III.B.1. Technical tender preparation: Set-up technical working groups

Estimated Execution Time

1-2 weeks

Objective

To establish structure, and operationalise multidisciplinary technical working groups responsible for defining the scope and technical content of the healthcare innovation tender.

The working groups, composed of representatives from all participating hospital sites and procurers, will operate as structured co-creation spaces supporting joint or coordinated procurement. The activity includes facilitation, coordination, communication, and capacity-building actions to ensure effective collaboration, shared understanding of innovation procurement principles, and alignment on desired outcomes and data-sharing expectations.

Who is Involved

Project Coordinator /Innovation Unit: coordinate the overall set-up and operation of the working groups.
Procurers / Contracting Authorities: nominate participants and validate governance arrangements.
Clinical, Technical, Operational, and Data Representatives (from each site): participate in the working groups.
Facilitators / Knowledge Partners: support facilitation, alignment, and capacity building on innovation procurement frameworks and processes.

Activities / Tasks

III.B.1.1. Set up and structure the technical working groups

Identify and nominate representatives from all participating hospital sites and procurers.
Ensure balanced representation across clinical, technical, operational, data, and management perspectives.
Define the structure, scope, and mandate of each working group (e.g. clinical workflows, data & interoperability, operations).

III.B.1.2. Establish coordination and communication mechanisms

Establish a general working group that coordinates technical specific ones, with all technical teams represented to share outcomes of the smaller groups.
Establish regular meeting structures, communication channels, and documentation practices.
Ensure transparency and traceability of discussions, decisions, and consolidated outputs across sites.
Use shared collaborative tools for document control and traceability.

III.B.1.3. Co-creation facilitation and way of working

Define facilitation co-creation methods to support structured discussions and consensus building. Consider the use of facilitators (as supporting entity) for neutrality.
Establish common working principles (e.g. outcome-oriented, non-solution-driven, collaborative).
Ensure alignment across sites with different maturity levels and organisational contexts.

III.B.1.4. Capacity building and knowledge alignment

Deliver targeted capacity-building sessions or refresher sessions on PCP/PPI procedures and tender writing.
Ensure all team members understand co-creation principles and EU compliance requirements.
Ensure a minimum common understanding across all working groups before technical content definition starts.

Tips / Common Pitfalls

✅ Secure long-term commitment, team stability across all preparation stages is key.

✅ Reach consensus among decision-makers before moving forward to ensure alignment.

❌ Working in silos reduces consistency and delays deliverables.

❌ Assigning inexperienced members without innovation procurement background.

❌ Skipping structured documentation, absence of clear version control or decision logs complicates audits.

❌ Misalignment between legal, technical, and innovation teams.

Outcome / Deliverables

Prepare a slide with the teams’ composition and interconnections.
Schedule meetings sessions and long-term plan.

Resources

Guidelines for Innovation Procurement (PCP/PPI)

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