"Green Public Procurement (GPP) News Alert" Newsletter Issues

Paris 2024: Olympic and Paralympic games with sustainability in mind (27/06/2024)

As athletics from across the globe gear up for the event of the year with the dream of taking back home gold, the final preparations are underway in the French capital. Since it put forward its candidacy, the City of Paris has set itself the ambitious goal of hosting sustainable Olympic and Paralympic games.

Reuse and recycling of ICT government devices - The Norwegian Central Procurement Body, Norway (27/06/2024)

In 2021, the Action plan to increase the proportion of green public procurement and green innovation was adopted. In this context, a new joint state agreement for the reuse and recycling of ICT equipment was approved. This agreement includes services for the collection, transport, secure deletion of data and sorting for reuse or material recycling of the equipment. It is also in line with the waste hierarchy principles established by the DFØ, and ensures that purchasers and providers follow the priorities which are central to the circular economy.

The application of the CO2 Performance Ladder as a tool for a more sustainable public procurement in the wastewater sector in Belgium (27/06/2024)

Interview with Frédéric Coupain, Head of Service, Collectors, Pumping Stations division at IDEA.

Ensuring quality training and employment for people distant from the labour market in monument conservation services - Province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium (27/06/2024)

The Province of Flemish Brabant has used the procurement of its monument conservation services to provide people distant from the labour market with training, sustainable employment and guidance opportunities. The Heritage Department of the Province of Flemish Brabant sought to hire teams to carry out maintenance and restoration work on valuable, non-protected immovable heritage with a public function, located in its territory. These services include both precautionary measures and urgent maintenance work on heritage.

European Innovation Procurement Awards (27/06/2024)

Big news: the European Innovation Procurement Awards have been launched! If you are a public or private buyer who purchased the development or the deployment of an innovative solution, don't hesitate to apply! The awards have two categories: 1. Innovation procurement initiative (including implementation), and 2. Facing societal challenges category: - “Net Zero Industry Procurement”. You have time until 26 September. Applications can be sent in your national language.

Horizon Europe PCP call for greener healthcare (27/06/2024)

An open call for applications for a consortium of health procurers who want to procure together the development of innovative solutions for environmentally sustainable, climate-neutral and circular health and care systems. This project aims to: stimulate the competitive development of innovative and sustainable solutions; reduce carbon emissions and minimise waste and pollution stemming from health and care provision, among others. Deadline: 26 November!

MVOO criteria tool (27/06/2024)

Launched in May 2024, this online criteria tool for socially responsible public procurement was developed, updated and published by a collaboration between the Flemish government and the Dutch government, which was commissioned to a consortium of companies from both locations. Those interested can choose the criteria according to 3 levels and by theme with over 350 criteria to download.

A new report from Rreuse (27/06/2024)

The report, elaborated through a research methodology, which included desk research, surveys, interviews and analysis of different legal frameworks, seeks to explore and demonstrate how public procurement can be used to achieve a low-carbon, circular and inclusive economy. The document also contains best practices of socially responsible and GPP across Europe, focusing on social enterprises active in re-use-oriented activities.

How can public procurement support the upskilling of the construction workforce on energy-efficiency skills? An nZEB guide for public procurers (31/05/2024)

A more energy-efficient building stock would help curb GHG emissions, energy consumption and support climate targets. Since 2021, all new buildings in the EU should reach the target nearly-zero energy building (or nZEB) standard, as defined by national governments. So, to help public authorities leverage their purchasing power, the EU-funded nZEB Ready project has developed a Public Procurement Guide.

How can Green Public Procurement accelerate the decarbonization of construction materials? (31/05/2024)

Joint interview with Jai Krishna from European Environmental Bureau and Tudor Cherhat from the Environmental Coalition on Standards. Mr. Krishna works with the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) as Zero Pollution Industry expert and is focussing on scaling the demand for green steel and low carbon cement demand in public procurement. Mr. Cherhat is a programme manager at Environmental Coalition on Standards (ECOS), overseeing campaign and promotion efforts focused on GPP for buildings and construction materials.

Green public procurement at Pesaro School: Enhancing sustainability in educational infrastructure - Pesaro, Italy (31/05/2024)

The city set the challenge of achieving a school building “friendly to the environment and people”, capable of creating favourable spaces for study and in harmony with the surrounding houses. The project specifically focused on exceeding the standards of a nearly zero-energy building (nZEB) and incorporating sustainable building practices.

Monitoring Progress in Green Public Procurement: IISD Report (31/05/2024)

Published in March 2024, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Report highlights the importance of monitoring progress on green public procurement (GPP) and offers some recommendations and methodologies for improvement. The report is focused on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and showcases GPP monitoring good practices from countries such as South Korea, Japan, Slovenia, Denmark, Malaysia and the Netherlands.

Embedding Project: Sustainable Procurement resources (31/05/2024)

This set of resources by the Embedding Project helps you understand the portfolio of practices you can employ to embed sustainability across your value chain. The sustainable procurement practices wheel identifies the practices required to embed sustainability into your procurement life cycle, shares what others are doing, and curates a selection of the most relevant resources and tools to help you get started.

European symposium on Responsible Public Procurement (31/05/2024)

The Bordeaux European Exchanges symposium is taking place on 7 June. This event is an opportunity to exchange perspectives between European stakeholders in regional public procurement on responsible European public procurement and their commitment to promoting regional economic development.

WeBuySocialEu (31/05/2024)

EC initiative that showcases how the use of public procurement can help to achieve far-reaching social goals. Have a look at the next training events

Green canteens: Results from the recent study by the University of Alcalá’s Green Public Procurement Research Group (25/03/2024)

Interview with the Green Public Procurement Research Group at the University of Alcalá, which is coordinated by Ximena Lazo Vitoria (pictured). The research group recently carried out a study titled ‘Is public procurement in Spain sufficiently green?: An empirical study of school canteens’ which aimed to provide information to support public decisions-making and for social and economic actors in the food sector.

Involving social enterprise stakeholders in the design and implementation of a data collection exercise on social enterprises in Ireland (25/03/2024)

In order to commission the design of a comprehensive data collection process/methodology to establish the size and scope of the social enterprise population in Ireland, this tender took an innovative approach by requiring a partnership approach with social enterprises stakeholders as an award criterion for the development of a data collection system and the conduction of the research exercise.

Estonia public procurement strategy (25/03/2024)

In November 2023, the Government of Estonia adopted a Public Procurement Strategy that seeks to improve the quality of public purchasing and realise the potential of strategic public procurement in the country. It aims to work towards fulfilling the country’s long-term development strategy, called “Estonia 2035”.

Electrifying Mobility: BIMSA's Strategic Shift to Sustainable Transportation through Green Public Procurement (26/03/2024)

The Barcelona Municipal Infrastructures SA (BIMSA) aimed to transform its personnel transport to be more sustainable by procuring a new rental contract for vehicles in a way that prioritises environmental benefits without compromising the needs of mobility of their technicians, especially regarding site visits.

Watch the GPP Helpdesk webinar (25/03/2024)

The EU GPP Helpdesk hosted its first webinar of 2024 on the 7th of March titled “Mainstreaming a profession: the Professionalisation of Public Procurement”. During the webinar, experts and practitioners explored how public procurement can be professionalised and highlighted examples across Europe in this topic. If you missed the event, watch the recording!

Procura+ Awards (25/03/2024)

The Procura+ Awards ceremony took place on 13 March at the Procura+ Conference in Lisbon, Portugal. The winners in each category were the Norwegian Central Procurement Agency for Sustainable Procurement of the Year; the City of Malmö for Innovation Procurement of the Year; and the City of Lisbon for the Procurement Initiative of the Year.

Porto Circular Procurement Guidelines Tool (25/03/2024)

This tool has been developed in the framework of the CityLoops project. The tool is an integrated Circular Economy vision for school meals, catering services and maintenance of green spaces, which includes recommendations as well as suggestions on circular and sustainability criteria that can be applied in public procurement procedures.

Join the WeBuySocialEU training workshop in Brussels, 24 May and 5 June 2024 (25/03/2024)

The GPP Helpdesk is supporting the dissemination of the European Commission training on socially responsible public procurement destined to public authorities and social economy entities.

Procura+ Conference, perspectives from the Mayor of Malmö, First Vice President of ICLEI and Chair of the Procura+ Network (29/02/2024)

Interview with Katrin Stjernfeldt Jammeh, Mayor of Malmö and First Vice President of ICLEI and Chair of Procura+ Network. Under Katrin’s leadership Malmö has garnered an international reputation for being a sustainable, open and progressive city that has been chosen by the EU to become one of 100 climate neutral European cities by 2030.

Ireland publishes new reference on Sustainable Public Procurement (29/02/2024)

The Republic of Ireland’s Office of Government Procurement produced a comprehensive reference for public procurement practitioners and policy makers titled ‘Opportunities and approaches for Sustainable Public Procurement’. Published in January 2024, the reference explains key concepts of green, circular and socially responsible public procurement.

Meeting Sustainability Objectives in the Helsinki Urban Environment House’s Restaurant and Café Services - Finland (29/02/2024)

In 2020, the City of Helsinki sought to acquire restaurant, cafe and catering services for its new Urban Environment House that were diverse, attractive, variable and considerate of potential environmental and climate impacts - particularly the city’s climate neutrality objective. Therefore, the city included green and socially responsible considerations in the tender’s technical specifications, award criteria and contract performance conditions.

GPP Advisory Group meeting (29/02/2024)

During January and February 2024, members of the GPP Advisory group met to discuss the latest updates on green public procurement policies in the European Union. It was also an opportunity for the members to exchange experiences since the last meeting and to share the latest developments on GPP in each Member State. Stay informed about updates to this group through the GPP Helpdesk website.

EU GPP Helpdesk webinar (29/02/2024)

On the 7 of March from 14:00 to 15:30 CEST, the first EU GPP Helpdesk webinar of the year will take place on "Mainstreaming a profession: the Professionalisation of public procurement”. This webinar will focus on how public procurement can be professionalised and highlight examples across Europe of efforts in this sense. Don’t miss the webinar, join and find out the skills and knowledge that public procurers are developing in contracting authorities around Europe.

DG GROW’S Public Procurement Gazette (29/02/2024)

The Public Procurement Policy Unit in DG GROW has its official newsletter. In this gazette the audience will also find the ultimate source of news, events, funding opportunities, projects and regulations on public procurement from the European Commission. Subscribe now to the Public Procurement Gazette.

France: clauses and criteria for your purchases (29/02/2024)

La Clause Verte is an initiative created by the Center for the Deployment of Eco Transition in Companies and Territories (CD2E) to meet the needs of public buyers linked to the introduction of environmental clauses. The website offers a set of clauses and criteria for several product groups as well as good practices shared by contributors from different public authorities in France.

Serbian Public Procurement Act (29/02/2024)

On 26 October 2023, the Serbian National Assembly adopted amendments to the national Public Procurement Act. These are binding from 1 January 2024, and include the introduction of quality rather than price as a key criterion for selecting certain services/goods, and the principles of environmental protection in the awarding procurement, among others. This amendment is in line with the goals defined in the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and its aim to promote the principle of environmental protection within the region.

EU GPP Helpdesk Webinar on “Mainstreaming a profession: The Professionalisation of public procurement” (07/03/2024)

You are invited to a webinar on 7 March 2024 from 14:00 to 15:30 (CET).

Green capital title was just the beginning, Tallinn wants to stay at the forefront of green capitals in Europe (18/12/2023)

Interview with Joosep Vimm, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn since 2021. Tallinn was named the EU Green Capital 2023 due to its "systemic approach to green governance and interlinked strategic goals". Mr. Vimm is responsible for business, tourism, innovation and circular economy initiatives in the city.

New EU Ecolabel criteria for absorbent hygiene products and reusable menstrual cups (18/12/2023)

In September 2023, the European Commission adopted EU Ecolabel criteria for absorbent hygiene products and reusable menstrual cups. They are valid until 31 December 2029. The publication of the criteria was accompanied by a detailed technical report and the European Commission plans to publish manuals in early 2024 for authorities and entities awarding public contracts in both product categories.

Reducing food waste by improving quality in prisons - Dutch Custodial Institution Agency, Netherlands (18/12/2023)

The Dutch Custodial Institution Agency (DJI) is responsible for the enforcement of sentences and custodial measures issued by Dutch courts as well as the day-to-day care and rehabilitation of detainees. In 2020, the DJI began a procurement process to contract for the food in all of their prisons. Notably, the DJI recognised the impact of sustainable, carbon-neutral and circular policies on its food purchasing.

Employing people from a disadvantaged background in a public contract for the modernization of a cultural centre and library - Hornozemplín Library in Vranov nad Topľou, Slovakia (18/12/2023)

The Upper Zemplín Library in the Municipality of Vranov nad Topľou, Slovakia, launched a tender for the reconstruction and modernisation of its cultural centre and library. With this tender, the contracting authority intended to create a facility that could both serve the general public and also provide support to people from disadvantaged groups.

Big Buyers Working Together - New CoPs (18/12/2023)

Big Buyers Working Together will gather public buyers across Europe in 10 communities of practice, focusing on Heavy-Duty Electric Vehicles, Social Procurement, New European Bauhaus, Sustainable Solar Panels, Circular Construction, Zero-Emission Construction Sites, Digital, Mobility and Health (x2), to collaborate on finding innovative, sustainable and social solutions to current procurement challenges. The project is coordinated on behalf of the European Commission by Eurocities, ICLEI and BME. Interested in joining? Email big.buyers@eurocities.eu

Ireland - Framework agreement for period products (18/12/2023)

Irish Ministers of State recently published a new procurement framework that allows the public sector to easily procure period products and no-cost vending machines for use in public offices, buildings and facilities. This follows the Programme for Government’s commitment to tackle period poverty and endorses the recommendation to develop a coordinated approach to the procurement of menstrual equality products. By using the framework, public bodies can absorb the costs of purchase and thereby offer the products for free in their bathrooms.

Promoting gender equality through procurement (18/12/2023)

UNOPS recently published its report on Gender-responsive Public Procurement (2023) which demonstrates how the organisation integrates gender-sensitive procurement into its activities, presents case studies and provides recommendations on how governments can better include women-owned businesses in the procurement processes. The report shows how gender equality considerations can be integrated into procurement policies and processes, pointing out that more effective public spending can also tackle social inequalities. It also recommends 5 steps to ensure the successful implementation of GRP.

Assessment of reuse in public procurement (18/12/2023)

On 8 April 2022, Spain passed a new law (Law 7/2022) on waste and contaminated soil for a circular economy. The legislation sets ambitious objectives and mandates a progressive increase in preparation for the reuse and recycling of municipal waste. In order to review the current status of introducing reuse in public procurement in Catalonia and identify best practices from across Europe, the DG for Environmental Quality and Climate Change of the Government of Catalonia has prepared an ‘Assessment of reuse in public procurement’.

EU GPP Helpdesk Webinar on “social and environmental considerations and the link with the subject matter” (12/12/2023)

You are invited to a webinar on 12 December 2023 from 10:30 to 12:00 (UTC+02:00).

Czech railway becomes greener and more social (30/11/2023)

The Czech Railway Infrastructure Manager Správa železnic (RM) has made significant strides in adopting more environmentally and socially responsible practices. Governed by the Ministry of Transportation, RM oversees railway electrification, aims to optimise energy use in facilities, and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The aim to systematically carry out responsible public procurement was set by the Ministry of Transportation's 2018 order.

Purchase for impact - how procurement and public spending can accelerate development (30/11/2023)

Interview with Anne-Claire Howard, Director of the Procurement Group at UNOPS. She has been the co-chair of the Sustainable Procurement working group in the United Nations High Level Management Committee Procurement Network since May 2023.

Provision of environmentally-friendly and socially responsible meals to the staff of Emilia Romagna’s Health System - Italy (30/11/2023)

Intercent-ER, the Emilia-Romagna Region’s Agency for the development of electronic markets, launched a procedure to ensure that all employees of the Regional Health System can enjoy a quality meal once a day. The contracting authority set up a system of electronic meal vouchers, usable with a network of service providers with which the supplier had agreements. Regarding the award criteria, the Agency took into account many of the aspects that have an impact on the demand for eco-friendly restaurants, as well as quality and safety.

From waste to workspace: Supplying reused and refurbished furniture - Niort City Hall, France (30/11/2023)

When Niort City Hall decided in 2022 to replace the obsolete furniture of 350 workstations over a period of 6 to 7 years, it was determined to take a circular approach. The municipality decided to procure refurbished furniture, made from the municipality’s own obsolete furniture. The approach that Niort City Hall took goes beyond the requirements set out in France’s landmark Anti-waste and Circular Economy Law to procure furniture that incorporates reused, upcycled, or recycled materials. 58% of the furniture that the City of Niort procures comes from reuse or upcycling.

CityLoops Procurement Handbook and toolkit (30/11/2023)

The handbook draws upon the CityLoops demonstration actions to outline key takeaways. It aims to inspire and guide European local and regional public authorities, policy makers and procurement officers. The comprehensive toolkit presents a range of tools used by cities in the CityLoops initiative for circular procurement practices, offering a concise explanation of the functionalities of each tool; ideas on when and how best to use each tool; among other things.

Public procurement to advance gender equality (30/11/2023)

This guide, which is based on the Swedish National Procurement Agency's model purchase process (preparation, execution and realisation of the agreement), shows how organisations can establish gender equality requirements in procurement with regard to suppliers, products, services and construction contracts. It also mentions the different stages and operations, giving examples of what the regulatory framework looks like and how some municipalities have included it in their tenders.

#EUCircularTalk: Circular Procurement (30/11/2023)

The ECESP Leadership Group on Circular Procurement and the Leadership Group on Biodiversity and Climate organised a #EUCircularTalk on the 20th of October 2023. During the session, synergies between circular procurement and biodiversity and climate were discussed, and experiences from municipalities on integrating circular procurement strategies, calculating scope 3 emissions, and using circular procurement to achieve their climate and biodiversity goals were presented.

Survey on public buyers’ communication practices (30/11/2023)

The GPP Helpdesk is supporting the dissemination of a survey in all European languages, launched in the framework of a European Commission initiative on socially responsible public procurement (SRPP). Give your feedback about communication sources and channels to tailor a communication campaign to promote SRPP across the EU. Thanks for your useful input! Deadline: 31 December 2023

EU GPP Helpdesk webinar (30/11/2023)

On the 12th of December, from 10:30 to 12:00 CEST, the fourth and last EU GPP Helpdesk webinar will address the "use of social and environmental considerations in procurement procedures and their link with the subject matter". During the event, experiences will be shared and clarifications on this topic will be provided, focusing on the most common mistakes and how they can be avoided. Don't miss it!

How can cities use Public Procurement as a strategic tool to support Circular Economy strategies? (31/10/2023)

Interview with Oriana Romano, Head of the Water Governance, Blue and Circular Economy Unit Cities, at the Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities.

Progress report on the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns (10YFP) (31/10/2023)

The United Nations Environment Programme has published a progress report on the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. The report tracks Member State and stakeholder updates on the progress made in 2022 regarding SDG 12.1 and introduces the Global Strategy for Sustainable Consumption and Production for the years 2023 to 2030.

Ensuring decent working conditions in cleaning services for Charles University - Czech Republic (31/10/2023)

Charles University sought to find ways to obtain quality performance in the cleaning of their premises while maintaining decent working conditions for the cleaning staff. In an effort to support bidders who pay their workers decent wages, the university included social criteria in the exclusion grounds and award criteria of their 2021 cleaning services contract.

Competitive dialogue for a circular and sustainable bridge - Province of North Holland, Netherlands (31/10/2023)

The province of North Holland, responsible for the renovation of the Cruquius Bridge, sought a solution that aligned with their ambitious sustainability goals. Understanding the value of a future-proof design, the province adopted the principles of industrial, flexible and demountable (IFD) construction. The Cruquius Bridge is one of the first movable bridges in the Netherlands to utilise this approach.

Report on the social impact of public procurement (31/10/2023)

The European Parliament recently commissioned a study on the different possibilities offered by Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement for achieving social goals. The paper analysed the transposition of these opportunities into national law and the implementation by contracting authorities across the EU. It also provided recommendations for future EU action.

Horizon Europe: EU Missions (31/10/2023)

A recent assessment on the progress of the EU Missions under Horizon Europe finds that they are on track to achieve their ambitious goals by 2030 in critical areas such as adaptation to climate change and making cities climate neutral. It highlights the main achievements and challenges of the current five individual Missions and commits mobilising tools such as public procurement to make the programmes even more effective.

2023 update of the ECB's Environmental Statement (31/10/2023)

According to the 2023 update of the European Central Bank’s Environmental Statement, the ECB conducted 54 green procurement procedures in 2022 and is currently preparing a public procurement process to compensate for its residual carbon emissions from the last year. The ECB continues to offer training and awareness-raising activities on GPP and benefits from the resources provided by the EU GPP Helpdesk.

Watch the recording GPP Helpdesk webinar (31/10/2023)

The EU GPP Helpdesk hosted its third webinar of 2023 on the 15th of June titled “How to procure circular, nZEB and green construction skills?”. During the webinar, experts and practitioners explored the various EU, national and regional initiatives that have aimed at closing the skills gap in the construction sector with the use of public procurement.

EU GPP Helpdesk Survey (27/09/2023)

The Green Public Procurement (GPP) Helpdesk has launched a short survey to gather feedback from our subscribers on both the News Alert in general and the case studies in particular. We want to hear about your experience with the News Alert. Don't miss the opportunity to give us your feedback!