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General information on GPP |
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Green Public Procurement (GPP) is "a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life-cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be procured.”
Source: Communication (COM (2008) 400) “Public procurement for a better environment”
By using environmental criteria public authorities can buy electricity, transport services, office IT equipment, food and catering services and many other goods and services that contribute to the reduction of environmental impacts.
The concept of GPP has been widely recognised in recent years as a useful tool for driving the market for greener products and services and reducing the environmental impacts of public authorities’ activities. GPP concerns both:
- Contracting authorities: National, regional or local authorities and so-called bodies 'governed by public law'. These are bodies established for the specific purpose of meeting needs in the general interest, but without an industrial or commercial character and for the most part financed, administered or supervised by public authorities. (see Article 1 of Directive 2004/18/EC)
- Contracting entities: All entities operating in so-called 'special sectors', namely: water, energy, transport and postal services. Even if the operating entities in those sectors are not necessarily any longer public authorities or bodies governed by public law, they provide public services and remain fairly dependant on public money. They are therefore often subject to similar, albeit less restrictive, rules. (see the preamble to Directive 2004/17/EC)
The way we consume resources in the EU is causing environmental damage at a rate that cannot be sustained. Many concerns have been raised about the increasing consumption and production patterns, both internationally and at the European level. If the world as a whole followed the EU's pattern of consumption, global resource use could quadruple within 20 years. Apart from the resulting environmental and health problems, this trend could threaten economic growth due to decreasing natural resources and the cost of addressing these issues.
Public authorities (central, regional and local levels) spend approximately 17% of EU GDP – or €2,000 billion – on goods, services and works each year. [1] Much of this is spent in sectors with high environmental impacts, such as transport, buildings and food.
The 2006 “EIPRO – Environmental Impact of Products” study showed that products from these three areas of consumption (more precisely food and drink, housing and transport) together are responsible for 70-80% of environmental impacts of (private) consumption. [2]
While research and development is in progress to improve and deploy cleaner and more efficient technologies, it is also important to influence our consumption and production patterns so as to minimise the damage caused to the environment while maintaining an economic equilibrium at the same time. GPP was introduced as part of an effort to take some concrete steps in this direction.
[1] /internal_market/publicprocurement/docs/indicators2008_en.pdf
[2] Tukker, A. et al. (2006), Environmental Impact of Products (EIPRO) – Analysis of the life-cycle environmental impacts related to the final consumption of the EU-25 (for DG JRC/IPTS, European Commission)
Member States have been encouraged to draw up publicly available National Action Plans (NAPs) for greening their public procurement. The NAPs should contain an assessment of the existing situation and ambitious targets for the next three years, specifying what measures will be taken to achieve them.
The NAPs are not legally-binding but provide political impetus to the process of implementing and raising awareness of greener public procurement. They allow Member States to choose the options that best suit their political framework and the level they have reached.
Further information on NAPs
Are the EU GPP criteria mandatory?
No, the EU GPP criteria have been developed as part of the voluntary approach to GPP endorsed in the communication Public procurement for a better environment (COM (2008) 400). This communication indicated a number of measures to be taken by the European Commission to support the implementation of GPP by Member States and individual contracting authorities.
The purpose of the EU GPP criteria is to identify the main environmental impacts of each of the products and services covered, and propose clear, verifiable and ambitious criteria to address these in the procurement process. They are not legally binding and encompass two separate levels – core and comprehensive. Member States are invited to include the criteria into their national GPP policies and individual contracting authorities to use them when procuring.
In practice, a number of Member States have either referenced the EU GPP criteria in their national action plans, or adopted criteria which reflect these quite closely. For example, in the UK the Government Buying Standards are largely aligned with the EU GPP criteria, with some variations in scope/ambition depending on the product group. A table comparing the two criteria sets is available here (date of comparison: March 2011).
Variations in the criteria adopted may reflect national differences in the market availability of products/services, approach to procurement and environmental and other priorities. Similarly individual contracting authorities may choose to adapt the criteria to meet their particular requirements. Individual contracting authorities can choose which criteria to apply, in the absence of specific national laws regulating this.
The EU GPP criteria are developed based on consultation with stakeholders and reflect the scientific and market knowledge available at the time of their publication. However in some cases contracting authorities may wish to either include or exclude certain elements. The EU GPP criteria are designed to be flexible in this way and do not remove the responsibility of the individual authority to act fairly, transparently and proportionately in determining which criteria to apply.
It is considered that by providing a common reference point based comprehensive assessment of environmental impacts, the EU GPP criteria contribute to the alignment of procurement practices in the absence of mandatory common criteria.
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Cost issues |
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What is Life-cycle costing (LCC)?
Please refer to the dedicated LCC page on this website.
Can life-cycle costs be assessed in procedures covered by the EU Procurement Directives?
Contracting authorities can take life-cycle costs into account where the award criterion of most economically advantageous tender (MEAT) is applied. The application of life-cycle costing forms a central part of the approach to GPP promoted by the European Commission and many Member States. It is important when assessing life-cycle costs to apply a methodology which is transparent and allows for the equal treatment of all tenderers.
Life-cycle costing (LCC) was endorsed in the Commission’s 2008 Communication Public Procurement for a Better Environment, which was accompanied by a Staff Working Document setting out i.a. the role of LCC in GPP in more detail. In addition, the EU Ecolabel and Ecodesign Directives both specifically endorse the application of a life-cycle approach for the products and processes which they cover. The inclusion of environmental externalities in LCC is also mandated by the Clean Vehicles Directive, which provides a methodology for monetising energy and environmental impacts in procurement decisions.
In terms of the practical application of LCC in procurement procedures, a number of tools and useful guidance documents are available. Background information on the application of LCC is available on the EU GPP website. A tool for calculating LCC and CO2 emissions in procurement is available from the SMART-SPP website. Further information about the application of LCC in construction is available from the DG Enterprise and Industry website.
The most common misconception about GPP is that green products cost more. However, upon closer inspection, this does not necessarily hold true.
Green products can have a lower purchasing price as they have reduced impacts on the environment with often less energy and raw materials consumed and/or less waste generated so lower associated production costs.
For example, the European Commission study on the “Costs and Benefits of Green Public Procurement in Europe” found that the purchasing costs for public authorities of green (including 100% recycled and eco-certified copying paper) and non-green copying paper are very similar. In Germany, “green” versions of copying paper appeared to be significantly cheaper (23%). In Sweden, the same study showed that environmentally friendly floor care, sanitary and window cleaning products were all less expensive than their conventional counterparts (74%, 82% and 9%, respectively). [1]
In addition, where a life-cycle costing approach is taken to competing products or services, greener alternatives are often cheaper even where the initial purchase price is higher. This is even more likely to be true where an environmental LCC approach is applied (please see FAQ on life-cycle costing for further information).
Good examples concern energy-using products, for which a “high” purchasing price is often more than compensated for by long-term savings. Depending on the product, the payback period may be as short as six months, for example in the case of energy efficient light bulbs. [2]
If contracting authorities wish to ascertain which products are most cost effective for them they need to apply Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) approaches in their procurement decisions.
A 2008 study on the impacts of GPP considered cost as one of four indicators [3]. The financial impact of GPP was calculated by comparing the costs of a green product with those of a non-green product. The study took into account, where possible, costs that result from the purchase of a product or service, but also operational costs and costs for disposal (thus following the concept of conventional Life-cycle Costing). The study showed that in the “Green-7” countries [4], where on average 50% of purchases are green, the average financial impact of GPP in 2006/2007 was approximately -1.2%. Thus the study concluded that GPP can lead to cost reductions.
[1] Öko-Institut & ICLEI (2007), Study on Costs/Benefits of Green Public Procurement in Europe
[2] walthamforest.gov.uk/residential-energy-tables
[3] PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Ecofys and Significant (2009), Collection of statistical information on Green Public Procurement in the EU
[4] Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and United Kingdom
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GPP Policy |
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The main document the European Commission has issued is the Communication “Public procurement for a better environment”, part of the package of sustainability measures in the Sustainable Production and Consumption and Sustainable Industrial Policy (SCP/SIP) Action Plan.
The general objective of this Communication is to provide guidance on how to reduce the environmental impact caused by public sector consumption and how to use Green Public Procurement (GPP) to stimulate innovation in environmental technologies, products and services.
Further information on the Communication is available here
A number of EU policies and strategies make reference to GPP or regulate areas which are linked to its implementation.
Brief descriptions of the most relevant policies, and links to further information, are available on this website in the following sections:
EU Strategic Policy
Related EU Policies
EU leaders adopted a voluntary target for GPP under the renewed Sustainable Development Strategy in 2006, stating that, by 2010, the average level of GPP should be the same as the level of the best performing Member States at the time (2006). In its 2008 Communication, the Commission proposed that, by 2010, 50% of all public tendering procedures should be "green". "Green" means tendering procedures must comply with endorsed common “core” GPP criteria.
The baseline for this target was a study “Green public procurement in Europe” (2005-2006) on GPP performance across EU Member States, which indicated the current levels of GPP in the seven best performing Member States (Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, and United Kingdom). This study also identified the most suitable product groups for immediate greening. [1]
This target has been confirmed as realistic by a 2009 study on the Collection of Statistical Information on GPP in the EU. [2] It showed that in the seven best performing Member States on average 45% of the total procurement value and 55% of the total number of procurement contracts included environmental considerations for the years 2006/07 in ten GPP priority sectors.
[1] Take 5 Consortium, Green Public Procurement in Europe: Conclusions and Recommendations (2006)
[2] PriceWaterHouseCoopers, Ecofys and Significant (2009), Collection of statistical information on Green Public Procurement in the EU
The Commission has:
- Set clear political voluntary targets for GPP: by 2010, 50 % of all tenders should be compliant with endorsed common “core” GPP criteria;
- Produced a handbook Buying Green! on environmental public procurement which explains how best to integrate environmental considerations into public procurement procedures based on the provisions of the Public Procurement Directives of 31 March 2004;
- Developed a first set of GPP criteria for ten priority sectors in 2008, followed by a second set of criteria covering a further 8 sectors in 2010. The criteria are developed with cooperation with Member States and other stakeholders;
- Provided a web based Training Toolkit on GPP;
- Launched a program to train GPP experts and raise awareness about GPP in EU Member States;
In addition the Commission launched a Helpdesk in early 2010, to promote and disseminate information about GPP, and to provide timely and accurate answers to stakeholders' enquiries.
GPP depends on clear, justifiable and ambitious environmental criteria for products and services. A number of national criteria and approaches to GPP have been developed. However, as the use of GPP increases, the criteria used by Member States should be compatible to avoid a distortion of the single market and a reduction of EU-wide competition. Establishing a single set of criteria could considerably reduce the administrative burden for economic operators and for public administrations implementing GPP. Common GPP criteria are of particular benefit to companies operating in more than one Member State, as well as to SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises) whose capacity to adapt and manage different procurement procedures is limited.
- 2006: A series of workshops on Green Public Procurement took place in Greece, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, organised by ICLEI European Secretariat (www.iclei-europe.org/procurement).
- 2008: a workshop was organised by ICLEI, REC and BIO Intelligence Service. The aim was to raise awareness on the EU Ecolabel brand and to promote the use of the underlying criteria amongst public procurement practitioners and potential suppliers. Several ad hoc promotion activities were also organised, including presentation at relevant fairs and events.
- 2009-2010: Training and dissemination / awareness raising activities were coordinated by ITC-ILO (gpp.itcilo.org). A total of 40 appointed national experts were selected from 19 countries and trained through Training of Trainers programmes, containing a distance learning module and a face-to-face seminar in Turin (Italy). More precisely, the project had the following components:
- First training of Trainers, in June/July 2009, for 10 target countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia); 20 appointed national experts trained.
- Second training of Trainers, in November 2009/February 2010, for 9 countries (Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Malta, Portugal, and Spain); 22 national experts trained.
- One-day events from October 2009 until August 2010, in the form of GPP national conferences, held in national language, addressing 80-100 key GPP stakeholders each.
Source: http://gpp.itcilo.org
Quantitative indicators can be used to assess the uptake and progress of the policy, by comparing the level of GPP -expressed in number and value of green tendering procedures- with the overall level of public procurement.
In 2011, the Commission has conducted a survey to monitor the GPP situation in all the Member States. A tendering procedure will be considered "green" if it has resulted in a contract which complies with "core" GPP criteria. The results will be published in early 2012.
More information on indicators and monitoring can be found in the
2008 Communication.
Every year billions of euros are spent under the EU's Cohesion Policy for regional development and economic and social cohesion throughout Europe. For the 2007-13 programming period (with a total budget of €308 billion), sustainable development was reconfirmed as one of the most important principles of the Cohesion Policy.
Many other EU funding programmes exist, such as for instance the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), which bundles research-related EU initiatives. It set aside a maximum overall amount for Community financial participation of EUR 50 521 million for the period 2007 – 2013. Whilst most of this money would finance core research activities which are not relevant for GPP, the overheads of the projects (covering a maximum of 7% of grants) would be suitable for “greening”.
Where these funds are spent directly by public authorities and the latter carry out procurement procedures to implement the funded projects, the Commission considers that GPP could easily be incorporated. A focused action where managing authorities and other beneficiaries of EC funding would be strongly recommended to use GPP for the implementation of EC funded projects, would create an important incentive for the overall uptake of GPP, as those projects cover an important part of total public procurement expenditure. Such a practice by Member States, particularly those where GPP is lower than average, would contribute to their reaching the 50% target of GPP in their procurement procedures.
Source of information: the Communication on Green Public Procurement “Public procurement for a better environment” (Section 5.2.1)
Green alternatives are not always obvious or well advertised. Performing a market analysis or conducting a dialogue with potential suppliers can help to establish the appropriate GPP approach for a particular requirement.
There are a number of ways to do this which respect the EU procurement rules and in particular the principles of transparency and non-discrimination.
For further information, please consult the section of this website on Dialogue with the Market.
In addition, for some specific product groups such as energy-efficient appliances, vehicles and lighting, market availability in a number of EU countries can be checked online via the Euro Topten portal.
Energy-efficient office equipment which meets the Energy Star criteria can be checked here.
Europe's first Web shop for official Ecolabel products, ECOPORIO, is also a source of information on the availability of products which meet the established Ecolabel criteria.
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Legal framework for GPP |
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Public procurement in the European Union is subject to a number of sources of Community law:
In addition there are a number of sources of interpretation of the relevant laws and principles, such as the Buying Green handbook and Commission Interpretative Communications.
Further information on each of these sources is available in the Legal Framework section of this website.
Under the EU Procurement Directives (2004/18/EC and Directive 2004/17/EC) ecolabels may be used in public procurement –– providing a number of conditions are met:
- Procurers are not allowed to demand that a product carries an ecolabel but may only indicate that the criteria underpinning a certain ecolabel must be met, and that the ecolabel may be used as one form of proof of compliance
- Procurers may only use ecolabel criteria which refer to characteristics of the product or service itself or production processes, not those relating to the general management of the company
- Procurers may only refer to ecolabels which themselves meet a number of requirements (the Type I or ISO 14024 ecolabels such as the EU Ecolabel meet these requirements):
- The requirements for the label are based on scientific evidence
- The ecolabels are adopted with the participation of all stakeholders, such as government bodies, consumers, manufacturers, distributors and environmental organisations
- They are accessible to all interested parties
To find a list of existing labels which can be used for GPP and get practical examples of what can and cannot be done, please consult the Green Public Procurement and the European Ecolabel factsheet of the GPP Training Toolkit.
Evidence of the environmental management measures which an economic operator will be able to apply in carrying out a contract can be requested as part of the tender procedure. There are several different stages at which this may be relevant:
- At specification stage, the procurer may stipulate that certain environmental management measures are to be applied in carrying out a service or work – for example the management of waste on site in a construction contract. An environmental management system would be one means of demonstrating compliance with such requirements. This should not have the effect of restricting competition.
- At selection stage, for services and works contracts and in appropriate cases only, economic operators can be asked to indicate the environmental management measures which they will be able to apply in carrying out the contract.
- At award stage an environmental management system may be considered as evidence of the economic operator’s performance against relevant award criteria, and marks awarded on this basis.
- In contract performance clauses, it is possible to include a requirement for the contractor to work progressively towards certification – or to demonstrate the specific environmental management measures they apply in carrying out the contract. Contract performance clauses must be clearly indicated in the notice or tender documents.
It is not allowed to insist on registration under a particular system, such as EMAS or ISO 14 001. Procurers must assess the evidence provided on its merits – whether this is a third-party certified system or an in-house system.
It is also important to ensure that the same aspect is not assessed twice in one tender procedure – so if ability to apply environmental management measures is assessed at selection stage this should not be repeated at specification or award stage.
Further information on EMAS is available on the EMAS website. The Evropaiki Dynamiki v EEA case addressed the assessment of environmental management systems in the context of procurement.
The EU ENERGY STAR programme follows an agreement between the Government of the US and the European Community (EU) to co-ordinate energy labelling of office equipment. It is managed by the European Commission.
The Energy Star performance and technical requirements provide a useful reference point in the development and application of GPP criteria for many products. Energy Star labels may be used as a non-exclusive means of proof that office equipment meets the underlying criteria of the Energy Star programme, and many manufacturers have adopted this label.
The specific criteria underlying the label for each product category, and a database of products which qualify under the criteria, can be checked on the EU Energy star website.
Directive 2009/33/EC on Clean and Energy Efficient Road Transport Vehicles aims at a broad market introduction of environmentally-friendly vehicles. It requires that energy and environmental impacts linked to the operation of vehicles over their whole lifetime are taken into account in all purchases of road transport vehicles.
Two options are offered for public authorities to meet the requirements: setting technical specifications for energy and environmental performance, or including energy and environmental impacts as award criteria.
The Directive also defines a methodology for calculating the operational lifetime costs of a vehicle.
Further information is available on the Clean Vehicles Directive website.
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GPP Criteria |
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Common GPP criteria are those criteria that can be incorporated into a public procurement procedure for goods, services or works in order to reduce the environmental impact of the purchase.
Specific GPP criteria have been developed for priority product groups/services that have been identified as most suitable for "greening" through public procurement.
Common GPP criteria are divided into ‘core’ and ‘comprehensive’:
- The core criteria are those suitable for use by any contracting authority across the Member States and address the key environmental impacts. They are designed to be used with minimum additional verification effort or cost increases.
- The comprehensive criteria are for those who wish to purchase the best environmental products available on the market. These may require additional verification effort or a slight increase in cost compared to other products with the same functionality.
The priority sectors for implementing GPP were selected through a multi-criteria analysis conducted in 2006*. The criteria included: scope for environmental improvement; public expenditure; potential impact on suppliers; potential for setting an example to private or corporate consumers; political sensitivity; existence of relevant and easy-to-use criteria; market availability and economic efficiency.
The identification of priority sectors was also informed by the EIPRO study carried out by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the Commission in 2006. EIPRO aimed to identify the products consumed in the EU having the greatest environmental impact from a life-cycle perspective. Environmental impact was assessed under a number of different headings (e.g. acidification, toxicity, global warming, ozone depletion) for almost three hundred product categories.
EIPRO Summary
EIPRO Full Report
* Take 5 Consortium, Green Public Procurement in Europe: Conclusions and Recommendations (2006)
At the moment, there are common EU GPP criteria available for the following sectors:
- 1. Copying and graphic paper
- 2. Cleaning products and services
- 3. Office IT equipment
- 4. Construction
- 5. Transport
- 6. Furniture
- 7. Electricity
- 8. Food and Catering services
- 9. Textiles
- 10. Gardening products and services
- 11. Windows
- 12. Thermal insulation
- 13. Hard floor-coverings
- 14. Wall Panels
- 15. Combine Heat and Power (CHP)
- 16. Road construction and traffic signs
- 17. Street lighting and traffic signals
- 18. Mobile phones
- 19. Indoor lighting
The new procedure for GPP criteria development established in 2010 aims to make the process more transparent and participatory, and enhance synergies among different product-related policy instruments such as GPP, Ecodesign, EU Ecolabel and Energy label.
The GPP process will to large extent follow the structure of the EU Ecolabel criteria-setting procedure. It will provide stakeholders with the possibility to comment on the background studies and draft GPP criteria at several stages of the process.
In this context an informal GPP Advisory Group (AG) has been established. The AG acts as a consultative body for GPP criteria development. Its task is to assist the Commission to set up a work plan for criteria development and to evaluate GPP criteria and related reports in the final stage of the criteria development process. The AG is composed of one representative per Member State as well as four representatives of stakeholders (i.e. civil society, industry and SMEs).
You can find more information about the GPP criteria development procedures here.
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Use of GPP Criteria in tenders |
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The GPP criteria have been designed with the requirements of the EU procurement rules in mind. However individual contracting authorities must ensure that their use of the criteria, like all requirements in tender documents, respects the laws and principles which apply.
For instance, the following principles should be taken into account in using GPP criteria:
- Transparency: all bidders should be informed in the same way, at the same time; environmental requirements should be specified as clearly as possible, in order to enable objective comparison of offers.
- Non-discrimination: environmental criteria cannot be introduced in order to give an advantage to local or national suppliers
- Link all requirements with the subject matter of the contract: one cannot, for example, require a vehicles supplier to use recycled paper in its administration or to serve organic food in its canteen.
- Mutual recognition: contracting authorities should always explicitly recognise and accept products complying with equivalent environmental specifications (as attested under equivalent certifications or schemes)
Is it acceptable to apply GPP criteria in respect of only some elements of a tender (e.g. wood products only in a furniture tender)?
When defining the subject matter of a contract, contracting authorities have great freedom to choose what they wish to procure (see the Buying Green Handbook, p.14). Including environmental or social considerations in the subject matter of the contract is allowed, provided that this is done without affecting access to that contract by other EU operators (see also COM(2001) 566 final -pages 6-7). In other words, the contracting authority may decide what it wants to buy (e.g. furniture made of sustainable wood instead of plastic, metal, etc.) or set sustainability criteria only for the wooden parts of the furniture and not for the other materials as long as the subject matter of the contract and the technical specifications are not formulated in such a way as to discriminate against suppliers from other Member States.
Otherwise, if the subject matter and the technical specifications are defined in such a way that they do not favour particular producers, it can be considered that the principles of equal treatment and non-discrimination are respected. In this case contracting authorities may require that the furniture be made of sustainable wood instead of other materials or to set sustainability requirements only for the wooden parts of the furniture and not for the other materials used.
The Handbook on Environmental Public Procurement ‘Buying green!’ has been designed to help public authorities launch a green purchasing policy successfully.
It explains the possibilities offered by EU law in a practical way, and looks at simple and effective solutions that can be used in public procurement procedures. The Handbook offers concrete and clear guidance how to include environmental considerations in a tender procedure at all procurement stages. Its second edition has been published in October 2011.
It also gives many practical examples of green purchasing by public authorities across the EU.
In planning GPP, contracting authorities need to consider all stages of a procurement procedure and examine where it is most appropriate to insert environmental considerations. Each case is specific. Examples of what is possible for public procurers to do at each stage are given below.
- Pre-procurement: Market dialogue may assist in identifying technologies or solutions with the potential to meet environmental objectives, prior to commencing the procurement.
- Subject matter: Defining the subject matter of the contract and choosing a title provides an opportunity to inform the market of your GPP objectives (e.g. energy efficient computers, energy from renewable sources, sustainable building construction, sustainable cleaning services, etc.)
- Selection criteria: Environmental criteria, such as the operator’s ability to apply an environmental management system in performance of a contract, are appropriate in some cases. Where the contract has a specific environmental dimension, assessment of the contractor’s previous experience or other elements of technical capacity may also take this into account.
- Technical specifications: A technical specification defines your requirement in detail, and many of the GPP criteria are appropriate for being directly included at this stage.
- Award criteria: Environmental award criteria may be of qualitative (emission level for example) or economical nature (energy consumption for example), and they do not have to bring a direct advantage to the contracting authority itself. They must be linked to the subject matter of the contract, expressly mentioned in the contract documents or tender notice, comply with the general Treaty principles and cannot give unrestricted freedom of choice to the contracting authority
- Contract performance clauses: Public authorities are specifically empowered to include environmental and social requirements in their conditions for the performance of contracts (see Article 26 of Directive 2004/18/EC). Contract performance clauses should be clearly related to the contract’s execution and made known to tenderers during the procurement process.
For further information on incorporating environmental considerations at each stage of procurement, please refer to Module 2 of the Toolkit and the Buying Green guide.
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