With financial support of the European Union (EU), Bridging the Gap (BtG) has developed a guidance note on disability inclusive public procurement practices. Its purpose is to inform and guide current and future processes and practices on disability inclusive procurement undertaken within the European Commission, EU member States’ agencies and bodies in charge of international cooperation and non- EU countries in receipt of EU development aid, in the light of global and regional frameworks informed by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The note has been developed through a comparative review of key literature, google searches, interviews with key informants and insight from a Learning Space held in Brussels in February 2020 where first results were presented and discussed.
Findings underline the importance of the engagement of OPDs/DPOs to enable them to participate in and have a leading role in all processes of procurement, with clear information on the CRPD and global and regional directives, and the relationship of the Convention to EU law and to EU aid. For maximum use by procurement agencies and suppliers informants emphasised that the note should be clear and straightforward in its language; be practical; demystify and decomplicate what too many think is a complex process; be useful for training and innovation; contain examples of best practice; outline key principles for suppliers and procurement officials; and encourage further learning.