Last year, ADV Romania Group, in partnership with the Romanian Social Economy Network (RISE) and the Social Finance Association, initiated a significant legislative effort in the Romanian Parliament to amend the current public procurement law. The proposed amendment aims to introduce a requirement for public authorities managing annual procurement budgets exceeding €3 million to allocate 0.5% of their budgets to reserved contracts for Work Integration Social Enterprises (WISEs).

While the legislation allows public authorities to make such purchases, official statistics from the National Agency for Public Procurement (ANAP) reveal that these procedures rarely occur. The lack of obligation, coupled with limited knowledge about how to conduct such procurement, has contributed to this gap. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the availability of WISEs in the market, with only around 90 WISEs registered nationally. This context justified the modest 0.5% allocation to stimulate gradual market growth. Encouragingly, the proposal has received Senate approval and is now under review in the Chamber of Deputies.

In parallel, the three partners approached the Romanian Government and ANAP to propose a mandatory percentage for direct procurement from WISEs, recognizing that direct procurement processes are far more frequent than those governed by strict legislative procedures.

To further promote this initiative, a webinar held in December 2024 by ADV Romania, ANAP, and partners brought together over 200 participants from public authorities and social enterprises. The event clarified the mechanisms behind socially and environmentally responsible procurement and reserved contracts for WISEs. Its success led to an agreement with ANAP to organise similar events in 2025, ensuring broader dissemination and implementation of socially responsible public procurement practices.

This initiative represents a critical step toward embedding social responsibility into public spending, fostering the growth of WISEs, and strengthening Romania’s social economy.

Angela Achitei, WeBuySocialEU Ambassador

ADV Romania & RISE Romania president