European Commission, TAIEX/DG Environment Networking for responsible public procurement – the experience of EUROCITIES Dag Nordby, City of Oslo Chair EUROCITIES Working Group on Responsible Consumption Buying Green Training Seminar

What is EUROCITIES? Established in 1986, EUROCITIES is a network of 121 major cities in 32 European countries Membership of EUROCITIES is open to the elected governments of large European cities (> inhabitants) EUROCITIES activities: –Networking: Sharing and improving knowledge –Lobbying: Developing and influencing policies –Campaigning : Raising public awareness

Responsible procurement in EUROCITIES members Buying organic milk for school canteens or clean vehicles for the municipal fleet Developing a catalogue of environmental criteria for standard purchases of office equipment, stationery, cleaning products, lighting devices Using fair trade coffee, sweets and other products at receptions, traditional festivals, official presents from the city Matching unemployed people with the work to be done for public construction works or cleaning services for the local authority Combating black labour and child labour in suppliers companies Making sure public contracts are delivered under non-discriminatory conditions

Networking for Responsible Procurement in EUROCITIES Economic Development Forum –Working Group Responsible Consumption –CARPE Project Environment Forum –Working Group Greening the Local Economy Social Affairs Forum –BUILD-FOR-ALL project

Example: The CARPE Project: Cities As Responsible Purchasers in Europe CARPE Guide to Responsible Procurement - Reasons, procurement practices, legal framework - Detailed implementation avenues for 6 strategies - Organising responsible procurement - en-fr-es-de-sv CARPE Case Studies - 20 practice examples - Standardised presentation CARPE-Net web site

Why responsible procurement? Use the market power of public spending to make an impact Support social responsibility and environmental innovation in the private sector Make best value purchasing decisions Be a model consumer for your citizens

Why cities? Cities are active participants in the market and manage a large share of public purchasing (more than 50% of procurement expenditure spent at subcentral levels of goverment!) Cities are more flexible Cities are willing to pioneer Cities are the level of government closest to the individual citizens Concerted demand for responsible products and services can have a significant impact on the market and send strong signals to the public

Multiple layers of networking Networking with other cities - Exchange between peers (following slides) Networking locally on implementation of responsible purchasing policies - Cooperation required across municipal departments - Responsible procurement as vehicle for initiating/improving cooperation Networking with technical experts on responsible standards and correct procedures - Researchers - NGOs - Legal experts Networking with suppliers - Ensuring availability

The importance of networking I Networking is a crucial success factor for current achievements. As pioneers of responsible procurement, cities rely/ied extensively on mutual support: –Exchange of technical expertise on procedures and criteria. –Learning from each others experiences –Learning from doing things differently –Joint testing of solutions in pilot projects –Identification of common success factors (prioritisation, clear objectives, transparent procedures)

The importance of networking II Networking increases the impact of responsible procurement. Concentrating efforts from cities across Europe in common initiatives can boost responsible consumption. Continued exchange between experts can help to identify further opportunities for responsible procurement. Speaking with a common voice increases ability to effectively lobby policy-makers

The importance of networking III Networking helps to meet the challenges of responsible procurement. Raising a citys profile on responsible procurement on a European level can help build political support at home (defend higher initial costs and long-term/non-financial benefits) Joint market research and exchange with suppliers helps to ensure the market can supply according to innovative standards Cooperation provides resources & expertise to develop further tools for monitoring/evaluating costs & benefits (e.g. in projects co-funded by the European Commission)

Thank you for your attention! Contacts: Working Group Responsible Consumption Dag Nordby EUROCITIES Secretariat Silke Moschitz