📅 Friday, 18 September 2026 – 10:00 to 12:00 CEST
💻 Online, virtual event
The INPROCAP project is building the skills and practical tools needed by organisations across the Big Science ecosystem to implement innovation procurement successfully.
The ninth webinar, titled “Competitive Dialogue in Practice: Procuring Complex Solutions for Big Science”, is part of the INPROCAP Webinar / Training Series running from October 2025 to December 2026. The session will focus on how Big Science Organisations can use Competitive Dialogue to procure complex or innovative solutions when their needs cannot be fully translated into technical specifications or contractual requirements at the beginning of the procurement process.
Designed primarily for procurement, legal, technical and project staff working within Big Science Organisations, the webinar will combine an expert introduction to the procedure with practical guidance and experience from real-life implementation.
In this session, participants will:
- receive an expert overview of the Competitive Dialogue procedure and its main stages
- explore when Competitive Dialogue may be appropriate for complex Big Science procurement challenges
- learn about key legal, procedural and organisational considerations
- review a practical case and discuss lessons that may be transferable to other Big Science Organisations.
Learning objectives
By the end of this session, participants will:
- understand the purpose, structure and main stages of the Competitive Dialogue procedure
- recognise situations in which Competitive Dialogue may be suitable compared with other procurement procedures
- understand how to prepare and manage the dialogue phase while ensuring transparency, equal treatment and confidentiality
- identify the roles of procurement, legal and technical teams throughout the procedure
- learn from practical experience and assess how the approach could be applied within their own organisation
Who should attend
- Big Science Organisation procurement professionals
- technical and engineering staff involved in defining complex procurement needs
- legal and compliance teams supporting procurement procedures
- project managers and other BSO staff involved in planning or implementing innovation procurement
- Industrial Liaison Officers interested in understanding BSO procurement processes
Preliminary Agenda
We prepared several interesting sessions for you:
Session 1 – Competitive Dialogue explained
An expert introduction to the Competitive Dialogue procedure, including its purpose, legal framework, main stages and the circumstances in which it may be used.
The session will also address how Competitive Dialogue differs from procedures such as Competitive Procedure with Negotiation, Innovation Partnership and Pre-Commercial Procurement.
Session 2 – Preparing and managing the dialogue process
Practical guidance on preparing the procedure, selecting candidates and organising the dialogue phase.
Session 3 – Practical case and lessons learned
Participants will have an opportunity to raise questions and discuss how Competitive Dialogue could be applied to procurement challenges within their own organisations.
Final speakers, timings and case details will be confirmed in the final agenda.
Participation is free of charge, but registration is required.
