On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, Vol.To – Volontariato Torino hosted “Meet Your Buyer – Social Procurement Experiences and Purchasing Opportunities”, an event aimed at strengthening dialogue between public administrations and social economy organisations by connecting the procurement needs of public bodies with an offer of goods and services capable of generating social value for the territory.

The initiative was organised within the Interreg Europe PROSECO project, of which Torino Social Impact and the City of Turin are partners. The event also contributes to the implementation of the Torino 2030 Metropolitan Social Economy Plan, promoted by the Metropolitan City of Turin and the Torino Chamber of Commerce, which identifies social procurement as a strategic area for strengthening collaboration between the public sector and the social economy.

From Social Economy Supply to Purchasing Opportunities

Part of the event was dedicated to exploring the contribution of the social economy to local development and the opportunities its organisations can offer public bodies through their goods and services.

During the session “Social Impact Purchasing Opportunities”, Tommaso Tropeano, Research Fellow at Politecnico di Milano and Advisor to Torino Social Impact, explored the value generated by the social economy and the main categories of goods and services through which social objectives can be integrated into public procurement processes.

To support the connection between demand and supply, Torino Social Impact presented Buy Social, the online portal that enables users to explore the goods and services offered by social economy organisations, discover suppliers and identify potential opportunities for collaboration. The platform is designed to make this offer more visible and accessible, making it easier to find solutions that can respond to the procurement needs of public bodies.

The session “Experiences from the Territory” opened with a contribution from Alessandra Brogliatto, Head of Research and Development at Confcooperative Piemonte Nord, who presented data on the local social enterprise landscape, with particular attention to services that broaden purchasing opportunities beyond more traditional areas.

This was followed by contributions from Fabrizio Degregori, Disability & Inclusion Service Specialist at the social enterprise BreakCotto, Gianluca Cannizzo, Artistic Director and Co-founder of Laboratorio Zanzara, and Barbara De Micheli, Project Manager at Laboratorio Zanzara, who shared their experiences of working with public-sector clients, highlighting opportunities, strengths and challenges in these collaborations. Their contributions helped illustrate the variety of skills and services offered by the social economy and identify potential areas for the further development of social procurement.

A Workshop on Public Procurement Practices

Alongside the dialogue between supply and demand, the afternoon included a workshop session reserved for public administrations, dedicated to sharing experiences and tools already tested across the territory.

The discussion was introduced by Elena Pettiti, Head of Services, Active Labour Market Policies and Regulation No. 307 at the City of Turin; Barbara Cornaglia, Head of the Cleaning and Equipment Office for the procurement and supply of goods and services; and Marco Minarelli, Head of the Financial Resources and Procurement Area at the Torino Chamber of Commerce, who presented experiences and practices adopted within their respective organisations.

Building on these contributions, participants discussed the conditions that can support the integration of social objectives into public procurement and the operational difficulties administrations face in managing procurement procedures. The exchange enabled participants to compare tools, constraints and opportunities, identifying useful elements to support the development of social procurement within public purchasing policies.

The workshop concluded with a contribution from Professor Sergio Foà, Professor of Administrative Law at the Department of Law of the University of Turin, who is supporting the pathway.

The event represents the first step in a pathway that will continue between autumn 2026 and the first half of 2027, with further opportunities for exchange and support aimed at public bodies. The objective is to strengthen knowledge and skills, encourage exchange among administrations and identify practical ways to integrate social objectives into public procurement processes.

The initiative brought together 34 participants from 14 organisations, including the Metropolitan City of Turin, Torino Chamber of Commerce, University of Turin, Politecnico di Torino, SCR Piemonte S.p.A., GTT S.p.A., CAAT S.c.p.A. – Centro Agroalimentare di Torino, Confcooperative Piemonte Nord, BreakCotto, Laboratorio Zanzara, and the Municipalities of Ciriè, Favria, Grugliasco and Rivarolo Canavese.

The PROSECO Project and the Interreg Europe Programme

PROSECO is a project co-funded by the European Union through the Interreg Europe programme, involving 11 partners from 9 European countries, including local and regional authorities, public bodies and social economy organisations.

The project aims to improve public procurement policies and practices so that procurement can contribute more effectively to generating social impact, promoting inclusion and creating shared value.