User-driven procurement

Subject area/Theme:

User Engagement/Governance

Best Practice:

The funds of programmes for Earth Observation related service development, such as GMES*, should be decided about by those who will in the future use the outcomes of the funded activities. For each funding line, the respective contracting bodies should truly represent the majority of the users and their needs, as a prerequisite for such programmes to be user-driven instead of supply-driven.

Explain why is there a need for this Best Practice?

The currently running GMES* projects are supply-driven instead of user-driven, as a consequence of the structures defined by the procurement processes. Thus far, GMES* related calls for proposals by ESA (European Space Agency) and by the European Commission, laid out an approach in which all resulting projects are initiated and led by service providers. Accordingly, potential users could not decide about project budgets and tasks. Indeed, the planning of these projects is mostly done without significant user inputs, so that the future operational implementation of the services is not always realistically envisaged.

Cf Projects led and managed by users

Provide an example application(s):

none 

How widely deployed is this practice (if applicable)? 

Not applicable  

Owner (Originator) Contact Information:

Submitter Contact Information:

GNU - http://www.gmes-network-of-users.eu

Detailed Description of Best Practice

A user-driven programme with all the funds being decided about by the advocates of the supply side is a contradiction. GMES* project procurement is essential because these projects develop and prepare future services that will, on an operational basis, deliver data products to users. Only if these projects are planned in line with true user needs, the future services will be sustainable. 

A range of other funding programmes understood that for project outcomes to be actually implemented, the target groups of these outcomes must both have a decisive role in the procurement process and, likewise, they must be actively involved in steering the funded projects (motto: research with users rather than for them). Examples in Europe are Twinning, EuropeAid, Structural Funds, Life+.

Importantly, this issue must be decided on programm level, it cannot be addressed on project level, once the procurement process is set up otherwise. For GMES* this could be accomplished in that budgets are handed over to and managed by Kopernikus procurement offices situated in the national Environment Ministries, which are both users and advocates of the wider user communities in their countries. Project evaluation and selection during procurement phases could then be accomplished in collaboration with international reviewers and supervised by the European Commission's Directorate General Environment.

Although this practice relates specifically to the European GMES* programme, it is relevant in the context of GEO, firstly because GMES* is a major constituent of GEO and, secondly, because this practice will be applicable to Earth Observation related procurement and funding programmes outside of Europe as well. 

)* Global Monitoring for Environment and Security, the European contribution to GEO.