In 2021 cities around the globe will spend roughly $6.4 trillion, or 8 percent of GDP, on procurement. In a volatile world it is one government function that can address challenges from climate change to equity and more. Too long about cost savings and compliance, procurement. Locally it can have an immediate impact on citizens and be a significant catalyst of change. Despite this vast buying power, city procurement faces several challenges, including resistance to the idea that procurement can be creative, strategic, economically formidable—and even an affirming experience for professional staff, citizens, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders. City procurement is in a state of creative tension. Leaders want it to be a creative engine for change, but they underfund procurement teams and foster a compliance culture that leaves no room for much-needed creative and critical thinking. Sascha Haselmayer tells how. He led Citymart the procurement innovator for 10 years.
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Procurement as a Secret Weapon of Change
Sascha Haselmayer
Partner / Ashoka
Sascha Haselmayer is a partner at Ashoka Germany. As a social entrepreneur, he has led urban innovation, economic development, and government innovation projects in over 40 countries. He trained as an architect at the Architectural Association in London and is a globally recognized expert on urban and local government innovation.
In 2011, Sascha co-founded Citymart, an organization that transformed expectations and practices of public procurement by introducing civic engagement, diversity, problem-solving, and innovation into a core bureaucratic process. Prior to Citymart, Sascha founded businesses and organizations that pioneered inclusive urban innovation districts and civic service innovation in cities through a global network of living labs and by advising governments, investors, and universities.
Sascha’s contributions have been recognized through an Ashoka Fellowship and a non-Resident Fellowship at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. He has been a Fellow at New America, and advocates for change as a keynote speaker, and lecturer at institutions like the London School of Economics Cities Programme, and Chicago University Booth School of Business.
Sascha is the author of The Slow Lane, and two books on service and procurement innovation in cities. He has served as an adviser to organizations like the Rockefeller Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the Aspen Institute and served on the selection committee of the Bloomberg Mayor’s Challenge and the Advisory Board of the UN Global Compact Cities Programme.