Building a Sustainable Society: Construction, Public Procurement Policy and ‘Best Practice’ in the European Union
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Competing Theoretical Perspectives on Sustainability and Sustainable Development
3. Methodology and Data
4. The Ambitions of Sustainable Public Procurement Expressed in the EU Policies
… major consumers in Europe, spending approximately 2 trillion Euros annually, equivalent to approximately 19% of the EU’s gross domestic product. By using their purchasing power to choose goods and services with lower impacts on the environment, they can make an important contribution to sustainable consumption and production.[76] (p. 1)
Public buyers are major investors in Europe, spending 14% of the EU’s gross domestic product. By using their purchasing power to opt for goods and services that deliver positive social outcomes, they can make a major contribution to sustainable development. Increasingly, the need to address all three pillars of sustainability (social, environmental and economic) in procurement is recognised by both the public and private sectors.[80] (p. 4)
SRPP can contribute to developing a market in socially beneficial products by expanding existing markets or creating new markets for goods and services that support achievement of social objectives and serve as a model for other consumers by offering them standards and information. Indeed, social public procurement can help create a level playing field in Europe and economies of scale. Market innovation can be stimulated, as can competition at European level, through for example, purchasing information technologies that are accessible for persons with disabilities, which will bring better and more affordable such products onto the market.[81] (p. 9)
5. Problematizations of Unsustainable Public Procurement
5.1. Unsustainability as a Result of Technical Design Flaws
Public procurers may face difficulties in finding suppliers willing to develop innovative NBS solutions when contract values are low. Where possible, grouping several small contracts together in a single call for tender, or where possible allowing suppliers to enter a framework agreement for NBS solutions, may provide suppliers with an incentive to better engage with procurers on such projects. Inter-city collaboration may be valuable here: joint procurement of NBS projects may increase contract value and give suppliers an incentive to participate in a call for tenders.[82] (p. 43)
Tenderers were able to present different solutions for achieving this goal. Certain minimum requirements, for example on energy and water efficiency, were also included in the specification. Additional points were awarded for even better performance during the award stage. The winning bidder installed solar panels and wind turbines, producing a total of 35,000 kWh over the first ten months of the contract.[83] (p. 34)
Socially responsible public procurement (SRPP) is about setting an example and influencing the marketplace. By promoting SRPP, public authorities can give companies real incentives to develop socially responsible management. By purchasing wisely, public authorities can promote employment opportunities, decent work, social inclusion, accessibility, design for all, ethical trade, and seek to achieve wider compliance with social standards. For some products, works and services, the impact can be particularly significant, as public purchasers command a large share of the market (e.g., in construction, business services, IT and so on).[80] (p. 4)
The criteria are divided into selection criteria, technical specifications, award criteria and contract performance clauses. For each set of criteria there is a choice between two ambition levels:
The Core criteria are designed to allow easy application of GPP, focusing [sic!] on the key area(s) of environmental performance of a product and aimed at keeping administrative costs for companies to a minimum. The Comprehensive criteria take into account more aspects or higher levels of environmental performance, for use by authorities that want to go further in supporting environmental and innovation goals. [78] (p. 1)
… take into account one or more of the following social considerations: employment opportunities, decent work, compliance with social and labor rights, social inclusion (including persons with disabilities), equal opportunities, accessibility design for all, taking account of sustainability criteria, including ethical trade issues.[81] (p. 7)
LCC is a technique that ‘enables comparative cost assessments to be made over a specified period of time, taking into account all relevant economic factors both in terms of initial capital costs and future operational and asset replacement cost.[75] (p. 7)
… you may also take into account environmental externalities—the costs for society of specific environmental impacts, such as those linked to climate change or acidification of soil or water.[83] (p. 59)
GPP policy should be aligned with any existing policies and strategies relating to procurement and the sustainable operation of the organisation. The input of internal users, suppliers and management is normally needed to ensure the policy can be implemented.[83] (p. 10)
Capacity-building could involve training programmes for executives, managers and staff. It might also involve sharing good practice, making available the skills to implement SRPP, including SRPP skills in candidates’ selection criteria, and making information on SRPP initiatives available at EU and/or government level. The staff making the purchases should be given the legal, financial and social knowledge they need to decide to what extent and where social factors can or can best be introduced in the procurement procedure, whether they are set at the right level to get best value for money, and whether they match the social priorities of the contracting authority issues’.[81] (p. 4)
Many of the issues faced in implementing GPP were common to all public authorities, and there is a lot to be gained by engaging in networking and cooperation activities with others. Sharing information for example, on the environmental criteria used in tendering or the market availability of green products can help save time and effort.[83] (p. 19).
5.2. Unsustainability as Unjust Politics
Many urban communities suffer from lack of trust in public authorities’ commitment to deliver infrastructure improvement projects, leading to consultation fatigue and a lack of engagement. In order to gain trust and increase the community’s willingness to engage in NBS project, it can be valuable to focus on delivering quick wins that demonstrate the city’s commitment to act. Procuring pilot projects can be a good tool to liaise with the community and show that their feedback is valued and acted upon before moving on to large scale co-designed processes.[82] (p. 44)
A crucial step before starting the procurement process is to assess your actual needs in light of the potential environmental impact of the contract. Proper consultation with internal or end users may reveal that lower volumes … can readily be applied. In some cases, the best solution may be to buy nothing at all.[83] (p. 29)
5.3. Effects
6. Concluding Discussion
Author Contributions
Funding
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Title | Year | Published by | Short Description |
---|---|---|---|
Buying for social impact: good practice from around the EU. | 2019 | The European Commission | Good practice exemplars |
Buying green! A handbook on green public procurement. | 2016 | The European Commission | Guiding document |
Buying social: A guide to taking account of social considerations in public procurement. | 2011 | The European Commission | Guiding document |
GPP Green public procurement: A collection of good practices. | 2012 | The European Commission | Good practice exemplars |
Green public procurement and the EU action plan for the circular economy. | 2017 | The European Parliament | Assessment Guiding document |
Green public procurement criteria for office building design, construction and management. (a) | 2016 | The European Commission | Guiding document |
Green public procurement criteria for office building design, construction and management. (b) | 2016 | The European Commission | Criteria |
Making socially responsible public procurement work: 71 good practice cases. | 2020 | The European Commission | Good practice exemplars |
Public procurement of Nature-Based Solutions: Addressing barriers to the procurement of urban NBS: case studies and recommendations. | 2020 | The European Commission | Case studies Guiding document |
Revision of green public procurement criteria for road design, construction and maintenance. (a) | 2016 | The European Commission | Guiding document |
Revision of green public procurement criteria for road design, construction and maintenance. (b) | 2016 | The European Commission | Criteria |
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Olsson, D.; Öjehag-Pettersson, A.; Granberg, M. Building a Sustainable Society: Construction, Public Procurement Policy and ‘Best Practice’ in the European Union. Sustainability 2021, 13, 7142. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137142
Olsson D, Öjehag-Pettersson A, Granberg M. Building a Sustainable Society: Construction, Public Procurement Policy and ‘Best Practice’ in the European Union. Sustainability. 2021; 13(13):7142. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137142
Chicago/Turabian StyleOlsson, David, Andreas Öjehag-Pettersson, and Mikael Granberg. 2021. "Building a Sustainable Society: Construction, Public Procurement Policy and ‘Best Practice’ in the European Union" Sustainability 13, no. 13: 7142. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137142