds to an advanced level, and level 4 corresponds to an expert level.