From Rhetoric to Results: Cleantech for CEE Procurement Roundtable at DeepTech Summit

Around the table: Jaroslaw Kaminski (Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego); Magdalena M. Burnat (SmarterChains); Monika Grzelak, Aleksandra Lisicka-Firlej and Dorota Brzosko (Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH); Mateusz Maj (VivaDrive); Dominik Skrobacz (C4E); Grzegorz Nowaczewski (Virtual Power Plant); Marcin Lewenstein (InnoEnergy); Tomasz Drzal (KIKE); Joanna Schuhholz (CHESSolutions) — together with our team: Magdalena Jabłońska, Mirek Janik, and Antonina Majchrzak.

The discussion focused on judging local content by real results rather than a headline percentage, which means prioritizing technologies that perform best in Poland through lower total lifecycle costs, reduced emissions, reliable local service, and seamless system integration. The group outlined a clear pilot-to-purchase framework designed to validate fit, test at a small scale with measurable KPIs, and de-risk adoption before moving to a full rollout supported by financing. Participants also emphasized a technical rulebook grounded in open APIs, robust cybersecurity, and firm intellectual property protection.

A key takeaway from the session was the urgent need for Polish State-Owned Enterprises, large domestic corporations, and government procurement bodies to move from declarations to measurable results. By creating the necessary conditions for the first implementations of domestic technologies developed in partnership with research centers and startups, these entities can act as vital market catalysts. With the insights gained from this discussion, Cleantech for CEE is currently developing a white paper regarding local content in Polish industrial strategy.