Barcelona, 29 October 2025 - This week, Foment del Treball Nacional hosted the Circle of Experts for Transformation in Public Procurement conference, a strategic meeting of the healthcare ecosystem in Catalonia that focused on the need to evolve from a price-centred purchasing model to a value-oriented model. sustainability, social impact and supply resilience. The session brought together institutional representatives, regulators, health managers and leaders of the productive fabric, with the aim of agreeing on principles and operational proposals that serve as the basis for a new Catalan framework for public procurement in health.
Albert Cortada, Ferrer's Country Manager for Spain and Portugal, and Jorge Vázquez, Director of the Health Vertical at Vinces Consulting, began the day with a clear message: public procurement in health must take a decisive step from price to value, incorporating health results and impact in terms of sustainability and improved care.
In this sense, Albert Cortada has affirmed how Ferrer takes a step forward with this initiative, becoming aware of its ability to inspire others to fight for social justice through tools such as public procurement.
For his part, Jorge Vázquez, has highlighted the need to promote, in line with Vinces' clear mission, the transformation of the relationship between the public and the private. Proof of this is the creation of forums such as the Circle of Experts for the Transformation in Public Procurement of Catalonia, a space for collaboration with the greatest experts in a context of reference in the field such as Catalonia.
The institutional and technical debate has confirmed that Catalonia, a leading region in the health field with 50% of the industrial fabric in its territory, already has levers to integrate social and environmental criteria, strengthen integrity and ensure the best value for money, but has called for a qualitative leap that allows the systematic incorporation of the impact of care and results. in addition to the cost.
Neus Colet, Director General of Public Procurement of the Generalitat de Catalunya and Jaume Baró, Secretary of Enterprise and Competitiveness and CEO of ACCIÓ, underlined Catalonia's ability to continue to adopt a leading position in the development of an operational framework that translates this ambition into a reality and that allows the transformation in public procurement to permeate all elements of the procedure.
Montse Gasol, head of the Rational Use of Medicines Division at CatSalut, Miquel Arrufat, Director of Management at the Institut Català de la Salut (ICS), María Blanco, Manager of Purchasing and Contracting at ICS, Rosa Vidal, Director of Economic Analysis and Payment Systems at the Unió Catalana d'Hospitals and Josep Maria Guiu, director of the Pharmacy and Medicines Area of the Consorci de Salut i Social de Catalunya, have landed this vision on the particularities of medicines as the object of purchase and in the broader framework of medicine policy in Catalonia.
When asked how much one is willing to pay for a product that is more efficient and that promotes social and environmental benefit, one of the answers lies in the adaptation and professionalization of the specifications, which must meet the context of the industrial sector and prioritize clinical and organizational value, life cycle cost, etc. sustainability, adherence and patient safety.
The conversation with the productive fabric has emphasised its ability to act as a driver of change to unite competitiveness and sustainability. Ana Bosch, director of the Legal Department of Farmaindustria, has defended the industry's commitment to environmental protection with more than 279 initiatives in 2024 to improve sustainability and its leadership in equal employment.
Marta Anglada, Sustainability Director at Ferrer, shared how competitiveness and sustainability should not necessarily be at odds. In this sense, in a challenging geopolitical context, the productive fabric plays a fundamental role, confirming how Ferrer understands that business must be a means that contributes to justice and social welfare.
The closing message was resounding: there is a need to build a public procurement model in Catalonia that encourages the generation of value and turns each tender into a lever for sustainability and equity, and promotes both health and social results.
The meeting has reaffirmed the urgency of a paradigm shift. Catalonia has the regulatory and strategic framework conducive to transforming public procurement in the health sector, maximising its potential as a tool for sustainable development and social justice.
The Circle of Experts for the Transformation of Public Procurement in Catalonia seeks to improve health outcomes, increase healthcare efficiency, strengthen the productive fabric and offer a predictable framework that encourages responsible investment. The day concluded with the commitment to continue working on an operational roadmap that facilitates the adoption of this approach by contracting authorities.
