Meet Freek Zijlstra, Procurement Adviser at NWO-I

Procurement: an unplanned career path 

Freek (32), who is originally from Delft, completed a university of applied sciences degree in Sport Marketing & Management in Rotterdam before obtaining his Master's degree in Organization and Management Studies at Tilburg University. He entered the procurement profession by chance seven years ago. Freek: "During my first job at Royal Flora Holland, the international floriculture marketplace for flowers and plants, I spent two years implementing a new purchasing system. After travelling to Australia, I found myself back in procurement, at De Inkoopadviesgroep (now: FLOTT). I worked on secondment and as a consultant at various public sector organisations, including the Tax Administration and a number of municipalities. The work ranged from professionalising a procurement department to stepping in for temporary replacements."  

Build for the long term   

Freek wanted to work with colleagues and build for the long term rather than always being a transient presence in secondment positions: ‘The job at NWO-I came at just the right time. The variety in the role is one of the things that make it so appealing. Following the groundwork laid by my interim predecessor, I now have the opportunity to further develop procurement." 

What does Freek like about procurement? Does he also do all the shopping at home? Freek (laughs): "As procurement adviser, I interact with all organisational units. One minute, I’m assisting the Communication Team with a tender for a translation agency and the next, I’m involved with an XPS system that allows DIFFER to conduct various lab tests. Purchasing involves sourcing services and products, like ICT, HR and Facilities, with expenditures that vary from the small to the very large." 

Tender procedures   

The Public Procurement Act was introduced in 2012 to ensure responsible spending by government and public-sector organisations. As a semi-public body, NWO-I also has to comply with this Act. "The Act is founded on a number of pillars,’ Freek explains. ‘Non-discrimination, equality, transparency and proportionality principles. In essence, the first two pillars mandate that all parties be treated equally. Expenditure and any tender procedures must be conducted transparently. The proportionality principle relates to the contract value, among other things.   

There is a separate procedure for each amount. For amounts below €50,000, you can conduct business with the supplier of your choice (put out to contract by simple private tender). For sums above €50,000, you have to put out to contract by multiple private tender, meaning you have to request quotations from three to five parties. Where the contract value of a service or product exceeds €221,000, the organisation must launch a European tender procedure, which is published on Tenderned, the Dutch government’s online tendering system."

Not everybody’s friend  

Certain colleagues have been working with regular suppliers for years. Then out of the blue, Freek shows up and tells them to get quotations from other suppliers. "Fact is’, says Freek, ‘as a buyer, you can’t always be everybody’s friend. The Public Procurement Act exists to also provide opportunities for new market players. Sometimes, organisations become overly reliant on a single supplier or end up overpaying." The Institutes often issue tenders for equipment required by researchers or technicians. Freek relies entirely on the technical requirements formulated by these specialists. "Together, we carefully think through the elements and criteria on which suppliers base their quotations and determine how we will define the scoring process for selection."     

Own procurement entity  

"Each Institute is its own procurement entity," Freek continues. "I fulfil an advisory and supporting role on behalf of the NWO-I office. Anyone can call me. There is plenty of scope to improve awareness of the Public Procurement Act across NWO-I. There are instances of people, with good intentions, submitting a €70,000 quotation for sign-off without having conducted a tendering procedure. I am currently touring the Institutes to discuss how I can contribute. Taking into account known procurement needs, I intend to develop a comprehensive procurement calendar. This will enable me to identify overlapping needs and potential areas for achieving economies of scale in the future. This is in light of the fact that each Institute purchases cleaning, catering and office products, for example. There could also be potential for joint purchasing of gases, for instance."

As a newcomer, how do you view NWO-I?  

Freek: "NWO-I is an interesting, but complex organisation, encompassing so many different parts. Added to that, there is the nature of the NWO-I office’s connection to the Institutes. When I looked into NWO-I, I was instantly struck by the remarkable scientific work undertaken at the Institutes. For newcomers, analysing the relationship between NWO-D and NWO-I can feel like a treasure hunt. While we share some things with D, like Joost and the ICT equipment, they are still quite separate clubs. It's never boring."

About Freek  

Freek lives with his girlfriend in Utrecht, within cycling distance of NWO-I. They spend much of their free time house-hunting, which is proving quite a challenge. Freek plays football for De Rivierwijkers, goes for the occasional run and is a cycling enthusiast. Every year he takes part in one of cycling’s Spring Classics, with Liège-Bastogne-Liège on the agenda this year.

Edit: When this newsletter is published we heard that Freek has found a house.

Text: Anita van Stel

Newsletter Inside NWO-I, March 2025
You can find the archive of the newsletter Inside NWO-I on the NWO-I website.