Social dimensions of public procurement in natural risk preventions

Public procurement plays a central role in shaping preventive strategies for natural risks. This
paper investigates how procurement rules can incorporate social vulnerability considerations into
the allocation of public resources. Focusing on territorial contexts, the study analyses contracts for
infrastructure, monitoring, and maintenance services, assessing their impact on community
resilience. The legal dimension of procurement is examined as a tool for guiding preventive
investments toward socially sensitive outcomes. The contribution argues that socially informed
procurement enhances both legal legitimacy and preventive effectiveness, reinforcing the link
between public spending and collective safety.
Building on this premise, the paper situates public procurement within the broader framework of
risk governance, where prevention is no longer conceived as a purely technical activity but as a
multidimensional policy integrating social, environmental, and institutional factors. In this
perspective, procurement procedures become a strategic lever for anticipating risks, reducing
exposure, and mitigating the differentiated effects of natural hazards on vulnerable populations.
The analysis highlights how award criteria, contract design, and performance requirements can be
calibrated to reflect territorial fragilities, demographic conditions, and socio-economic
inequalities.
Special attention is devoted to the interaction between procurement law and principles such as
proportionality, non-discrimination, and equal treatment, assessing their compatibility with
vulnerability-sensitive approaches. The paper argues that the inclusion of social vulnerability
indicators does not undermine competition or transparency, but rather redefines value for money
in light of preventive objectives and long-term public interest.
Through a legal and functional analysis, the study demonstrates that preventive procurement
contributes to strengthening institutional accountability and to aligning public spending with
constitutional and administrative principles related to safety, solidarity, and sustainable
development. Ultimately, the paper suggests that procurement law can operate as a normative
bridge between disaster prevention policies and social protection goals, fostering resilient
territories and more inclusive forms of public action.