Social clauses in public procurement procedures

Public procurement to help disadvantaged people to enter the labour market, has been the cornerstone of the Avilés City Council (ES) since 2009. A key tool is the Introduction of Social Clauses in Public Procurement Procedures, known by its Spanish acronym ICSA. This tool envisages the possibility of introducing social criteria at various stages of the recruitment procedure, allowing the set-up of a quota for Special Employment Centres and Social Insertion Companies and introducing social criteria in the appraisal of tenders or as a further condition for executing bids. It also requires technical expertise on the subject matter of the contract. The Labour Accompanying Department is in charge of short-listing candidates as well as monitoring them at their workplace when job offers derive from social clauses included in the technical specifications of a public contract.