NEWS

Sustainable procurement

Graphic green procurement1

Sustainable public procurement integrates social and environmental criteria into tenders for public contracts.

Social and ecological criteria can be taken into account at various points in invitations to tender for public contracts and especially in multi-stage award procedures. For example, the performance specification may contain minimum environmental requirements for the product or service or corresponding suitability and/or award criteria may be defined. Contracting authorities may, for example, require the submission of eco-labels as proof of the requirements stated in the performance specification.

Another possibility is to assess the total life cycle costs of the product or service for the award criterion of costs instead of using only the acquisition costs. The VgV already prescribes this calculation for Europe-wide tenders in § 67 VgV for supplies or services relevant to energy consumption. The calculation of the costs includes not only the acquisition costs, but also operating and disposal costs. Life cycle costs are often lower for environmentally friendly alternatives. The calculation method and the necessary information that the bidder must provide for the calculation must be specified in the tender documents.

The website of the Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement of the Procurement Office of the Federal Ministry of the Interior provides extensive information on the topic of sustainable procurement and on the nationwide rules and regulations in the individual federal states. In Hamburg, for example, the "Guide to Green Procurement of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg" has been bindingly applicable to the procurement of public institutions and facilities since 19.01.2016. The guideline was updated again in 2019 and contains a catalogue of criteria that defines ecological standards for goods to be procured. In addition, it contains a negative list of products that may not be purchased by contracting and procurement authorities.

The MuP Group is already taking sustainable factors into account in the development of a wide range of projects. Engineering for a better tomorrow!

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