IITP seeks to open public procurement channels for social economy firms in Daejeon

The Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation held an event Monday at its headquarters in Daejeon to help social economy enterprises in the Daejeon and Sejong areas break into public procurement markets. The event was titled "Meaningful Purchases, Opening Public Markets Together."

Procurement and contracting officials from 15 public institutions in the Daejeon and Sejong areas attended. The gathering was designed to connect the products and services of 36 social economy enterprises to the actual purchasing needs of those institutions.

Social economy enterprises generate a range of social value — creating local jobs, supporting vulnerable groups, promoting eco-friendly consumption and addressing community challenges. Presentations at the event drew attention to cases in which public procurement had led to more stable sales and product innovation for such firms.

One example was Wingwing Co., which had been struggling with the management of a cafe it operated directly and was searching for new sales channels. After joining the IITP ESG practice-oriented convenience store, the company secured a stable revenue base through ongoing public supply contracts, turning the corner on its financial difficulties.

Wingwing's case drew particular notice as an example of public procurement driving more than just sales growth. While supplying beverage products to IITP in bulk, the company identified a denting problem with some canned products and responded by introducing nitrogen-gas pressurization, improving both storage stability and product quality — showing how public contracts can strengthen a company's competitiveness beyond simply expanding sales.

Working with the Gachipluseu Social Cooperative, IITP has built a structure in which everyday purchasing decisions become acts of social value — connecting routine procurement needs such as its on-site convenience store, refreshment kits for evaluation meetings and institutional service operations to social economy enterprises.

IITP plans to pursue follow-up cooperation among participating institutions to translate the connections made at the event into actual procurement and contract conversions.

"I hope this becomes an opportunity for social economy enterprises to meet the public market, and for public institutions to find trustworthy partners in social value," IITP President Hong Jin-bae said. "We will continue to expand a model of mutual cooperation that channels the purchasing power of public institutions into a growth engine for local social economy enterprises."