2 Directive 2014/23/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council on the award of concession contracts ("the Concessions Directive");. This handbook explains how to buy green, looking at each stage of the purchasing process.
Establishing a working group
Setting priorities and targets
How to prioritise
The EU GPP criteria at the time of writing cover 21 product and service groups and are available in both core and comprehensive versions (see section 1.4.1). Are there any significant contracts up for renewal, or are there long-term contracts in place for certain product/service groups.
Setting GPP targets
Training and guidance
PIANOo, the Dutch expert center for public procurement, works for and with a network of approximately 3,500 public procurement professionals. All Dutch public procurement professionals can find information and instruments on sustainable public procurement and innovation procurement.
Sources of GPP criteria
EU GPP criteria
Other sources of criteria
Labels
Sector-specific labels – Sector-specific labels include forest certification schemes operated by organizations such as FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)21 or PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).22. Classified Product Labels – These classify products or services according to their environmental performance for the issue at hand, rather than using pass/fail criteria.
Using
Examples include the EU energy label, which rates energy-related products according to their energy efficiency.23. As discussed in section 3.5, the procurement guidelines distinguish between labels where all the criteria are linked to the subject of the contract, and those that contain broader criteria, such as those related to general management practices.
Monitoring &
All members of the Partnership report once a year on the level of achievement of their PPP Partnership objectives, including the implementation of green procurement objectives and criteria in their organization. Each year, four of the partners develop a case study that shows the effect of a specific green procurement in terms of energy and environmental impacts, as well as financial savings.
Networking
The Danish Green Public Procurement Partnership is a coalition of government bodies representing around 13% of annual public procurement expenditure in Denmark. Public procurement is subject to general principles derived from the EU Treaty and specific rules defined in directives.
Introduction
It can also help ensure that procedures are run efficiently and achieve the best value for money throughout the lifecycle. Life cycle costs, joint purchases, framework agreements or contracts for energy performance can e.g. help to demonstrate cost savings through GPP or to lower investment barriers.
Basic principles of public
Choosing the procedure
In 2006, IHOBE (Basque Environmental Management Authority) started an open dialogue with a group of furniture suppliers to help develop environmental criteria and to prepare the market for a future tender. The procurement of the actually produced solution (solution) must then be carried out on the basis of regular public procurement procedures.
Consulting the market
Making a
In 2013, the procurement agency under the German Ministry of the Interior published a tender for 50,000 thin client computer systems worth 15 million. EUR. After the stated contract period, the savings from energy efficiency of the building will accrue to the public authority.
Framework agreements
Allowing bidders to submit several bids can help find the most economically advantageous tender that also delivers high environmental performance. If you want tenderers to have a label, special conditions apply and equivalent labels must be accepted.
Defining the subject-matter
- The right to choose
- Assessing your actual needs
- Identifying the main environmental impacts
- Choosing a green title for the contract
A crucial step before starting the procurement process is to assess your current needs in light of the potential environmental impact of the contract. As the needs assessment is usually carried out before the start of the procurement process, you may not have all the information needed to assess the environmental impact of the contract.
Environmental technical
Technical specifications
You can also specify the processes or methods of production for a good, service or work – this possibility is discussed in section 3.3 below.
Standards and other
Performance-based or functional specifications
For example, if you want to maintain a certain temperature in an office building, you can do this by setting very detailed specifications for the heating system. It is also important to consider how you will include the exact terms of the offer in your contract clauses.
Specifying materials and
Specifying materials
To ensure compliance with the principle of non-discrimination enshrined in the Treaty, such restrictions should be based on an objective risk assessment. GPP labels and criteria are a useful point of reference as they are based on scientific information and a life cycle assessment of the materials and substances found in the covered products and services.
Production processes and methods
The European Commission includes a number of environmental requirements in its tenders for the supply of furniture, which cover the entire life cycle. Bidders must commit to complying with sustainability criteria for each stage of the furniture's life cycle.
Use of variants
Using GPP criteria and
Conditions for using labels
54 In Case C-368/10 Commission v Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Court of Justice appeared to take the view that technical specifications must always refer to the criteria underlying a label rather than the label alone, unless those criteria are defined in the legislation (paragraphs 67-70 of the judgment). As with labels, you should consider a technical file or other form of evidence if a tenderer does not have access to a test report or certificate within the relevant time limits for reasons beyond the tenderer's control.57.
Verifying
Labels can be used to verify compliance with additional environmental requirements in the manner described above. A test report or certificate from a conformity assessment body may be required where applicable, provided you accept certificates from corresponding conformity assessment bodies.
Introduction
In order to check whether companies can carry out the environmental management measures related to a contract, contracting authorities can ask them to demonstrate their technical ability to do so. Environmental management systems such as EMAS or ISO 14001 can serve as a (non-exclusive) proof of that technical capacity.
Exclusion criteria
The client must evaluate the measures taken and determine whether they are sufficient for the contractor's participation in the procedure, and state the reasons if he will exclude them.
Selection criteria
- Environmental technical capacity
- Environmental
- Supply chain
- Product samples, checks and conformity assessment
Environmental management systems are organisation-related instruments aimed at improving the overall environmental performance of the organization concerned. Suppliers were asked to provide data on the parts of the supply chain with the greatest carbon savings potential.
Means of proof
Evaluating groupings
You may award points during the award phase to recognize environmental performance above the minimum requirements set out in the specifications. Considering energy and water consumption, maintenance and disposal costs in your evaluation may indicate that the greener option is also the cheaper option over the full life cycle.
General rules for awarding a
Award criteria
It is not necessary that each individual award criterion gives the contracting authority a financial advantage.82 However, it is necessary that award criteria (as well as selection criteria, technical specifications and contract performance clauses) are linked to the subject of the contract. In the EVN Wienstrom case, an award criterion regarding the amount of electricity produced from renewable energy sources in excess of the contracting authority's expected consumption was rejected as it was not linked to the subject of the contract.
Formulating and
Award criteria must not confer an unrestricted freedom of choice
Award criteria should ensure the possibility of effective competition
Award criteria must be advertised in advance The procurement directives require that award criteria and
Applying
- Specifications or award criteria?
- Weighting approaches
- Using labels
- Using environmental management systems
- Using test reports and certificates
However, the Court also upheld the principle that labels can be used to define award criteria and to help assess performance. Labels that refer to the environmental characteristics of the product, work or service you buy can also be used to set up and assess award criteria.
Life-cycle
- LCC and environmental considerations
- Assessing external environmental costs
- Applying LCC
As well as financial costs borne directly by the contracting authority, you can also take into account environmental externalities – the costs to society of specific environmental impacts, such as those related to climate change or acidification of land or water. Lifespan – The frequency with which a product needs to be replaced will have a major impact on its cost, especially over a longer period of time.
Abnormally low tenders
Rules governing contract clauses
You may ask tenderers to commit to specific targets under each of these headings, which will be assessed against your award criteria and also form part of the final contract with the selected tenderer. Changes to contracts are permitted, among other things, if these are stipulated in the original tender documents in clear, precise and unambiguous review clauses which do not change the overall nature of the contract or the framework.
Contract
Contract
Monitoring contract
- Monitoring subcontractors
For works contracts and services performed at a facility under the direct supervision of a contracting authority, the main contractor must provide details of all subcontractors and keep this information up to date in the event of any changes.105.
Buildings
- GPP approach
The charter sets out ambitious conditions, including those relating to overall energy demand, site environmental protection, indoor air quality, accessibility, flexibility of use, use of renewable energy sources and waste and noise during construction. Include contractual clauses relating to the installation and commissioning of energy systems, waste and materials management and indoor air quality monitoring;.
Food and
- GPP approach
The city of Lens required 20% of the food supplied in school catering to be organic. A pilot purchase for the Djupadal School set a number of requirements, such as including organic products in the product range and delivering vehicles once a week, with the vehicles meeting the city's sustainability criteria for transport.
Road transport vehicles
- GPP approach
The Public Procurement Office in Slovenia has launched a tender for road transport vehicles, stating that all vehicles must meet the latest Euro emission standard or equivalent and must not exceed certain maximum CO2 emission levels. The latest Euro emission standards, environmental issues and innovation represented 8.6% of the total quality points awarded.
Energy-using products
- GPP approach
Directive 2014/23/EU on the award of concession contracts Concessions Directive (applicable to the public and utility sectors). Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment (RoHS).
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