Sustainable procurement

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

Social and ecological criteria can be taken into account at various points in tenders for public contracts and in particular in multi-stage award procedures. For example, the specifications can contain minimum environmental requirements for the product or service or corresponding suitability and/or award criteria can be defined. Contracting authorities may, for example, require the submission of environmental quality labels as proof of the requirements specified in the specifications.

Another option is to assess the total life cycle costs of the product or service instead of just the acquisition costs for the award criterion of costs. The VgV already stipulates this calculation for Europe-wide tenders in Section 67 VgV for energy-related supplies or services. The calculation of the costs includes not only the acquisition costs, but also the operating and disposal costs. The 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, which is currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, provides extensive information on the topic of sustainable procurement and the nationwide rules and regulations in the individual federal states. In Hamburg, for example, the "Guidelines for Environmentally Sound Procurement of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg" have been binding for the procurement of public institutions and facilities since 19 January 2016. The guideline was updated again in 2019 and contains a catalogue of criteria that defines ecological standards for goods to be procured. It also contains a negative list of products that may not be purchased by contracting and procurement authorities.

In other countries, such as Denmark, "sustainability" is now taken into account as a factor relevant to the award of most tenders.

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