| Summary: | Abstract This study examines the phenomenon of end-user engagement in innovative public procurement. Innovative public procurement aims at satisfying human needs and fixing societal problems by enhancing the development of innovative products, services or processes. To understand the functions expected from procurement, collaborative interfaces, such as interaction with citizen communities, become instrumental for innovations to materialise. In contrast to the existing debate on innovative public procurement focused on broad policy issues or the dyadic relationship between procurer and supplier parties, the interest of this study lies in the micro-level interaction within the inter-organisational triad of public-sector procurer, private-sector supplier and public-service end-user. Value creation via end-user engagement is examined in the study through the three issues of co-creation activities, end-user roles and procurer capabilities. The empirical findings are based on a qualitative case approach to four innovative public property procurement projects in northern Finland. The primary data are generated through interviews and participant observation on relevant procurer, supplier, end-user and expert informants. The results of the thesis highlight the need to further place end-user interaction at the heart of developing public procurement procedures. First, the study categorises end-user engagement activities following the key principles of value co-creation in dialogue, access, risk assessment and reflexivity as well as transparency related actions. Second, the study identifies four end-user roles, conventional, cooperative, collaborative or controlling roles, each of which embodies different value potential according to the procurement situation. Third, adopting a user-centred approach to public procurement calls for an experimental culture that enables the procurer’s capabilities of learning-by-doing, alliancing and networking as well as the evaluation of external support to take place. By integrating the ...
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