Polish Platform for Homeland Security, a partner of the SHIELD PCP project, has published two articles introducing important elements of the project’s innovation procurement process: Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) and Open Market Consultations (OMC).
The PCP article explains how public buyers can support the development of innovative solutions that are not yet available on the market—from identifying operational needs to testing prototypes in real-life conditions. This approach is central to SHIELD PCP, which aims to stimulate the development of new technologies for the protection of public spaces and crowded areas.
From Operational Need to Prototype: What Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) Means
When there is no ready-made solution available on the market, Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) can help. It is a competitive procurement of research and development services that leads to the creation of prototypes. How does this process work in practice and when is it worth using? We explain it in this article.
The second article focuses on OMC, a stage designed to create structured dialogue between public buyers, practitioners and technology providers. In SHIELD PCP, the OMC phase has already been completed. Its outcomes helped verify market capabilities, refine project requirements and prepare the ground for the next steps in the procurement process.
Why Open Market Consultations Matters in Security Innovation Procurement
Imagine a scenario where the world’s most advanced security practitioners are forced to use "yesterday’s tech" to solve "tomorrow’s threats." It’s a recurring frustration in public safety: the specific, high-stakes tools needed to manage complex crowd dynamics simply don’t exist off the shelf. They haven't been built yet.
Together, the articles provide a clear overview of how innovation procurement works in practice and how it supports SHIELD PCP in addressing real security needs.
Read the articles on the PPHS website:
Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP)
Open Market Consultations (OMC)
