Building on Spend Analysis Results: The Next Steps for Pamplona.

After a methodical work of several months we have collected the data corresponding to the 2015-2018 period. This spend analysis has provided us with data regarding the amount and percentage of contracting spend geographically, by sector, by the size of the contracted companies (large, small, medium and micro enterprises); and by its legal typology (separating data for social economy companies).

It is undoubtedly a first step, and essential to initiate a logical and planned project framework. Without a baseline and without a diagnosis, it is impossible to establish priorities, or determine the actions to be designed and applied as our next steps. Defining a baseline for the spend analysis is also crucial for us to monitor how we can improve upon our initial results.

The results of the spend analysis inform priorities which have been defined, both by the project itself, and by other actions that the City Council of Pamplona had been working on. These priorities are the following:

• Increase the number of contracts with small, medium and micro enterprises.
• Increase the number of contracts with social and non-profit entities and companies.
• Increase the number of contracts with Special Employment Centers and Insertion Companies, which are those that employ people with disabilities and people in situations of social exclusion.
• Promote the social responsibility of contracting companies and provide added value to the execution of public contracts, by incorporating social and environmental clauses.

The next phase will be a key challenge for Pamplona, as the city will look at designing and executing the relevant actions that facilitate the achievement of these objectives. With this in mind:

• We will have to analyze in a specific and concrete way those sectors of activity and contracts generally awarded to large companies.
• We must act on the tenders themselves: reduce technical and professional solvency requirements, design lots effectively, eliminate or reduce guarantees, facilitate electronic bidding, encourage innovation, or simplify the specifications.
• And it will also be necessary to act on the demand, training SMEs and micro-SMEs in access to public procurement, making preliminary consultations, or encouraging business unions.

It is encouraging to know we have a favorable legal framework for these actions, since they are all measures foreseen in the Directives of the European Parliament and of the Council 2014/23/EU and 2014/24/EU, as well as in the regional Law 2/2018 of Public Contracts of Navarra Region.

No doubt, we have an exciting job ahead.