Barcelona Provincial Council (Diputació de Barcelona) is a local entity which works for the interests of the 311 individual municipalities in the province and for the regional government as a whole, covering more than 5 million inhabitants. Green public procurement has been integrated into policies and operational systems through the ‘Resource Optimisation Programme’ and the Catalan Network of Cities and Towns.
 | 5m Population |
 | 2004 Date joined |
 | 311 Municipalites |
Barcelona Provincial Council´s internal “Resources Optimisation Programme” sets two priorities: to minimise the environmental impact of the maintenance of public property and promote sustainability in the offices. This is encouraged by reducing paper consumption, increasing non-paper/digital communications and introducing green criteria into procurement processes. As a result, several buildings and departments are EMAS and ISO 14001 certified.
DEPARTMENTAL COOPERATION FOR SPPThe “Resources Optimisation Programme” has enabled increased cooperation between the Environment Area and the Logistics Department - the latter being responsible for most of the purchases and contracts as well as for building renovation. Now all new contracts for cleaning services of Council buildings incorporate sustainability criteria, as do contracts for multifunction imaging equipment, and purchase or leasing of vehicles.
Barcelona Provincial Council promotes SPP among the municipalities of the Network of Towns and Cities for Sustainability through working groups which provide information, tools and training, and collaboration frameworks to exchange about GPP/SPP. Activities include:
A survey on the current state of SPP within municipalities in order to assess their needs
A series of conferences and seminars explaining the legal framework and possibilities of introducing sustainable criteria into tenders
A Resources Guide on Sustainable Public Procurement
“Mentoring” between administrations with more experience and administrations less knowledgeable on certain GPP topics.
More than 60 municipalities have participated in these groups over the last decade. The Council also takes part in other inter-organisational groups such as the Working Group on Socially Responsible Procurement in which Barcelona City Council is also an active member.
KEEPING TRACK OF SPPIn 2013 an internal diagnosis of the Buy Recycled Network was conducted to identify strengths and weaknesses. A plan for future actions to improve the Network was created and an internal process of redesigning the network undertaken to extend its reach and provide it with new tools.
For further information on the activities of Barcelona Provincial Council visit their website:
or email procurement@iclei.org
SPP REGIONS