Enhancing Sustainable Food Procurement in Schools: Strategies for Success

The FoodLoops project successfully conducted a workshop focused on food procurement for school staff in Gdańsk between Sep 30 and Oct 1. This initiative aims to promote green, sustainable procurement by purchasing local, organically grown, eco-packaged produce, thereby supporting local producers and urban farmers.

Despite the ambitious goals, participants highlighted the challenges faced in the reality of procurement. School staff responsible for food product delivery are struggling to secure quality products and enforce supplier contract terms, particularly regarding delivery complaints.

To address these issues, the workshop facilitated discussions on the proper description of contract subjects and the selection of criteria for evaluating offers.

Key recommendations after the workshop:

1. Meeting with suppliers: Organise a meeting between school representatives dissatisfied with school meal deliveries and municipal representatives with unreliable suppliers;
2. Development of municipal templates: Create, based on documents used in Poland and abroad, a model contract for the purchase and delivery of food products, a description of the contract subject by product groups, precise criteria for the evaluation of offers and participation in the procurement procedure;
3. Support for schools: Provide support to schools in enforcing contract terms related to complaints, penalties and termination, with the help of municipal lawyers and additional resources for re-proceedings;
4. Training initiatives: Organise training sessions for procurement specialists and school procurement officers to enhance their skills and knowledge.

These recommendations aim to ensure that sustainable procurement practices are effectively implemented, allowing schools to obtain quality products while benefiting local producers and urban farmers.

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