Foreword

Edited by Gabriella M. Racca and Christopher R. Yukins, Joint Public Procurement and Innovation: Lessons Across Borders brings in contributions by internationally recognized experts. It is therefore with great pleasure that we have included this book in the “Droit Administratif / Administrative Law” Series. The book is based on joint efforts made by the Public Contracts in Legal Globalization (PCLG) international research network, whose members have carried out collective research on a number of topics linked to public contracts since 2007. (1) Driven by the Sciences Po Governance and Public Law Centre (Chaire Mutations de l’Action Publique et du Droit Public), the PCLG Network comprises European and non-European researchers and practitioners as well. The PCLG Network publication Comparative Law on Public Contracts (2010) has shown that public procurement law offers suitable topics for comparative research also on account of its cross-border implications. This book comes after many other volumes of the “Droit Administratif / Administrative Law” Series. The most recent one, Contrôles et contentieux des contrats publics – Oversight and Challenges of Public Contracts edited by L. Folliot-Lalliot and S. Torricelli (2018), has shown the strategic importance of European Union Law in the evolution of public contracts law. The previous work, Integrity and Efficiency in Sustainable Public Contracts: Balancing Corrup­ tion Concerns in Public Procurement Internationally edited by G.M. Racca and C.R. Yukins (2014), has shown how corruption, collusion, favoritism, and conflict of interest undermine the efficiency of public spending. It has also shed light on how corruption implies violations of fundamental rights, and undermines the fiduciary relationship between citizens and public institutions. In that view, transparency and accountability could be regarded as prisms for evaluating the suitability of public contracts – an analysis that led to identifying the need for a strategic reorganization of the public contracts sector. Building on the aforementioned publications, the aim of this book is to focus on procurement innovation in organizations, cross-border procurement, and award procedures while examining the subject matter of the contract and the procurement process also with a view to suggest ways of encouraging the participation of innovative suppliers.