Networks of experiences of participatory management of public services, especially schools and kindergartens (teachers‘ and parents’ associations) and local centres (districts, smaller municipalities, etc.) for an amplified use of public procurement for the purposes of smart projects and cost reduction or improvement of the quality of services provided (timetables, canteens, places).

Solar School: crowdfunding for renewables

Crowdfunding programme for the installation of photovoltaic panels in school buildings. The project is run by 10:10, an organisation dedicated to the promotion of renewable energy. Schools selected for the project are offered a year of training and support on the topic of solar energy, including information campaigns aimed at students, teachers, parents and a dedicated web page to set the crowdfunding process in motion. Through the webpage anyone, from an individual citizen to an organisation, can contribute to the cause with a basic donation of £5: a virtual roof allows you to select the solar modules you want to donate to the school, to see how many have already been purchased and by whom, and how much is left to reach the target.

The initiative, supported by many institutional partners, has received numerous prizes as well as very positive feedback from the participants themselves.

London, UK.

PianoC – Coworking Cobaby Community

It was established in Milan in November 2012 to bring women and work together. It is a fully-fledged coworking space with additional integrated services such as the ‘Cobaby’, a space where children can be left with professional educators during working hours, or the ‘time-saving services’, a trusted person to whom one can delegate small everyday tasks (shopping, bills, laundry, small repairs, hardware store).

Piano C won first prize in the tournament for the Best Social Innovation Project in Europe organised by the European Investment Bank. This prestigious award recognises both the social impact of Piano C and its easy replicability, also at international level.

Milan, Italy.

Department for Education

The English Department for Education provides some guidelines on how schools should behave and what they should do in the event of a large or small expenditure. In addition to defining the real need for an expenditure and contacting more than one supplier, the department suggests making joint purchases between several schools in order to increase the benefits of the purchase with a minimum commitment of financial resources. Furthermore, the department has prepared a ‘framework’ of suppliers within which this purchasing strategy can be implemented with the use of public tenders in relation to the amount of expenditure.

UK.

Cresci@mo Foundation

The Foundation was established by the Municipality of Modena and the association genitorimodena06 with the aim of managing, through an innovative model, school and educational services aimed at the 0/6 age group, gathering and developing the experience gained by the Municipality of Modena in the organisation and management of services for children. The Foundation promotes the participation of workers, recognising the centrality of the role of educators and teachers in the construction and implementation of the educational project and is responsible for managing the facilities and providing school and educational services.

Modena, Italy

Buying Social

Buying social is a guide proposing guidelines for taking social considerations into account in public procurement. This publication was commissioned in the framework of the EU Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity (PROGRESS 2007-2013) and is a very concrete tool to help public authorities to purchase goods and services in a socially responsible manner in line with EU standards, in line with the Europe 2020 strategy and the EU objectives for smart and sustainable growth.