KIRAS Security Research

Safety and Security play a role in procurement. In general, requirements on efficiency and reliability of bidders are part of tender processes. One specific aspect of reliability is yet not taken into account sufficiently: the ability of the bidder, to provide the service or work also in times of crisis and disasters (e.g. terror attacks, cyber-attacks, industrial accidents, natural disasters, power blackouts or pandemics). The majority of contracting authorities has insufficient information on whether their suppliers have a trained crisis unit and whether they run their risk and safety management processes properly. If (public) procurers do not focus on the aspect of resilience of bidders, it remains questionable if suppliers are able to deliver their contracted services in times of crisis or catas-trophes. For some of the contracted services or works reliability is insignificant, for example cleaning services for the office for the payment of fines. For other contracted services or works, reliability is of highest importance, e.g. for the supply of nursing homes with food and medication or the supply of hospitals with cleaning services. 

Main Focus of the Project: 

• Raise awareness among (public) procurers in Austria for a) the importance of delivery reliability in times of crisis and catastrophes resp. the resilience of bidders and b) the procurement of products, services and works with high safety and security standards.
• Raise awareness for the topic of resilience among suppliers.
• Providing (public) procurers, suppliers and those in politics and administration responsible for the topic “secure and safe procurement” with a practice-oriented catalogue of measures.