Frequently Asked Questions

General

What is the PPPI Innovation Platform?

With the PPPI Innovation Platform, the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement builds a bridge for public sector organisations and innovative companies. The aim is to link these together to keep the public sector modern, efficient and future-fit through public procurement that promotes innovation.

For whom is the PPPI Innovation Platform?

The PPPI Innovation Platform is aimed at innovative companies, public sector organisations and those interested in public procurement that promotes innovation. Therefore, it offers the following services to these three target groups:

• Innovation Marketplace: Innovative companies can present their products and services in their own public sector product showcase.
• Challenge: Public sector organizations can publish their current challenge in order to find suitable innovative solutions.

Do I have to register on the platform to create a post?

If I want to actively participate and create contributions myself or send a submission, then registration is necessary. Anyone can, of course, read the challenges or browse the "Innovation Marketplace" for innovations.

Do I have to pay anything as a registered user of the PPPI Innovation Platform?

No. The PPPI Innovation Platform is free of charge for all members.

How can I register?

You can register at www.ioeb-innovationsplattform.at. Please enter your name, email address and a password. You will receive an email with a link to activate your account. Simply click on this link and provide further information about your profile (company data, etc.).

• Tip I: If you do not find the email for activation in your inbox, please check your SPAM folder.
• Tip II: Write down your password and keep it in a safe place. You will need your credentials every time you log in.

Is my confidential data safe on the PPPI Innovation Platform?

The security and protection of your data is our priority. We use asymmetric encryption protocols for data storage and data transmission. The platform is kept ("hosted") at an Austrian data centre and their own servers.

How do I change my personal data?

If you would like to add or change your personal data, click on "My profile". Don't forget to click on the "Save changes" button when you are finished making additions or changes.

What can I do if I have forgotten my password?

If you forget your password, click on the "Log in" button on the start page. There you will find the "Forgotten password" link. Clicking on this link with your mouse automatically takes you to a page where you can enter your email address. Enter your email address to have a link to generate a new password sent to your inbox.

Can I delete my account?

If you would like to delete your profile, please contact the administrator of the PPPI Innovation Platform directly by email: ioeb@ioeb.at

Who do I contact if I have questions?

If any questions arise during the challenges, please can contact the moderator of the respective challenge directly. If you have questions about the innovations on the Innovation Marketplace, please contact the company directly on the platform. If you have any questions about news and events or about the PPPI Innovation Platform in general, simply send an email to ioeb@ioeb.at. We will try to process your request as quickly as possible..

Innovation Marketplace

INFORMATION FOR COMPANIES

As a company, how do I get a digital product showcase for my innovation?

For your digital product showcase, start with the PPPI Quick Check: For this, you’ll answer four short questions and receive immediate information on whether your innovation is fundamentally suitable for the "Innovation Marketplace".

If your result is positive, you will provide more details about your solution. The Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement checks my submission for completeness. Ideally, your innovation will be published online on the Innovation Marketplace with the status "Review" (preliminary) and will thus be eligible for a jury session.

If the jury evaluates your innovation positively, your innovation will be awarded the "PPPI awarded" seal and you will receive your digital product showcase.

What stage of development does my innovation need to be at before I can submit it?

Your innovation should at least be available as a prototype, in a beta version or small series.

How does the PPPI expert jury carry out its evaluation and according to which criteria?

The PPPI expert jury considers the entire submission including all documents and evaluates them according to the following criteria (the weighting is given in brackets): Level of development (15%), Degree of innovation (40%), Applicability in public administration (26%), Environmental sustainability (6%), Economic potential (6%), Social added value (6%), Suitability (1%).

What should I pay particular attention to when describing my innovation?

Specifically highlight the benefits of your innovation. List advantages, describe areas of use and fields of application. The more precisely you describe use cases for your innovation, the better.

• Tip: A precise estimate of the costs helps the jury to decide whether the solution can be procured by the public sector.

How often do jury sessions take place?

Evaluations for submitted products and services on the Innovation Marketplace takes place regularly at the end of each month. This should minimise waiting times and downtime as much as possible. If the jury decides that a solution still needs to be discussed in depth, it meets once a quarter and makes a final decision on whether to accept or reject the solution.

Who is part of the PPPI expert jury?

The PPPI expert jury consists of representatives from Bundesbeschaffung Austria GmbH, Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Prcourement, naBe Platform, aws, FFG as well as one representative each from the private sector and procurement from a public organisation. In particular, the representatives from the private sector and public procurement rotate in order to make the best use of their respective expertise.

The result of my Quick Check is negative - what now?

A negative Quick Check result means that you cannot (yet) submit your innovation. The reasons for this can be:

• Your innovation is still in the R&D (research and development) phase and is therefore not yet procurable.
• There are no sustainable aspects linked to your innovation.
• The solution does not (yet) appear to be applicable in the public sector.

Tip: Get in touch with us, maybe we can find other points of contact: Call us on 01/245 70 817 or email ioeb@ioeb.at.

Which innovations can be submitted to the Innovation Marketplace?

Innovative procurement projects cover a very broad spectrum: From apps, innovative lighting or Facility Management 4.0, to sensor technology, smart mobility, automation or robotics.

The best thing to do is to have a look at the Innovation Marketplace and get inspired by current innovations for your own submission.

My innovation has received an "PPPI awarded" - what happens next?

Make use of the Innovation Marketplace's digital showcase to become known to decision-makers in the public sector. Use the "PPPI awarded" seal to open the door to some of the more than 2500 public sector clients. Consider the possibility of selling your product via the direct award innovation platform in the public sector purchasing portal, the e-Shop of Bundesbeschaffung Austria GmbH.

Take advantage of the offer to present your innovation as an exhibitor free of charge at procurement events organised by the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement.

The Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement also continuously promotes the Innovation Marketplace and your innovation at customer meetings, via social media and in the newsletter.

More information on the added value of the innovation platform can be found here.

 

Challenges

INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATIONS

What is a Challenge?

The PPPI challenge is an online tool for market exploration. It is based on Open Innovation Challenges, which aim to involve external actors in brainstorming or problem-solving beyond company boundaries. In an PPPI challenge, a public sector organisation publishes a challenge or an activity that it would like to improve.

Companies or cooperations of several companies ("consortia") are invited to submit their innovative ideas and creative solution proposals online. An evaluation by the jury is followed by market discussions ("innovation dialogue").

Who can publish a challenge?

Public sector organisations can publish  a challenge on the PPPI Innovation Platform. Public sector organisations are legal entities that conduct public procurement; this includes all public sector orgnaisations and sector contracting authorities pursuant to Sections 3, 164 and 165 of the Federal Procurement Act 2006.

Who is the Challenge Sponsor?

The challenge sponsor is the public sector organisation that initiates a challenge and invites companies to submit their proposed solutions via the innovation platform.

Who is the jury?

The jury usually consists of experts and responsible persons from the company of the challenge sponsor. Occasionally, external experts sit in to reinforce or support the supplement the jury.

What happens to a challenge after it has been published?

After publishing the challenge with the question and descriptions, companies create their proposed solutions online via the submission form. Proposed solutions can be saved temporarily and edited until they are submitted. Upon submission, the descriptions and files will be published. This is followed by a query phase in which the jury asks questions via the comment field provided with each submission and companies respond to them there. If requested information cannot be made public, the response will be made with the involvement of the moderating person. This person disseminates information to all jury members. The companies' submissions are then evaluated by the jury, who will award points based on the criteria published with the challenge. The jury then meets to decide companies it would like to invite to final market discussions ("innovation dialogue"). These companies are the winners of the challenge. The selection is made on the basis of the points scored. It is also relevant if a company particularly stands out in certain aspects and a discussion therefore promises to be extremely fruitful.

What happens after a challenge ends?

With the results of the challenge, the challenge sponsor has a very good basis in terms of content and an overview of the market in order to take innovative approaches into account in the event of a contract being awarded in accordance with the Federal Procurement Act.

How long does a Challenge last?

The duration of a challenge depends on various aspects, such as the exact problem or the industry that is being addressed. Generally, a challenge runs for about 6-10 weeks after publication.

How much effort goes into preparing and running a challenge?

The steps towards a challenge are clearly defined, but the effort depends on the complexity of the topic and the market situation. During the preparation, the challenge sponsor must describe the challenge, determine the evaluation criteria, nominate jury members and define the timeline. Some of these points require coordination with the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement or a moderator.

After publication, the jury reviews the submissions. Approximately four A4 pages or ten presentation slides should be assumed. The number of submissions that should be expected can best be derived from previous challenges. In the case of numerous submissions, it can make sense for a small part of the jury to make an initial selection and only for the final evaluation to all members enter the awarding of points.

After each jury member has awarded points, the entire jury comes to a meeting, in which a joint decision is made as to which submissions should be discussed in detail with the companies in the innovation dialogue. Usually btwwen four up to six companies are invited to the innovation dialogue. 

How does the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement support me in the preparation and implementation of a challenge?

The Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement accompanies the entire challenge process according to previously discussed needs and availability: From defining the challenge details to market activation and preparing the submitted documents to moderating the jury evaluation and the innovation dialogue.

How can I publish a challenge as a public sector organisation?

After you have registered on the platform www.ioeb-innovationsplattform.at, you can start entering your challenge under the menu item "Challenges" and subsequently "Start challenge". After you have entered the initial information, you have the option to receive feedback from the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement if you wish. You can then specify the details and finally the challenge will be activated by the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement.

If your topic is difficult to grasp, complicated or requires the involvement of numerous stakeholders, the Austrian Competence Centre for Innovation Procurement also offers a mini-workshop within the scope of its resources to prepare the PPPI challenge.

Submit a solution to a challenge

INFORMATION FOR COMPANIES

How do I benefit from participating in a challenge?

Participating in a challenge puts you on the public sector’s radar. Your submission will remain visible as your business card for other interested parties even after the challenge has been completed. You are positioning yourself for similar public sector purchasing projects. If you are among the winners and are invited to the final innovation dialogue, you can present at a market discussion and also provide a representative market perspective on the project. You will exchange ideas directly with those responsible for the project. Your innovative approaches will become known through the challenge and will not be excluded from participation due to overly specific requirements of a possible call for proposals. For companies, this increases the chance of receiving an order from a public sector client as well as, in principle, pilot projects and new cooperation partners.

Why are submissions open to the public to a great extent?

The Austrian Competence Centre for Public Procurement promotes the challenges and ensures that other public sector organisations become aware of the companies. The online submission should therefore also appeal to other potential customers.

Who are the winners?

The companies' submissions will be evaluated by the jury with regard to the evaluation criteria published with the challenge (scoring system). The jury then meets to decide companies it would like to invite to final market discussions ("innovation dialogue"). These companies are the winners of the challenge. The selection is made on the basis of the points scored. It is also relevant if a company particularly stands out in certain aspects and a discussion therefore promises to be extremely fruitful.

How can I take part in a challenge?

As a company registered on the platform, you can submit your solution proposal online. The prerequisite for this is that you register or log on to the platform www.ioeb-innovationsplattform.at.

What should I keep in mind when making a submission?

We don't want that the process of submitting a submission is too time-consuming by having too many requirements. However, so that the jury can quickly understand and compare your submission, structure your submission and linnk them to the evaluation criteria. Avoid having the same content in the form fields and the attachment. Keep the submission clear, focus on the essentials and those aspects that set you apart from the "standard".

What can I do if there is a technical problem and I therefore cannot submit my proposed solution for a challenge in time?

If you encounter a technical problem, send an email to the moderator of the challenge before the end of the submission phase. You can find this contact person on the details page of the challenge.

How can I protect the intellectual property of my ideas, products, and designs?

The protection of intellectual property is also relevant in open innovation processes. Depending on which idea you want to implement, it may make sense to legally protect intellectual property against imitation. Whether and which protection is necessary should be clarified as early as possible. More information and support is available from the Austrian Patent Office: www.patentamt.at

Will I receive feedback on my proposed solution submitted for a challenge?

There is no entitlement to feedback. However, depending on the number of submissions, the sponsors will make an effort. The process of a challenge itself provides for a query phase that is sometimes used intensively. Challenge sponsors and interested users can make comments and ask questions about your proposed solution here. They, in turn, have the opportunity to respond to the comments or answer the questions. If requested information cannot be public, your answer is best made with the involvement of the moderator.

Who evaluates the submitted solution proposals?

The submitted solution proposals are evaluated by a jury, which usually consists of employees of the challenge sponsor.

What do the winners of a challenge receive?

The winners of a challenge are invited to the innovation dialogue. Within the framework of the dialogue, the contracting authority and the company get to know each other better. As a company, you have the opportunity to present your company as well as your submitted solution proposal.

What is the innovation dialogue that takes place as part of the challenge?

In the innovation dialogue, the winners conduct market discussions with the sponsor. As a rule, the jury members and other responsible persons are present. As a rule, the jury members and other responsible persons are present.

Will the contents of my presentation at the innovation dialogue be treated confidentially?

The contents discussed in the innovation dialogue are to be treated confidentially. The members of the jury generally sign a confidentiality agreement to this effect.