Procura+ Case Studies showcase replicable sustainable and innovation procurement approaches and strategies by our participants.
The case studies range from examples of procurement in action to procurement policies and programmes.
Combining procurement models for green and healthy buildings
The South Moravian Region identified the need to build a new sanitarium for children with respiratory diseases. The intention was to give the market the opportunity to show the best they can offer to make the building as aesthetic, user-friendly, and energy-efficient as possible. To test clarity and feasibility of the planned procedure, the project was introduced to the market using preliminary market consultation. This was the Procura+ Award honourable mention in 2021 Sustainable Procurement of the Year.
InDemand, a new demand-driven co-creation model that helps to procure innovation in public organizations
The European project inDemand brought together procurers from 3 European regions (Murcia, Paris and Oulu) to test a new co-creation model - inDemand - which is presented as being leaner, faster and requiring less organisational resources and overheads through pre-commercial procurement (PCP), and is therefore more suited to rapidly changing technologies, like digital solutions. So far, 22 innovation projects have tested the model, including one led by the Murcian Health Service (SMS) called EPICO (which stands for Epilepsy Communication Channel). This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2021 for Outstanding Innovation Procurement in ICT.
Supplying seasonal and diverse organic fruit and vegetables
The City of Copenhagen is dedicated to ensuring its food and catering service is healthy, sustainable and appetising. The City has a target to supply 90% organic food across its 900 municipal canteens. In 2014 the municipality ensured that bids for fruit and vegetable contracts would include a variety of different sorts, varieties and types. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2016 for Sustainable Procurement of the Year.
Innovative lighting procurement for London’s Underground network
In 2015, Transport for London (TfL) sought to reduce the whole life-cycle cost of lighting the London Underground network. The procurement calculated external costs including installation, maintenance, energy use, carbon and cleaning costs. Indicative results suggest a 25% saving on whole life-cycle costs, and significant reductions in energy consumption. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2016 for Innovation Procurement of the Year.
Sustainable Reconstruction of the Motorway A6
Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) procured works and services to widen the A6 motorway, aiming for the motorway to be energy neutral after construction. RWS developed instruments to calculate the CO2 emissions, then selected a tender using a combination of price and quality according to the economically most advantageous submission. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2016 for Tender Procedure of the Year.
Improving the air in Catalonia through clean vehicle procurement
The Catalan Government has multi-pronged approach to encouraging SPP of vehicles, including: provision of Green Vehicle Procurement Guide, development of specific government agreements to encourage procurement of low emission vehicles, supporting the Catalan Ecolabel, and promoting sustainable mobility. Aligning policies across governmental levels sends clear signal to the market, which is able and ready to deliver more sustainable options.
Developing a monitoring system for GPP
The Metropolitan City of Rome Capital has been monitoring GPP since 2009, and in 2016, it introduced a new monitoring system linked to the public procurement electronic information system. This innovative, digital system makes it possible to require departments to attach relevant environmental criteria to procurement procedures.
Creating guidance and templates for market engagement
In 2016 Cornwall Council launched a project which focused on improving knowledge of and confidence around using market engagement techniques throughout the commissioning and procurement cycle. As a result, procurers and suppliers alike have been supported to participate in engagement, and activities are better targeted and more proportionate to the potential value to be gained.
+Sustainable City Council Programme
Barcelona City Council has been implementing SPP for almost two decades, and in 2006 it launched the +SCC programme which introduced firm purchasing commitments which are applicable to all council departments. Participatory processes have been central to the development of the +SCC Programme, and were used to develop strategic goals and define compulsory criteria for 12 high priority procurement categories.
Promoting responsible purchasing through policy
Nantes Metropolitan Area has been implementing Responsible Public Procurement (RPP) since 2001, and in 2017 it initiated the Responsible Purchasing Promotion Scheme (SPAR) to guide further action across a range of areas, including the Circular Economy, energy transition, environmental pollution and organic food. The result is a framework of feasible, measurable actions, which are monitored and adjusted as required.
Monitoring progress towards SPP in Flanders
The Government of Flanders has a target to achieve 100% sustainable public procurement by 2020. In order to track its progress towards this target, the Environment, Nature & Energy Department has developed a system for monitoring SPP, which it has integrated into existing accounting systems. Data can now be collected easily, in a format which generates useful, comparable results, and which can be used to guide future improvements.
Procurement of textiles from recycled fibres
In its procurement of towels and overalls, the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (MODNL) followed a circular policy and explored requirements around recycled fibres. The winning bids creating estimated savings of 233,000,000 litres of water, 69,000 kg CO2 and 23 MJ of energy. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2017 for Innovation Procurement of the Year.
Reuse and remanufacture of office furnishings
When Public Health Wales (PHW) moved offices in 2016, it wanted the successful bidder to use as much of its existing office equipment, furniture and flooring as possible, as well as supplying remanufactured goods from other sources. The winning consortium of social enterprises supplied over 2,500 items, with only 6% from new stock. The circular approach diverted 41 tonnes of waste from landfill with a CO2 saving of 134 tonnes. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2017 for Tender Procedure of the Year.
Sustainable textiles for the fire service
The Institute for Safety worked with 19 fire service regions in the Netherlands to engage suppliers and encourage sustainable solutions to their textile needs. By purchasing clothing made from organic cotton and polyester from recycled fibres , they saved 134 tonnes of CO2 and prevented 262 tonnes of toxic additives and pesticides in one year alone of a 6-8 year contract. This was the Procura+ Award 2017 runner-up in the category Sustainable Procurement of the Year.
Encouraging sustainable choices through an office supply framework
Flanders has set a target that at least 50% of products purchased in its latest office supply framework are sustainable.To achieve this, it used a mix of technical specifications and award criteria to encourage the inclusion of sustainable stationery products in the product inventory. In addition, it used contract performance clauses to ensure that the contractor works with users of the framework to ensure that the amount of sustainable products they are choosing is increasing over the lifetime of the contract.
Procuring the first Nordic Swan ecolabelled pre-school in Finland
In 2015, Hyvinkää Municipality set an ambition to procure the first ecolabelled pre-school in Finland. By building a pre-school to the standards necessary to achieve the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Hyvinkää was able to promote a range of sustainability considerations, including promoting energy use and using sustainable building materials and methods. The winning bidder not only built the school, but also managed the ecolabel verification process, which the school successfully achieved in August 2017. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2017 for Sustainable Procurement of the Year.
Working with suppliers to achieve social opportunities
Since 2009, TfL has worked in partnership with suppliers to provide opportunities to people from a range of backgrounds, while also ensuring the deliverability of its future business plan. This approach has been reinforced by the Greater London Authority's Responsible Procurement Policy (2017). By inserting Stategic Labour Needs and Training (SLNT) into contracts, and working with other third sector organisations, TfL has successfully increased the routes into supply chain employment, helping to create 5,400 supply chain apprenticeship starts and over 5,000 workless job starts.
Procuring energy saving building technologies for residential buildings
ATC Torino is a public agency which provides social housing, and since 1996, ATC has been improving the environmental and energy performance of its properties with the dual benefit of decreasing energy costs and increasing the comfort of its homes for residents. In conjunction with the PAPIRUS project, ATC conducted a PPI process to procure technical solutions which improve energy performance. The contract was awarded on the basis of the most economically advantageous tender, weighted according to energy efficiency, sustainability, installation and maintenance and economic criteria.
The Viennese Database for Disinfectants (WIDES)
In order to help procurers to identify disinfectants with low impact on health and environment, the City of Vienna set up the Viennese Database for Disinfectants (WIDES). WIDES ranks and scores products across a number of hazard categories, and all departments are required to use it for purchasing. It significantly contributes to transparency on the disinfectant market, and its impact is reflected in rising purchases of disinfectants with low risk potential, and influencing producers to use low impact ingredients.
