Name of Affiliate:

Catalan Association of Municipalities and Counties (ACM)

Date of affiliation:

March 2018

Interviewee:

Víctor Torrents i Castells, Head of Contract Monitoring

Why did your organisation join Electronics Watch?

"In order to be able to respond efficiently to the interest shown by Catalan local authorities in socially responsible public procurement."

How does affiliation support your organisation's responsible public procurement work?

"Electronics Watch is an essential instrument in the work of monitoring and improving working conditions in countries producing the electronic equipment awarded by our organisation."

What makes Electronics Watch different from other responsible public procurement tools/resources available?

"Its extensive network, and being able to monitor factories in countries and areas far away from our field of work (Catalonia)."

Can you tell us an example of the impact that your affiliation has had?

"Two examples:

"Recently, thanks to the joint work of a group of public buyers affiliated to Electronics Watch, we have managed, through the collaboration of RBA, to get a factory to take on board our recommendations.

"Thanks to our aggregated purchasing project, there are many Catalan local authorities (around 600) that, through our framework agreements, now award contracts where the manufacture of electronic products is monitored."

What are the biggest lessons you and your colleagues have learned so far? What are the biggest challenges that you face or have faced?

"The most important lesson we have learned is about Electronics Watch's ability to address situations of labour injustice, by raising awareness of the problems that exist in many electronics manufacturing areas.

"The greatest challenge that socially responsible public procurement faces is the need to address all corrective processes so that our actions do not contribute to abusive working conditions."

What progress or achievement(s) are you most proud of?

"I am most proud of the awareness of socially responsible public procurement that we have created among public entities in Catalonia. One example is the affiliation to Electronic Watch. Our organisation became a member of Electronics Watch and was then followed by other Catalan public entities. This means that, in Catalonia, the working conditions in the factories that produce electronic products are taken into account in public procurement."

How does being affiliate of Electronics Watch affiliate support your responsible public procurement work? How have your organisation and/or practices evolved since becoming an Electronics Watch affiliate?

"Electronics Watch makes it feasible for us to act in compliance with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Core Labour Standards Code, as a further action in our commitment to move increasingly towards socially responsible public procurement.

"Affiliation with Electronics Watch has allowed us to get involved in global issues of socially responsible public procurement, while sharing synergies with other organisations in different countries, and being able to incorporate best practices."

What are your responsible procurement objectives for the next 2-5 years?

"With the support of Electronics Watch during 2024, framework agreements will be awarded for computer equipment and printing and multifunctional equipment which are expected to be used by more than 300 and 500 Catalan local authorities respectively.

"And, for 2025/2026, the sustainable mobility framework agreement is expected to be awarded, where electric and hybrid vehicles will be put out to tender, for which we hope to be able to count on Electronics Watch's monitoring programme for the manufacture of electric batteries."