Public Procurement boosts Energy Efficiency - isprambiente · 1.3 Target Groups and Key Actors The main target group and final beneficiaries for the project were European local authorities,

Public Procurement boosts Energy Efficiency

FINAL REPORT

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The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Communities. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained herein. Project Coordinator: Climate Alliance – European Secretariat, Galvanistr. 28, 60486 Frankfurt am Main, GERMANY Partners: Climate Alliance Austria (AT), Upper Austrian Academy for the Environment (AT), Alleanza per il Clima onlus (IT), European Partners for the Environment (EU), Ecoinstitut Barcelona (ES), ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability (EU), National Institute for Engineering, Technology and Innovation (PT), Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (GR) And the cities of: Cascais (PT), Ferrara (IT), Frankfurt am Main (DE), Mainz (DE), Amaroussion (GR), Munich (DE), Murcia (ES), Torres Vedras (PT), San Sebastián (ES)

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Table of content

Project Summary ___________________________________________________ 4 1 pro-EE – Public Procurement Boosts Energy Efficiency ____________________ 5

1.1 Introduction ___________________________________________________ 5 1.2 Project Objectives ______________________________________________ 5 1.3 Target Groups and Key Actors ____________________________________ 6 1.4 Project Structure _______________________________________________ 6 1.5 pro-EE Partners _______________________________________________ 7 1.6 Main Results Achieved __________________________________________ 8

2 Boosting Innovation ________________________________________________ 9 2.1 Summary _____________________________________________________ 9 2.2 Framework Conditions for Innovative Procurement ___________________ 10 2.3 Main Results _________________________________________________ 11

2.3.1 Guidelines for pro-EE Product Groups __________________________ 12 2.4 Main Lessons Learned _________________________________________ 20

3 Joint Public Procurement ___________________________________________ 23 3.1 Summary ____________________________________________________ 23 3.2 Models for Joint Public Procurement_______________________________ 24 3.3 Main Results _________________________________________________ 24

3.3.1 Joint Criteria for Green Public Procurement ______________________ 24 3.3.2 Green Criteria – Example of the Region of Upper Austria ___________ 25 3.3.3 Cross-Border Joint Public Procurement _________________________ 25

3.4 Main Results _________________________________________________ 27 3.4 Main Lessons Learned _________________________________________ 36

4 Integration in Local Energy Efficiency Action Plans _______________________ 38 4.1 Summary ____________________________________________________ 38 4.2 Main Results _________________________________________________ 38 4.3 Main Lessons Learned _________________________________________ 43 4.4 Overview of pro-EE’s Practicable Tools ____________________________ 43

5 Pilot Training Sessions in Sustainable Public Procurement_________________ 45 5.1 Summary ____________________________________________________ 45 5.2 Main Results _________________________________________________ 46 5.3 Main Lessons Learned _________________________________________ 49

6 Dissemination and Information ______________________________________ 51 6.1 Dissemination at the Local, Regional, National and EU Levels ___________ 51 6.2 Lessons Learned _____________________________________________ 52 6.3 pro-EE Dissemination Materials __________________________________ 54

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Project Summary The pro-EE project aimed to improve energy efficiency through sustainable public procurement. To this end, pro-EE brought together producers and consumers, implemented energy-efficient green public procurement (GPP) procedures in local administrations, and organised training sessions for municipalities’ procurement staff. At the same time, five pilot cities set up integrated energy efficiency action plans, which included the involvement of stakeholders and awareness-raising campaigns for citizens. pro-EE identified tools to support sustainable public procurement: procurement schemes, joint public procurement (JPP), training for municipal workers, and to embed sustainable procurement in local energy efficiency plans. pro-EE results emphasised that involving different stakeholders was essential to the success of strategic sustainable public procurement (SPP) approaches. Contacts to business and industries at an early stage proved decisive for the identification of innovative products and were required for the formulation of energy efficiency criteria in the public tenders. Platforms where purchasers had the opportunity to exchange information between themselves and with producers proved particularly helpful. pro-EE experience shows that in some cases, regular public procurement might not be the optimal solution to push innovation. Different problems have to be addressed (procurers not adequately guaranteed in case of possible technology failures, difficulties in formulating the technical means, or in deciding which of several possible solutions would be most satisfactory, etc.). Alternative procurement procedures could be preferable e.g. competitive dialogue, pre-commercial procurement, forward commitment procurement, design contest, etc. At the same time, it turned out that the organisation of joint procurement tenders faced legal and organisational restrictions (e.g. the German and Greek cases). pro-EE experience demonstrated that joint procurement was more efficient for small municipalities and worked well where regions/districts open their tenders to municipalities (like in Upper Austria), and where established procurement agencies or platforms “green” their tenders (as with CONSIP in Italy). Practical experience illustrates that SPP action plans can only deliver if they are backed by high-level political commitment and succeed in building capacities for SPP among procurers. The real question is neither what has to be done nor how to do it, but rather how to put those who want to act in a position to be able to do so. Therefore, the involvement of local decision-makers in training sessions is an absolute must. Sensitisation must repeatedly be complemented with a strong political stand within the administration. After a declaration in favour of GPP in the city/town council, a constant and explicit stance in favour of ecological purchasing must be adopted. Overall, energy-efficient procurement must be embedded in the activities of the public body in the field of sustainable energy and linked to other activities and projects. To introduce it as an isolated issue drastically reduces the impact of activities. This means creating awareness that virtually all departments and institutional activities have an impact on the local government’s consumption of energy and the emission of greenhouse gases, and establishing synergies with other ongoing projects and activities, notably within the scope of the Covenant of Mayors.

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1 pro-EE – Public Procurement Boosts Energy Efficiency

1.1 Introduction Communities all over the world are facing the dramatic consequences of the excessive use of natural resources and climate change. Unsustainable consumption practices lie at the heart of these problems. Sustainable procurement – spending public money responsibly on products and services that foster sustainable development – must therefore be a priority. Sustainable procurement means thinking carefully about what to buy: buying only what is really needed, purchasing products and services with high environmental performance, and considering the social and economic impacts of procurement. Public procurement – and the way procurement processes are shaped and priorities set in purchasing decisions – provide local authorities with significant opportunity to improve their overall energy consumption performance and reduce CO2 emissions. Energy-efficient public procurement allows for improvements in energy efficiency by setting it as a relevant criterion in the tender and decision-making processes relating to goods, services and works. It applies to the procurement of energy-consuming equipment, such as heating systems, vehicles and electrical equipment, as well as to the direct purchase of energy, e.g. in the form of electricity. Increasing energy efficiency correlates closely with the development of new technologies. Any new product being introduced onto the market needs to quickly increase demand to achieve a return on developmental costs and realise economies of scale. By developing future-oriented procurement strategies that include new solutions, which address the challenges of limited resources and climate change, the public sector can have a significant impact on the mid to long-term efficiency and effectiveness of public services, and on the innovation performance and competitiveness of European industry. The combined purchasing power of public authorities working together can effectively create demand and lend new, energy-efficient products like electric cars and LED lighting the helping hand they need to successfully break into the market.

1.2 Project Objectives The pro-EE project aimed to boost energy efficiency through sustainable public procurement. For this purpose, it strived to bring suppliers and consumers together, to develop innovative procedures for public authorities, and to implement them in pilot cities. The project set up a partnership between market actors in six European countries to develop innovative approaches for public authorities, and to subsequently influence the supplier side of energy-efficient products and services. The project outcomes were delivered in a form that ensured transferability to other countries. Specific pro-EE objectives were to:

• Bring producers/suppliers and consumers together to boost innovation and improve the commercialisation of energy-efficient products. Public procurement is to provide a “lead market”.

• Develop an innovative approach to joining forces with consumers to boost energy-efficient technologies and appliances.

• Test these innovative approaches in practice, and integrate them into local policies and procedures.

• Transfer first-hand experience to other local authorities. • Promote the application and implementation of these approaches widely by providing

guidance, recommendations and best practices.

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1.3 Target Groups and Key Actors The main target group and final beneficiaries for the project were European local authorities, ranging from big cities to small towns. Within the local authorities, the project specifically targeted decision-makers and officials as well as technical staff in charge of public procurement. pro-EE had the following target groups:

• Policy unit, environmental department, finance/accounting departments and those responsible for EMS, etc.

• Local administration specialists in charge of the acquisition of property and supplies; central procurement departments, other procurement departments.

• Environmental technology companies (mainly, but not only SMEs), suppliers for the town council and citizens (within the energy actions plans).

A number of European local authorities were involved in the project directly as partners and mentor cities. Additional public authorities were involved via information campaigns using the information channels of ICLEI, Climate Alliance and the regional focal points in particular. Regional workshops provided network participants with the opportunity to gather the latest information on practical issues, and to exchange on their experiences with sustainable purchasing. Furthermore, they served to prepare common action, and to analyse particular framework conditions, such as development of the European legislation. A second local project target group comprised local decision-makers and officers as well as technical staff, local stakeholders and citizens, who were either directly in charge of local climate policy or responsible for the main fields of action, namely energy and transport. Further key groups were the suppliers providing expertise on energy-efficient products. Technical working groups for different product groups were also set up. Finally, citizens were informed about the project activities within the campaign to develop local energy plans.

1.4 Project Structure The pro-EE project aimed to boost energy efficiency through sustainable public procurement. To this end, it brought suppliers and consumers together, developed innovative procedures for public authorities and implemented them in pilot cities. Activities were divided accordingly, pro-EE:

• Brought producers/suppliers and consumers together to boost innovation and to improve the commercialisation of energy-efficient products (WP2: Innovation).

• Developed an innovative approach to joining forces with consumers to boost energy-efficient technologies and appliances (WP3: Public Procurement).

• Tested these innovative approaches in practice, and integrated them into local policies and procedures (WP4: Implementation and Integration).

• Transferred first-hand experience to other local authorities (WP5: Pilot Training). • Promoted the application and implementation of these approaches widely by providing

guidance, recommendations and best practices (WP6: Communication and Dissemination).

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1.5 pro-EE Partners The project consortium consisted of experienced partners, who contributed to the development of such an innovative approach with their specific knowledge and contacts. Climate Alliance’s European Secretariat acted as Project Coordinator. It was in charge of all tasks associated with management of the project, of leading communication and dissemination activities, and of contributing to common dissemination activities. Climate Alliance and ICLEI committed to sustainable development. Representing around 1,500 and 160 local authorities in Europe respectively, the two city networks specialise in the fields of energy efficiency and procurement and afford extensive experience in organising experience exchanges between local authorities, training and the dissemination of results. ICLEI also acted as an experience provider with its Procura+ campaign and other (European) projects on sustainable procurement (such as Buying Green!, LEAP, EU GPP Toolkit), as a promoter to potential pupil cities, and as disseminator of results on a European scale. European Partners for the Environment (EPE) for the buyers' side, and EUCETSA as sub-contractor for the producer/supplier side, were the two expert organisations for the issues relevant to this project: their input fostered a rapid start into joint procurement for the cities. A market survey was first provided in which potential was highlighted based on feedback received from the local authorities about their priority products to initiate a targeted stakeholder dialogue on these products. Regional Focal Points in the six countries covered by the pro-EE project acted as experts on sustainable public procurement/energy efficiency and as coordinators of the regional pro-EE networks. They invited additional local authorities to join as pupil cities, translate, produce and disseminate results, and offered training according to the elaborated programme to other cities and municipalities. The following acted as the Regional Focal Points: Portugal: National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI/LNEG) Spain: Ecoinstitut Barcelona Italy: Climate Alliance Italy Greece: Centre for Renewable Energy Sources (CRES) Austria: Upper Austrian Academy for Environment and Nature Germany: Climate Alliance/European Secretariat In Spain, Portugal and Greece, the Regional Focal Points also acted as direct contacts for the five cities developing an integrated energy efficiency plan. Climate Alliance Italy led the work package for the local energy efficiency plans. In Upper Austria, the regional administration acted as mentor, setting up a joint procurement scheme. In Germany, the cities of Frankfurt, Mainz and Munich acted as mentor cities. In Spain, the agglomeration of Murcia and the city of San Sebastián, in Italy the city of Ferrara, in Portugal, the cities of Torres Vedras and Cascais, and in Greece the city of Amaroussion also acted as mentors. The five pro-EE Pilot Cities were Amaroussion (GR), Murcia and San Sebastián (ES), Cascais and Torres Vedras (PT). In addition to their leading role in energy-efficient procurement activities, they developed integrated local energy efficiency plans with the central aim of involving local actors, e.g. by promoting the environmental criteria applied by the city to local businesses, and raising awareness for energy efficiency among citizens. pro-EE deliberately focussed on two groups of countries (Germany and Austria on the one hand, and the Southern European countries of Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece on the other) in order to consider different backgrounds.

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1.6 Main Results Achieved The main results achieved by pro-EE were: Management • Project set-up and organisation of seven project meetings during the implementation period; • Provision of management tools to facilitate quality control and follow up on the activities of the

individual work packages and partners; • Establishment of an internal project structure to ensure proper workflow, cooperation among

partners, and smooth communication (through meetings, intranet, emails, telephone, etc.). Innovation • Establishment of technical working groups with representatives from industries/suppliers,

networks, cities and organisations addressing energy efficiency; • Production of background papers and technical guidelines on electrical street lighting

equipment, LED road signs, electrical appliances, energy-efficient vehicle fleets; LED street lighting equipments and pedelecs;

• Creation of a network for contacts with industries/suppliers of innovative products at the national, regional and local levels.

Joint procurement of energy-efficient products • Establishment of local procurement networks in all countries (network meetings, mailings,

etc.); • Establishment of energy-efficiency criteria for innovative products; • Implementation of tenders on innovative products (e.g. e-cars, LED); • Production of a multilingual manual on energy-efficient public procurement (in six languages). Integration into local energy efficiency plans • Production of a starter package and tools for the five pilot cities (“Climate City Toolbox”); • Delivery of “Climate Scans” and internal action plans for the five pilot cities; • Production of energy action plans and information campaigns for stakeholders in the pilot

cities. Pilot training • Delivery of training programmes for purchasers in local authorities on sustainable public

procurement; • Delivery of pilot training courses in eight countries; • Delivery of an evaluation paper for the training programme and recommendations. Dissemination and communication • Cooperative design and homepage with internal area; • Extensive press coverage and presentation in several conferences; • Final information leaflet in seven national versions; • Public purchasers informed of the results at a national level (in the NAP-process, in journals,

during seminars, network meetings, platforms, etc.); • Final conference with 200 participants (most of them purchasers). Common dissemination activities • Presentation of pro-EE in the EACI’s workshop during EUSEW (2008) and at EEDAL Berlin

(2009), as well as during the CA ESD meeting in Lisbon (2010).

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2 Boosting Innovation

2.1 Summary The main aim of pro-EE was to boost innovation and improve the commercialisation of energy-efficient products relevant to public authorities. Public procurement was meant to provide a ‘lead market’, whereby the focus was on the following product groups:

• Cleaner, smarter and more energy-efficient vehicles and street lighting, traffic lights and electric street equipment

• Other electrical appliances relevant to public authorities • LED lighting • Pedelecs

The activities aimed to adopt an ‘agenda for action’ related to new forms of cooperation to encourage energy-efficient purchasing and to foster innovation through dialogue between vendors and buyers (market consultation) prior to the launch of a tender procedure, and between buyers and the financial community to facilitate the appropriate financing for energy efficiency investments. WP tasks included producing four background papers addressing each of the product groups mentioned above. The background papers gave an overview of the state of the art and technical possibilities in addition to the related costs for the different product groups. In addition, two working groups were set up during two technical workshops organised in Brussels. Each working group considered one of the following points:

1. Electric street equipment and other electrical appliances relevant to municipal administrations, and the fuel efficiency of cars and vehicle fleets;

2. Financial mechanisms to support “innovative non-proven technologies”. The working groups’ dynamics unfolded as follows:

• Bringing together of representatives for networks and organisations (vendors and buyers) addressing energy efficiency and relevant financial mechanisms;

• Discussions about the state of the art, technical criteria and related costs for different innovative product groups;

• Discussions with industries (vendors) and local authority purchasers (buyers) about lists and information on products (especially environmental performance);

• Discussions regarding the format of the final guidelines for the selected products; • Review of innovative solutions e.g. joint procurement schemes (pooling purchases); • Exploration of existing systems and review of decision-making purchase processes:

effectiveness of ‘best practice’ dissemination, e.g. via networks; • Evaluation of innovative options in context of legislation (e.g. EuP Directive, Energy

Services Directive), and voluntary labelling schemes. Four tools were addressed during the multi-stakeholders workshops, which involved technical experts, technology suppliers, and institutional buyers (procurement agencies and companies purchasing services):

1. Market consultation as an exchange of information with stakeholders, initiated to test or elicit new ideas. It is a market search and a technical dialogue with potential suppliers before drawing technical specifications. It provides an opportunity to indicate interest in products with specific properties. Provided it is conducted carefully, a consultation of this kind can be fully compliant with the EU directives.

2. A ‘construction team approach’ involving the market in the design phase to make innovative solutions more likely. (It is already widely used in the construction sector.) It also falls within the tendering rules.

3. A ‘product group alert’ system to periodically review a market for a given product or product groups.

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4. A public-private financial initiative to encourage buyers to go for innovative technologies

by providing access to financing tools of “innovative non-proven technologies”. Four sets of final guidelines (one for each product category) were produced to include a detailed account of the working groups’ key findings including the state of the art of the technologies, and practical policy and industry recommendations targeting buyers i.e. regulators at the local, regional and EU levels, and vendors i.e. business enterprises. They also highlighted some technical criteria for the most efficient selected products.

2.2 Framework Conditions for Innovative Procurement

Benefitting from innovative public procurement Public authorities can benefit in various ways from using procurement to promote innovation. Innovative procurement can contribute to general policy objectives by enhancing the effectiveness of industry. It can lead to substantial cost savings as well as to improved public service. Through innovative procurement, a municipality or city can also close the gap between a declared policy and its actual behaviour in the market, thus increasing its credibility. Prerequisites at the EU level are favourable to innovative and sustainable procurement The European Commission staked the EU’s claim to world climate policy leadership on January 23rd 2008. Draft legislation to tighten national emission limits, boost renewable energy, develop carbon capture technologies, and overhaul the EU's carbon market rules would “help the economy to a new phase of low carbon” and give EU business “first-mover advantage in many sectors”. In the fields of innovation and procurement, other key initiatives should be underlined, such as the Commission communication on pre-commercial procurement, which concerns the R&D phase before commercialisation. The aim of the Communication is to draw Member States’ attention to the existing but underused opportunity for pre-commercial procurement. Another milestone is the proposal revised by the Commission for a directive on the promotion of clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles introducing sustainable economics into public procurement of vehicles and transport services. Public authorities will use criteria for lifetime costs for energy consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions when they procure vehicles. From an industry perspective, major changes are also occurring in business-to-business initiatives: The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), a consortium of 315 top institutional investors assessing industries about their CO2 emissions, announced a new partnership to extend its global initiative to companies and suppliers. Eco-innovation will also become key factor for companies and buyers. And since public procurement makes the EU governments one of the largest purchasers in the market of energy-efficient appliances and cars, public authorities can help foster innovation through sustainable procurement.

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Innovation (technical, financial) Public authorities are in a special situation because they are forced to think like private institutions at an economic level, but also need to boost innovative technologies that will benefit public welfare. Therefore, it is sensible to create processes and platforms to cooperate with developers and traders of new technologies. The idea is to give support from an independent official authority, which is a sign of quality within the market. The following phases will lead to the market penetration of technologies:

Phases Responsibility of technology developer and trade companies

Responsibility at the political level

Form of cooperation

Technology development phase

Technology development

Support in investigation

Technology clusters; research tenders, technology programmes

Technology demonstration phase

Technology preparation; definition of investigation programme

Project design, grants, partner search; information activities

Platforms for private public partnerships

Market entrance Enhanced technology preparation; information activities

Financial support schemes; information activities


Market penetration Enhanced technology preparation; information activities

Procurement through tenders


The public sector is made up of many different organisations and agencies, and sustainable procurement will become more effective as it becomes more widespread. Efforts must be made to ensure that procurement of energy-efficient appliances and vehicles is practised as widely as possible, without compromising the independence and competence of the various organisations. It is also important that the different policies with regard to procurement are harmonised.

2.3 Main Results Technologies related to the priority product groups addressed by this WP are new and rapidly developing, however some concerns regarding their energy-efficient components still exist. In addition, the rate of market introduction is different in the various EU countries. In some countries, the dissemination of these technologies is very successful. In others, less experience is available, hence an analysis based on the exchange of experiences between EU countries will be helpful in the further uptake of these technologies. Most of the municipalities’ consortium partners have little experience in these topics, but are currently considering them in their purchasing decisions. Hence the analysis included in the guidelines provided more detailed information on environmental criteria and technical specification to enable procurement authorities to tender these two products. Findings from the guidelines indicated a number of recommendations for public purchasers:

• Almost certain purchase of the product is of crucial importance for financiers such as banks and therefore improves the availability of capital;

• A central strategic unit should be set up to develop the procurement of energy-efficient goods and to coordinate, disseminate and implement positive procurement concepts throughout the public sector;

• A procurement portal should be established online to act as a single gateway to all procurement-related information, thereby improving and simplifying access for businesses to public procurement activities;

• Procurement procedures and formats should be standardised, making them accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises and avoiding innovation-killing conditions in tendering;

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• The procurement process should be improved by using a product group alert system to periodically review a market for a given product or product groups;

• Purchasers need to be supplied with information on the life cycle of products and on total costs of ownership of the best performing products;

• Part of procurement budgets should be allocated to project development and testing; • Specification on PPPs should be made to benefit vendors and buyers side; • Scaling up of sustainability purchasing networks, joint procurement initiatives and a pan-

European ESCO market can accelerate the uptake of energy efficiency technologies by public authorities.

It is assumed here that governments can foster innovation. This can be achieved by being less prescriptive in regulations and purchasing specifications, and by careful procurement practice in which there is scope for innovation. Discussions with members of the business community and industry suggested that sustainable procurement could only work if there is an organisational structure to direct and foster it. This structure requires the establishment of a central purchasing department to limit the freedom of the decentralised purchaser. It was discovered that using procurement to promote innovation can benefit the public authorities in various ways. It can contribute to general policy objectives by enhancing the effectiveness of industry. There are also examples of substantial cost savings. Innovative procurement can also contribute to an enhanced public image and improved public service. And finally, reducing the gap between the government’s declared policy and its actual behaviour in the market can increase its credibility. In practice, however, there are a number of obstacles to innovative public procurement. These include the risk aversion of purchasers, and structures that separate purchasing and operating budgets, which lead to overall sub-optimisation. Real or imagined legal obstacles and lack of knowledge can also be inhibiting factors. There are many ways in which innovative public procurement can be promoted, but such practices will need to be introduced in a structured manner. In the Member States, one ministry will have to be responsible for such an initiative, and a central coordinating body will also be needed. This does not imply the establishment of a central public procurement department, however. In addition, purchasers require further information: on legal matters, the procurement process and products. There are also many measures related to the procurement process itself, which can lead to cost savings and support innovation policy. The guidelines concluded that innovative procurement has obvious advantages and does not conflict with the principle of good value for money. It therefore deserves to be more widely practised.

2.3.1 Guidelines for pro-EE Product Groups A set of four final guidelines were produced for each of the pro-EE product groups: street lighting, other electrical appliances, LEDs, and pedelecs. The guidelines advise on the technologies’ state of the art in addition to practical policy and industry recommendations. They are aimed at buyers i.e. regulators at the local, regional and EU levels, and at vendors i.e. business enterprises. They also highlight technical criteria for the most efficient selected products and can be found on the project homepage, www.pro-ee.eu.

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A Street lighting equipment The guidelines for street lighting equipment and other electrical appliances provide an overview of the global and European context, economic aspects, the most efficient available products, and technical criteria. The pro-EE procurement guidelines on street lighting recommend the best available lamps currently on the market in terms of optimal efficacy, light quality and energy efficiency, system technologies, and performance details for three specific professional lamp families: • HID lamps for street lighting; • LED lamps for various applications; • Linear fluorescent lamps for office lighting; • CFLni (compact fluorescent lamps without integrated ballast) for office lighting.

The lamps mentioned above can primarily be used in street and office lighting, and are currently the most energy efficient on the European market. The cost efficiency of investments in energy saving may depend on the technology and on the system or process in which the technology is implemented. Experiments with street lighting demonstrate that low energy street lighting is among the most cost-effective measures available for reducing CO2 emissions. Global annual energy consumption in lighting is estimated to be more than 2,100 TWh, of which urban/road lighting accounts for 8% (approximately 12-15% of global electricity production). Improved efficiency has a direct bearing on emissions and consequently on helping to meet the increasingly stringent Kyoto targets.

Success Story Tender for LED street lighting in Tôrres Verdas Supplier/manufacturer: EnergiaViva/Exporlux Contracting entity: Municipality of Tôrres Vedras Description: 23 fixtures over 3 streets Luminaires were adjusted to existing fixtures, designed for high-pressure sodium (HSP) luminaires (150 W), so the height and distance between fixtures had to be considered in the solution design. 150 W high-pressure sodium lamps were replaced with 80 W LED units Life span of 60,000 hours ≈ 14 years (low maintenance needs) Savings: Total energy saving of about 60% (compared to HPS luminaires) is expected, which corresponds to savings of 34,5 MWh annually.

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B Fuel efficiency of cars and vehicle fleets The pro-EE guidelines seek to contribute to stimulation of the uptake of more efficient vehicle fleets for local and central governmental authorities in the EU. The pro-EE guidelines present a selection of the best available state of the art systems, such as the RAV4 EV from Toyota, TH!NK (Electric City Car) developed in cooperation with Ford as a small but practical urban vehicle with a 4-star safety rating and no emissions, and the DuraCar, a prototype e-car with a lithium-ion battery system from a automotive company based in the Netherlands. The market for these types of cars is developing rapidly, and it is highly advisable that procurers enquire about these developments. Public procurement of energy-efficient vehicles can have a specific impact on companies as an opportunity for enhanced profit and improved quality. This can result in a market pull effect and can lower the purchasing threshold of other consumers including the non-public sector. From a purchaser’s perspective, procurement of efficient vehicles like smart cars and electric buses involves economic risks. To reduce these risks, public authorities can cooperate with other public or private bodies in the automotive industry at an EU and national level to obtain product lists highlighting the most efficient options. Another option can be to break the procurement process down into a number of phases. This allows more frequent intermediate checkpoints at which the innovative results can be tested for economic feasibility and risk. On December 19th 2007, the EU Commission presented a directive on clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles (http://ec.europa.eu/transport/clean/promotion/doc/com_2007_0817_en.pdf). It proposes the gradual introduction of environmental criteria for public procuring authorities (from 2012), which will include life cycle costs for fuel consumption, CO2 and other pollutant emissions. The directive targets a wider audience including public purchasers of cars, commercial vehicles, trucks and buses, representing about 1/4 million vehicles. The entire market for passenger cars is also addressed by the proposed regulations to reduce CO2 emissions (120g of CO2 per km by 2012) and other directives e.g. on fuel quality – also under revision – to reduce emissions of sulphur and PAHs (Poly-Aromatic Hydrocarbons) from diesel. Particularly useful tools for procurers are EU systems developed to provide consumers with information on CO2-emissions (and relating directly to the energy consumption of cars) and standards referring to the emission of other car compounds. The energy consumption of cars is made available by the introduction of a labelling system. The energy label does not list the energy consumption, but the grams of CO2 emitted per km travelled. CO2 emissions/km are generally considered to be directly related to a car’s energy consumption. The system shows classes A-G (grams of CO2/kilometre travelled). Most EU Member States host websites presenting the energy labels of various cars. The websites of most car manufacturers and their representatives provide this information, too. Emissions of compounds other than CO2 are important procurement parameters as well. The EU developed standards for other emissions, which are shown with numbers such as Euro I, Euro II, etc.: the higher the ranking, the lower the emission achieved.

Success Story LED technology for Christmas lighting in Upper Austria LED technology for Christmas lighting is highly efficient, saving up to 90 per cent of energy compared to normal light bulbs. At the same time, prices are actually twice as high as for other systems. Therefore, the project team contacted the light bulb industry and was able to negotiate special prices for Upper Austria’s 444 municipalities: discounts of up to 40 per cent on list prices as well as other special discounts from various suppliers. Additionally, the Environment Academy is offering a grant: members of the Climate Alliance network can receive up to 2,000 euros if they buy this new system. Total annual energy savings in the 27 participating municipalities are 0,056 GWh.

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In the public procurement of tyres, it is recommended that a technical criterion be included in the tender, which ensures the tyres’ efficiency. Industry suggests asking for a maximal rolling resistance value of 10.5 kg/t for passenger vehicle tyres (summer and winter), 9 kg/t for light lorry tyres, and 6.5 kg/t for lorry tyres. The lower the value, the better the vehicle’s performance and the lower the overall fuel consumption.

Proposed criteria for electric vehicles to be pushed on the market in the E³

initiative supported by pro-EE:

Minimal CO2 emissions

The vehicles should be offered with a “fuel contract” for electric power from renewable

energies. The participating energy providers should actively contribute to the further

development of green electricity and guarantee CO2 emission of less than 10 grams per

kilometre due to their electricity mix. The cars of today emit 10 to 20 times more CO2.

Zero emissions in local traffic

It should be possible to drive short distances and at least a full 100 kilometres using

electricity alone. Cars would therefore be free of noise emissions, fine dust emissions

and noxious emissions in local traffic.

100% motorway suitable

Fast drivers will certainly prefer other cars. But our “ideal vehicle” should not be an

obstacle on the motorway. A speed of 120 km per hour should be achieved.

Low energy consumption

When using electric power, the energy consumption per 100 km should not exceed

20 kWh. This corresponds to the energy content of 2 litres of fuel. The consumption

should be even lower in city traffic. This will help to keep the operating costs as low as

possible.

Second car unnecessary

The vehicle is designed to be available as a hybrid vehicle. The second motor is

powered by biofuel, supplying the vehicle with energy over long distances. With one

full tank, it should be possible to cover a distance of 500 kilometres without refuelling.

The fuel consumption in this mode should not be higher than for a comparable vehicle

of the same size.

A normal passenger vehicle

With this vehicle, families and mechanics, manufacturers and delivery services should

be able to cope with their common mobility problems. Vehicle payload and passenger-

compartment space should be consistent with a typical microvan.

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Technical and environmental criteria for the acquisition for an electric minibus in Portugal

ASPECTS CRITERIA VERIFICATION

TECHNICAL CRITERIA

CHARGING

TIME

Charging time should not exceed 6 hours for the total

charge. Vehicle/batteries data sheet.

RANGE Range should not be inferior to 120 km. Vehicle/batteries data sheet.

ENVRIONMENTAL CRITERIA

EMISSIONS

OF GREEN-

HOUSE

GASES

If the vehicle is fitted with an air conditioning system

designed to contain fluorinated greenhouse gases, the

specific gas must have a global warming potential

(GWP) ≤ 150 (related to CO2 and a time horizon of 100

years).1

If the GWP is higher, the leakage rate from the system

must not exceed 40g of fluorinated greenhouse gases

per year for a single evaporator system, or 60g of

fluorinated greenhouse gases per year for a dual

evaporator system.1

An extra punctuation can be given to those vehicles

whose air conditioning systems use a refrigerant with

GWP <151 (as mentioned in the preliminary remarks of

the criteria document of the Blue Angel ecolabel for

low-pollutant municipal vehicles and buses RAL-UZ

59, studies were conducted for development of

alternative fluids whose GWP will satisfy this

criterion).

The bidder must provide the

name, formula and GWP of

the refrigerating gas used in

the air conditioning system.

If a mixture of gases is used,

the GWP will be calculated

according to the weighted

mean of each gas

considering its weight and

GWP.

The results of the

harmonized leakage

detection tests should be

following Directive

2006/40/EC of the European

Parliament and of the

Council of May 17th

2006

relating to emissions from

air conditioning systems in

motor vehicles and

amending Council Directive

70/156/EEC.

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C Office equipment Each year, European public authorities spend the equivalent of 16% of the EU Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on the purchase of goods. By investing in energy-efficient office equipment, public authorities are able to contribute directly to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In general, office equipment can be divided into two sets of products: ▪ Computers – covering both PCs and laptops in addition to monitors ▪ Imaging equipment – covering copiers, printers, scanners, fax machines, and multifunctional devices (MFCs) pro-EE’s main criteria for PCs, laptops, monitors and imaging equipment include technical specifications on energy consumption – the aspect bearing the most significant environmental impact.

pro-EE requirements are based on the European-American label programme, Energy Star, and also include information on the products’ lifetime. A number of other aspects should be included in specifications and in the award stage, such as:

• Noise emissions • The use of mercury in LCD monitor backlighting • The disassembly of equipment • The use of flame retardants in plastic parts

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Key environmental impacts to take into consideration in procurement decision-making are included in the table below (courtesy of EU commission GPP Training Toolkit – Module 3: Purchasing Recommendations):

A promising approach for further energy savings within the field of ICT equipment are solid state computers. The data storage of solid state computers consist of a solid state drive (SSD), which uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. Unlike flash-based memory cards and USB flash drives, an SSD emulates a hard disk drive interface, thus easily replacing it in most applications. Compared to hard disk drives, SSD devices offer a range of advantages:

• Short access times • Shock resistance • Compact size • Silent operation • Energy savings potential

Governments can play a catalytic role in shaping consumption patterns, both through public policies and through their own procurement procedures. Public procurement has huge potential to enable the market to provide more energy-efficient office equipment due to both its position as one of the principles buyers and also its influence over the private sector and consumer. Another important aspect is user behaviour. Office IT equipment is normally supplied with a series of software-controlled measures to reduce energy consumption. The IT administrator can examine the individual workplace settings and adjust them to high energy performance levels by including certain settings related to stand-by and sleep modes, hard disk shut down, CPU performance, pre-set double-sided printing and ready-to-print timeframes. User behaviour should also be addressed by regular training programmes for office staff, which include raising awareness for reducing printing and using the power settings on personal computers. D Pedelecs For cities and municipalities interested in procuring pedelecs, the pro-EE guidelines provide orientation on how to organise the ownership and use of pedelecs in public organisations. They provide an overview of additional provisions needed, such as parking and charging facilities, maintenance and repair, supervision and insurance, as well as of EU and national regulations. To impart practical advice on elements and criteria for procurement, the guidelines list actions to perform and decisions to reach before buying a pedelec, useful sources of information, and issues regarding the procurement of pedelecs. In most EU Member States, pedelecs can substitute the use of cars and public transport systems for distances of between one and 20 kilometres. To support public authorities involved in the procurement

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of pedelecs, pro-EE’s guidelines provide information on the development of pedelecs and their market introduction as well as on economic and environmental aspects. The EU’s main markets for pedelecs are the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. The estimated turnover at the EU level was around 300,000 pedelecs in 2008. In most other EU countries, the pedelec market is still in its infancy, but shows remarkable growth. While the major market for pedelecs was for a long time private persons, post delivery organisations later introduced the pedelec on a large scale. The Royal Mail, Japanese Mail, Posti Finland and the Deutsche Post are now owners of fleets comprising thousands of pedelecs. Pedelecs are meanwhile being produced on a large scale and used under various conditions. A highly-developed technology as well as experience in the production and usage of pedelecs make them a reliable mode of transport. With regard to the environmental impact of pedelecs, the pro-EE guidelines draw comparisons to other modes of transport, such as cars, buses, trams, etc., considering them in the three stages of production, use and after-use:

Mode of Transport CO2 emissions (gr/km/person)

Car 130 Bus 66

Tram 23 Metro 30 Train 28

Pedelec 6-13 - Pedelecs have a lower environmental impact than the other modes of transport in both the production and after-use phases. - There are significantly fewer CO2 emissions from pedelecs than from any other mode of transport, a car’s energy consumption being almost twenty times higher. - With regard to local air quality, there are zero emissions from pedelecs in city centres. - Pedelecs have very low noise emissions. - Pedelecs require far less space for parking than cars do. Pedelecs have an impressively low environmental impact compared to cars and public transport systems. Differences between pedelecs with regard to energy consumption are negligible compared to other modes of transport. They offer a green mode of transport, favourable for introduction into public organisations. E Solar lamp guidelines The guidelines provide a detailed description of eight different solar lamps, comparing their light ON time, illuminant, PV modules, overall dimensioning, field of application, control, malfunctioning as well as findings from measurements. Based on project investigations on fields of application and the reliability of solar lamps, the pro-EE guidelines present recommendations for public authority procurers. Results show that the product’s technology is well engineered. Future changes to operating and remote maintenance can be expected, but as far as energy management is concerned, all important features are implemented. Further progress is expected for LED technology. The efficiency of LEDs is continually improving. However, the field of application of solar lamps depends to a large extent on the luminous power. Larger lamps are entirely suitable for the illumination of residential roads. It must be noted though that constant operation cannot be guaranteed despite energy management due to their dependence on the weather. In addition, it must be noted that their luminous power can possibly be reduced drastically during extended periods of bad weather. This means that a grid-connected solution would be preferable in cases where a certain lighting class needs to be guaranteed at all times.

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The lamps’ light technology data is required for the preliminary light planning. If possible, this data should be available electronically to facilitate integration into light planning programs. At this stage, the employment of an independent expert would be reasonable. Other technologies, such as fluorescent lamps and vapour lamps, should also be considered.

With regard to the economic efficiency of solar lamps, the pro-EE guidelines provide efficiency factors as well as a sample calculation. A general statement on the economic efficiency of solar lamps cannot be made since too many factors play a role. Solar lamps are economically efficient in all locations where a connection to a public energy grid is not located nearby. For other scenarios, project-specific cost accounting in the scope of light planning needs to be made. Economic efficiency factors include considering the questions: Which lamps should be used for the comparison? Which lighting class should be reached? Electricity costs, expenses for digging.

2.4 Main Lessons Learned The following was learned during the discussions initiated by the working groups’ meetings:

• Procurement vs. competition rules at the EU level complicate the uptake of energy efficiency technologies;

• Fragmentation of the regulatory arena at the EU level with regards to procurement and discussions related to the usefulness of a “sustainable procurement directive”;

• Difficulties in involving the transport sector e.g. smart/hybrid cars producers; • Reticence from corporate industry to engage with procurers; • Risk aversion of purchasers linked with higher initial costs and fear of job losses e.g.

performance contracting; • Except for light bulbs for street and office lighting and for tyres, lists on the best performing

products have not yet been identified and purchasers supplied with these; • Relative absence of experience related to third-party financial mechanisms beyond

performance contracting or subsidies;

Graphs: Depiction of the lamps’ light spread

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• Information on life cycle of products and on total costs of ownership needs to be clear to purchasers;

• European industry federations proved useful to identify list of most efficient products; • Lack of large company representatives liaising with public purchasers at a local level; • Interest from industrial sector in cooperating with municipalities differs from product to product; • Availability of specific products in larger quantities is often not given; • Scarce products – high price can't be lowered (significantly) by larger quantities; • Tender criteria change rapidly and are difficult to fix; • Difficult to define criteria independent of producer/specific products; • Problem of obtaining products after the tender (if definition of criteria independent from a

specific product). On the other hand, the guidelines mainly focussed on identifying and eliminating a number of barriers to the uptake of energy-efficient products in the market through public procurement. Although there are clear advantages to an innovation-promoting procurement policy, it has not been widely adopted. Some of the main factors that inhibit the introduction of innovative procurement were identified as: 1. Economic risk/reward Innovative procurement involves economic risks. Risks are only taken if there is a chance of reward. EU Member States have taken a number of measures to increase that reward where it is insufficient in the private sector. These instruments are not used in the non-profit sector because internal flows of cash between government departments are considered inappropriate. This means that a government department may, in a number of situations, actually have less incentive to procure innovatively than industry. There are also ways for government departments to reduce risk. For example, they can cooperate with other public or private bodies. Another option is to break the procurement process down into a number of phases. This allows for more frequent intermediate checkpoints when the innovative results can be tested for economic feasibility and risk. 2. Risk-averse behaviour Another barrier is risk aversion to innovative products. Innovation leads to uncertainty. Civil servants and politicians are generally very risk averse. The public sector is less accustomed than the private sector to accepting risks. Government bodies, unlike commercial organisations, do not see risk as being inherent in the innovation process. Risk is not seen as part of the whole equation, but disqualifies the project from the outset. This risk aversion is sometimes reflected in tender conditions that effectively exclude all but ‘old’ products, and effectively rule out innovation. Risk aversion is directed not only at new products, services or systems, but also at innovative companies, i.e. new companies, small companies or existing companies performing new activities. It can be so strong that tenders include ‘killer conditions’ that create barriers for innovators, market entrants and SMEs in general, while SMEs are often very effective innovators. To some extent these conditions are simply traditional within the organisation, and may no longer be necessary. In many other cases, they could be replaced by less stringent conditions. 3. No economic incentive Industry’s reward for innovation often comes in the form of intellectual property rights. The public sector does not feel at home with intellectual property, and often does not know how to properly capitalise on it. The public sector often has no interest in intellectual property because it does not receive any of the revenues that are generated. The reward for innovation may therefore be small, and this effect forms an obstacle to innovative procurement. Industry is often rewarded for innovative procurement by market advantage. Public authorities generally do not compete in markets, so a market advantage is unimportant. The absence of such an incentive is a moderating factor for innovative procurement. Overall benefits of innovative procurement, such as growth of the economy and employment, do not have a direct and perceptible effect on the purchasing organisation. 4. Separation of purchasing and operating responsibilities/budgets Companies usually purchase assets on the basis of an economic analysis of the lifetime cost of the project/product. However, this is less true of public purchasing. One reason for this is that purchasing decisions are often not made by the operational department concerned, and may therefore show up in

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a different budget. Optimisation takes place at the departmental level, and this does not necessarily produce the overall optimum. Furthermore, decisions are based on annual budgets so that decision-making is not only within the organisation but also over time. A “best value for money” criterion is applied, but in a non-coherent manner so that overall coordination of activities is lacking. An analogy is when a building’s constructor or renovator is not the organisation paying the energy bills. 5. Lack of knowledge The purchaser lacks knowledge about what is really innovative. Even when the will is there to buy innovatively, knowledge of what constitutes “state of the art” is lacking. The purchaser also lacks knowledge about his legal freedom of action in relation to procurement. 6. Conservatism Purchasers are traditionally-minded and cautious. They prefer to continue buying the reliable items they have bought for years, from people they have known and worked with for years. This is reflected in the product specifications they formulate. It is sometimes very difficult to get them to change their habits. Attempts to change this approach to innovative procurement may only have a (minor) impact if no obligations are attached. 7. Policy competition This term refers to the fact that we may wish to pursue several different policy goals in parallel through procurement. Other goals might be environmental, social, regional or local for instance. There is no intrinsic conflict between a sustainable and an innovative purchasing policy. On the contrary, if sustainable purchasing focusses on eco-efficiency, then sustainable purchasing and innovative purchasing policies can reinforce one another and contribute to economic development while reducing environmental pressures. The key lies in effective coordination.

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3 Joint Public Procurement

3.1 Summary Joint Procurement (JP) means combining the procurement activities of two or more contracting authorities. The key defining characteristic is that there should only be one tender published on behalf of all participating authorities. To support sustainable public procurement, pro-EE

• Organised municipalities in the pilot region; • Identified products with the highest environmental priority; • Published “Calls for Interest” for these products; • Developed tenders with energy efficiency criteria.

An “Implementation Manual on Energy-Efficient Joint Procurement” was developed on the basis of the pro-EE experiences. pro-EE highlighted several benefits for contracting authorities engaging in JP arrangements:

• Combining purchasing activities can lead to economies of scale and lower prices, especially for smaller municipalities.

• The total administrative work for the group of authorities involved can be substantially reduced by preparing and releasing one, rather than several tenders.

• Combining the procurement activities of several authorities facilitated the pooling of different skills and expertise between authorities.

The possible contribution of joint public procurement to energy-efficient procurement must be verified from country to country. In all cases, a clear agreement on needs, capacities, responsibilities, and the common and individual legal framework of each party was crucial. pro-EE experience showed that in many cases, regular public procurement might not be the optimal solution to push innovation; different problems have to be addressed (e.g. procurers not shielded from possible technology failure, difficulties of formulating the technical means or of deciding which of several possible solutions would be most satisfactory, contract specifications that cannot be established with sufficient precision to permit awarding of the contract, risk that no product is available after the tender, risk of products with high prices, etc.). Alternative procurement procedures could be preferable e.g. competitive dialogue, pre-commercial procurement, forward commitment procurement, design contest, etc. At the same time, it turned out that the organisation of joint procurement tenders faced legal and organisational restrictions (e.g. in Germany and Greece). pro-EE experience showed that joint procurement was more efficient for small municipalities, and worked well where regions/districts opened their tenders for municipalities, or accordingly established agencies “greened” their tenders.

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Two paths to consider participation in a joint procurement and to implement pro-EE actions

3.2 Models for Joint Public Procurement There are different approaches to using a common public procurement scheme in European countries. At first glance, the ideal model seems to be a procedure in which the partners are tendering as equal legal partners (full joint green public procurement (FJGPP)). In practice, it can mean that all tendering steps are organised together, or that there is a common organisation in charge. The number of units of products and services are fixed by adding together the demand from the partners involved. Due to the different legal framework conditions of each partner, this model cannot be applied in different countries. Other obstacles have to be taken into consideration, such as partnership conditions, different timeframes of product demand, complicated procedures and organisational matters, etc. FJGPP will be the solution in only a few select cases. A simpler model is based on the partners assuming different roles: one of the partners organises the tender individually, but all of the conditions can be applied to the other partners too (piggy backing joint green public procurement (PBJGPP)). Often the companies delivering goods and services agree to such a deal without knowing its exact effect on the other partners in JPP. This model can easily be applied if all partners are making their purchases under simplified modalities in their national procurement acts. In addition, in a future simplification, there could be a model based only on an information exchange of tender conditions by using platforms. In such a scenario, the partners share common knowledge but all make contact with companies individually.

3.3 Main Results

3.3.1 Joint Criteria for Green Public Procurement The pro-EE project provides green criteria to make JPP a success. The EU criteria listed under the “Green Public Procurement Toolkit” function as guidelines. The following criteria are flexibly designed to fulfil the public sector’s various needs and premises for GPP.

• • JPP partners include a Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) approach – at least including energy consumption either in cost criteria or in environmental criteria.

• • The basis for the pro-EE product group is the EU’s “Comprehensive GPP criteria model”.

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• • Partners may exclude criteria if the extra costs based on a TCO model are more than 10 per cent higher than for non-green products. All criteria under 10 per cent of the extra costs must be fulfilled. The core GPP criteria are obligatory.

• • Green criteria have a significant influence (more than 20 per cent), both in the technical specifications and, if possible, in the award criteria.

pro-EE partners analysed the following contract awarding procedures in general use in various countries and regions: Country Award criteria EU The EU works with percentages for weighting

criteria. Region of Upper Austria The region works with percentages for weighting

criteria. Mainz (Germany) Adapted percentage model: criteria/price. Cities in Greece 100 per cent price.

(However, it is envisaged that the price should account for between 50 and 65 per cent of the total points given for awarding the contract.)

Cascais, Torres Vedras (Portugal) Percentage model (green criteria are seldom used).

Ferrara (Italy) Percentage model.

3.3.2 Green Criteria – Example of the Region of Upper Austria In Upper Austria, the pro-EE project initiated a process to include green criteria in purchasing procedures. The resulting Eco-Manual (“Ökoleitfaden”) can be used for sustainable procurement and applies to the 26 product groups the Upper Austrian central procurement department is responsible for. The Eco-Manual has a strong focus on energy efficiency, the impact on users and the environment, life cycle costs as well as on the disposal of waste within all the product groups. The Eco-Manual is an obligatory declaration between the head of the department and the procurement team. It represents Upper Austria’s commitment to sustainable ecological procurement and sets a positive example to other public procurements, private companies and citizens. Coordination is scheduled between the Eco-Manual and the Federal Austrian public procurement office within the National Action Plan for Sustainable Procurement.

3.3.3 Cross-Border Joint Public Procurement The topic of “cross-border public procurement” poses an interesting and manifold challenge. To meet the challenge and organise cross-border JPP successfully, pro-EE investigated information on the position of stakeholders and on the daily work of public procurers concerning cross-border topics. Organisations in six European countries completed a questionnaire on the topic. The annual turnover of the organisations that responded to the questionnaire was between 300,000 and 270 million Euros. The number of employees in these organisations ranged from 1 to 45 people. Among the questionnaire’s participants, only those from Austria had experience in cross-border procurement. The 3 main hurdles for cross-border JPP were seen to be: legal aspects with different tender laws, negative effects on the regional economy, and language problems. All but one participant would try a cross-border offer if these hurdles were overcome. 25 out of 27 members would use conditions from another European partner country even if some of them are not expecting better prices. The most interesting product groups are IT in general, flat screens, power-directed office equipment street lights and street light systems. Although not all participants were convinced of better prices or

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other advantages by cooperating with the partner countries, all of them want to know more about the cost conditions of other purchasers in other European countries. Legal issues & cross-border procurement pro-EE investigated solutions to overcome legal hurdles for cross-border procurement. To put joint public procurement on safe legal ground, Member of the European Parliament, Heide Rühle, reported on new developments in public procurement, citing the Court of Justice of the European Union. “The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) regards public-public partnerships, such as cooperation agreements between local authorities and forms of national cooperation, as falling outside the scope of the public procurement directives, provided that the following criteria are all met:

1. the purpose of the partnership is the joint provision of a public-service task conferred on all local authorities concerned,

2. the task is carried out solely by public authorities, i.e. without the involvement of private individuals or undertakings, and

3. the activity involved is essentially performed on behalf of the public authorities concerned. The CJEU has also confirmed that the mere possibility of a public-public partnership being opened up to private investors does not invalidate the exclusion of such partnerships from the scope of the public procurement directives if there is no real prospect of such a step being taken at the time when the contract is awarded.” (REPORT on new developments in public procurement (2009/2175(INI), p.17/18) A preliminary reflection done within pro-EE has yielded three cases that must be explored regarding possible scenarios and considering procurement legislation: A. Common buying of products through an inter-communal platform (regardless of which organisation form). B. Common procurement through a communal body representing a procurement platform and consumption of the procurement services by the members of this inter-communal platform. C. Each of the communal bodies is responsible for their own buying. There will be an inter-communal cooperation that addresses questions of procurement and economics on an information basis. A. Common buying of products through an inter-communal platform (regardless of which organisation from): This kind of joint arrangement raises the following questions:

1. Which legal basis is valid for the tender (different public procurement laws)? 2. Which legal protection is valid for the suppliers joining the tender?

B. Common Procurement through a communal body representing a procurement platform and a consumption of the procurement services by the members of this inter-communal platform In this case and, if the aforementioned problems are solved, it is necessary to document the frame of representation of the respective administrative body, and to legitimise development of the tender process on behalf of the others. The follow questions are important in this context: Is this representation established as the result of a tender? Is this representation established on a legal basis? Is this representation established on a contract basis? What legal protection is available for the suppliers? C. Each of the communal bodies is responsible for their own buying. However, there will be an inter-communal cooperation that addresses questions of procurement and economics on an

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information basis This kind of cooperation facilitates the exchange of information and does not activate a legal relation between the administrative bodies inter se. Nevertheless, a high degree of attention should be given to data protection and special agreements on confidentiality.

3.4 Main Results pro-EE organised tenders in all six of the involved countries to boost innovation and improve procedures relating to energy-efficient products relevant to public authorities. pro-EE aimed at energy reductions of at least 1 GWh, and the project ultimately achieved a total of 1.7 GWh through energy-efficient PP activities. Public procurement was meant to stimulate the market, whereby the focus was on the following product groups:

• Cleaner, smarter and more energy-efficient vehicles and street lighting, traffic lights and electric street equipment

• Other electrical appliances relevant to public authorities • LED lighting • Pedelecs

On the basis of the EU’s common criteria for green JPP, pro-EE organised regional workshops and networks, developed and published calls for tenders, and monitored and reviewed progress. The resulting pro-EE implementation manual supports municipalities wishing to put energy-efficient JPP into practice.

JPP in Upper Austria The region of Upper Austria was able to establish a regional/communal JPP scheme. Upper Austria is the third region after Vienna and Vorarlberg to reach a good standard in the work field of joint green public procurement. During the pro-EE project, Upper Austria organised three tenders: the first tenders for green products were organised in 2009, and product data sheets were published for bicycle stands, LED Christmas lighting, and an exchange programme for electrical appliances. In some cases, Climate Alliance member municipalities received financial support in the form of the exchange programme for bicycle stands, LED Christmas lighting systems.

Success Story Climate Alliance resolution for 100% ecological, social and fair public procurement For Climate Alliance, public procurement is an important strategic domain for CO2 reduction and climate protection. A resolution drawn up at Climate Alliance’s 2009 General Assembly in Brussels encourages all member cities and communities to do everything in their power to formulate 75% of their tenders in an ecologically and socially-sustainable way by 2012, rising to 90% by 2015 and to 100% by 2020.

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Partnership between departments boosts green JPP Within the framework of the pro-EE project, two departments of the Upper Austrian regional government founded a partnership that strengthened the effect of their activities: one of partners is the Upper Austrian Academy for Environment and Nature. The Academy is able to cooperate flexibly with external partners in developing and launching pilot projects. Flexibility is necessary, especially in the disposition of finance sources or information activities. The other partner is the Upper Austrian Department for Building Management and Procurement. It is a central service unit for more than 200 departments and has regular contact with many companies and procuring organisations. Within the pro-EE project, a process was initiated to include green criteria in purchasing procedures, which resulted in the Eco-Manual (“Ökoleitfaden”). Both departments cooperate in commercial and pre-commercial procurement. The partnership also provided ground for regular platform meetings of responsible procurers in the region, municipalities and technological developers and traders. In Upper Austria, 444 municipalities worked independently in procurement activities until recently. As a result of the pro-EE project, annual platform member meetings started in September 2009. From an economic perspective, cooperation has been ensured since September 2009 by a special programme of the Upper Austrian Academy for Environment and Nature, which facilitated the first contact phase. The goal is to create a comprehensive view of the CO2 reduction potential and the cost situation of climate-friendly technologies in Upper Austria through 2020 and 2030. The Energy Institute of the University of Linz was instructed to calculate the different technologies, which marked the first step towards meeting the main measures of the energy concept. The programme will enable process-oriented cooperation with technology representatives. In practice, new technologies can be included by new or updated calculations. Anticipated barriers to be overcome will have to be discussed, and concrete actions should be defined. One of the results of this discussion could be a technology pilot project. Benefit from the partners’ experience Upper Austria initiated an informational platform for public procurers on a regional basis, which was scheduled to meet twice a year. All nine Austrian regions as well as Austrian hospitals were interested in becoming a member of this platform. This platform was a turning point for the Austrian action plan for sustainable public procurement. Once a year, they meet with ministerial procurers, chambers of agriculture and commerce as well as with the national public procuring office. Activities: first pilot projects Test and demonstration stand for solar LED street lighting systems Several companies recently developed new products for LED-based off-grid lighting systems. The products are in a development stage that involves testing and demonstrations prior to commercial procurement. Therefore, a network was established by the regional authority in Upper Austria that involves developers, research institutes and electricity companies. Five product developers were interested in cooperating. Energy company, Wels Strom, provided space in their “light product street”

Success Story Innovative joint public procurement in practice In Upper Austria, the government administration and the Academy for the Environment worked together on the pro-EE project. The cooperation’s goal was to provide customers with two advantages. The first was a financial one, achieved by bundling the demands of several municipalities. The second involved implementing ecological criteria, as well as fostering innovation in the field of energy efficiency. For municipalities as a new target group, the Academy provided grants to counterbalance economic disadvantages caused by innovative products. Products: 2009; LED solar lighting, LED Christmas lighting; washing machines, dishwashers (for all municipalities), 2010; IT and Pedelecs. Subsidies: 50% - up to 2,000 euros per municipality (for Climate Alliance members) for LED Christmas lighting and 100 euros per unit (up to 300 euros) for electrical appliances.

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free of charge. The Austrian Solar Innovation Centre (ASIC) and the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences in Wels were responsible for the research programme. Municipality representatives had the opportunity to take advantage of individual advice services. Excursions were planned by the Upper Austrian Academy for Environment and Nature. The first excursion was a kick-off event held during the Upper Austrian conference on energy technologies in September 2009. Test and demonstration projects for municipal e-mini-trucks Mini-trucks are suitable for municipal services such as meals on wheels for the elderly, gardening in green spaces, and waste management. Mini-trucks can travel short distances and are efficient despite the frequent starts and stops. Two companies in Upper Austria offer products, which are worth testing and demonstrating. The project is now embedded in a larger project and is ready for a national call for regional e-mobility. Exchange of old household devices Considering the total cost of ownership (TCO), some products initially seemed to be too expensive, but after considering the TCO, they were found not to be. Consequently, the department initiated an “old household device exchange programme” and stated that the payback time of an A++ refrigerator compared to an A or B device is approximately three to five years. By obtaining funding for energy efficiency depending on the types chosen, this time would be reduced to just one year. In 2009, the administration exchanged devices worth approximately 50,000 euros. The campaign is set to run for three years and shall set an example to other public institutions, civil organisations and citizens.

Portugal

In Portugal, the involved municipalities developed tenders with elaborated pro-EE criteria. In June 2009, the municipality of Torres Vedras installed a pilot LED street lighting system. The equipment meets the criteria for the purchasing process by taking into account the yield, lifetime, colour temperature, and monitoring of energy consumption and management. As another important environmental criterion, toxic substances were excluded. For a second tender, environmental criteria were developed to be introduced in the tendering of an electric minibus. In 2010, the municipality of Cascais also installed a pilot LED system in the Pedra do Sal Interpretation Centre. They plan to procure more LED lighting systems, and the technical and environmental criteria will be discussed with potential suppliers. The procurement of more than 33 LED luminaries to be installed in Pedra do Sal and in a street located in the historic centre of Cascais village is envisaged by the end of 2010. The National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation (INETI/LNEG) has been working with Torres Vedras and Cascais on the development of environmental criteria for tendering of LED public lightning and electric vehicles. As a result, Torres Vedras Municipality bought a pilot LED system comprising 23 luminaires that was installed in 3 streets in August 2009 (tender presented in Annex 1). In the municipality of Cascais, a pilot LED system of 10 luminaires was installed in the Pedra do Sal Interpretation Centre. Energy consumption is being monitored and recorded. The procurement of 33 more LED lighting luminaires to be installed in Pedra do Sal and in a street located in the historic centre of Cascais village is envisaged by the end of the year. Several meetings were held to prepare this procurement campaign and to discuss the technical and environmental criteria with the different departments of the municipality of Cascais (lightning, public works, maintenance, procurement) as well as with the potential suppliers. The suppliers provided good insight into the market in addition to of existing standards in this technology, which was very useful for the understanding and improvement of

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the LED criteria that were subsequently used in the tendering procedure (LED criteria). In the municipality of Torres Vedras, environmental criteria were developed to be introduced in the tendering of a electric minibus. The tender is still in the process of being evaluated. The central purchasing body of the Lisbon metropolitan area is going to develop a contract agreement for LED public lighting, based on the experiences in Torres Vedras and Cascais. Networking in Portugal Several meetings were held to prepare the procurement campaigns and to discuss technical and environmental criteria with the different departments of the municipality of Cascais (lighting, public works, maintenance, procurement) as well as with potential suppliers. The suppliers provided good insight into the market in addition to of existing standards in this technology, which was very useful for the understanding and improvement of the LED criteria that were subsequently used in the tendering procedure. The central purchasing body of the Lisbon Metropolitan area is going to develop a contract agreement for LED public lighting, based on the experience in Torres Vedras and Cascais.

Germany

In Germany, the first attempt at the JPP of energy-efficient flat screens failed – despite 10 local authorities being interested – due to the fact that not one of the municipalities was willing to prepare the tender because of legal insecurity, administrative capacities, existing contracts, etc. A second attempt involving an agency willing to prepare the tender also failed (due to the financial crisis, differences in requirements, etc.). A third tender for e-cars (10 interested municipalities) was also unsuccessful. The e-cars available were tested (together with municipalities) and proven to be of too low a quality and too high a price. Nevertheless, pilot municipalities in Germany did buy innovative products using energy efficiency criteria, e.g. Frankfurt (pedelecs, e-car), Munich (multifunctional office equipment) and Mainz (Office IT). Over the course of the pro-EE project, e-cars available on the market were tested together with various German municipalities. In 2010, the cities of Frankfurt and Offenbach procured their first e-office cars.

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In 2010, the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate introduced an invitation for tender for IT products that municipalities could participate in. Criteria for the consumption of resources during manufacture, energy efficiency within companies, disposal and social aspects were taken into consideration. The pro-EE Mentor City of Mainz participated in the tender. The City of Munich published a tender for multifunctional print/fax/copier devices. 790 new devices were introduced in Munich’s schools to replace the old ones. The annual savings made per device were: 800 0kWh, which equates to total annual savings of 0.63 GWh.

Photo: A multifunctional print/fax/copier device Networking in Germany As a first step, Climate Alliance updated its member database, sending a questionnaire to all its German members asking them for the names and addresses of public purchasers in the fields of IT, vehicles and lighting. Climate Alliance promoted pro-EE at different conferences and workshops in Germany. Three calls for interest for participation in tenders (two for energy-efficient computer screens and one for e-cars) were published. Sub-networks of interested municipalities were formed. Products were tested together with the interested municipalities (e.g. the e-car and the flat screens). The second tender on flat screens was organised in cooperation with the communal purcharing organisation “Komunaleinkauf”. The organisation also forwarded the relevant information to their 400 member municipalities in Lower Saxony. For the e-car, Climate Alliance worked with the E3 Initiative. By the end of 2010, more than 3,000 interested parties had registered and shown an interest in the car (www.e3-mobil.de/status.html). Finally, there is an ongoing collaboration between Climate Alliance and the Rhein-Main Electromobilität (electro-mobility) project regarding the procurement of pedelecs and e-cars.

Italy

In Italy the municipality of Ferrara purchased IT products, monitors, printers, scanners, graphics tablets, CD writers and video projectors, addressed to several departments of the municipality of Ferrara, using an electronic platform. Energy efficiency criteria were taken into account for the first time. The tenders were elaborated in collaboration with the national platform, CONSIP. Future (joint) tenders with the province of Ferrara are planned. Networking In order to implement green JPP extensively, pro-EE involved Ferrara’s municipal informative systems department as well as Italy’s public stock company, CONSIP. The project encouraged Ferrara’s municipal informative systems department to buy information and communication technology (ICT) products such as personal computers, printers, scanners, laptops, PC screens, etc. for the whole administration, and drew up tender specifications together with the department. To test energy-efficient procurement at the local level, pro-EE was able to use CONSIP’s MEPA Electronic Market.

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As a result, pro-EE was able to support Ferrara in its aforementioned procurement of ICT products – a successful start for encouraging further Italian municipalities and provinces to participate in future requests for offers. In October 2008, pro-EE organised a conference within the framework of one of the most important GPP national events, the GPPnet BuyGreen Forum in Cremona, to present the project to stake-holders. Participants included the Ministry of the Environment, CONSIP, Ecological Consulting Ecosistemi, the Councillor of Environment of the Municipality of Ferrara, local municipalities, and the Regional Agency for Environmental Protection (ARPA). The audience was composed of private companies, the Bank of Italy (Environmental Department) and public administrations. In February 2010, pro-EE took part at the National Workshop entitled “Procedures and Opportunities to buy Green”, organised by Climate Alliance Italy. The workshop was held in the Province Building of Perugia and was aimed at public administrations interested in green procurement.

Greece

pro-EE networking in Greece In spite of aggravated circumstances (absence of a central administration to facilitate joint initiatives), an active network of municipalities (also including municipalities outside the Attica region) was established. The municipalities in the network adopted GPP criteria, and it was even possible to extend the network’s collaboration in Attica by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the local union of municipalities to actively collaborate in incorporating GPP criteria. The European and National Funding Office of the municipality of Amaroussion was under the pro-EE project’s management, and disseminated useful material via email to each department. Afterwards, bilateral meetings were arranged between the European and National Funding Office and the related departments of the Environmental, Planning and Quality of Life Organisation, the Integrated Procurement Department and the Transportation Office.

Photo: Replacement of street lighting in Amaroussion

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Through previous collaboration activities with local authorities, the “OTA21”, the Municipalities’ Association of the North-East Attica Region, the CRES pro-EE team established an important project partnership. The first achievement was co-organisation of the event “Energy Efficiency & Excellency in Local Authorities”, which was hosted at the conference centre in the municipality of Nea Ionia.

Image: The DAFNI network In September 2009, a meeting was organised with representatives from the DAFNI network for sustainability, a Covenant of Mayors Supporting Structure aiming at introducing the key points of the project and starting dissemination of the project’s actions to the municipalities – members of DAFNI network. In cooperation with the DAFNI network, a leaflet was issued that contained key issues and best practices for the joint procurement of energy-efficient products. An official letter and information material was sent to eleven municipalities – members of DAFNI and signatories of the Covenant of Mayors (CoM). All of the aforementioned municipalities are located on islands, they have similar and uniform characteristics and needs, and are characterised by low procurement needs. The latter classified them as ideal for bundling their needs and initiating a joint procurement scheme for energy-efficient products with a significant reduction of unit price. The aforementioned municipalities would be suitable for participating in the pro-EE project, as they are autonomous regions not connected to the main electricity grid, committed to achieving certain targets signed under the CoM, and finally – from an environmental point of view– electricity generation on the islands emits high quantities of CO2. Four of the municipalities in the DAFNI network examined the potential of joint procurement of PV lighting systems. CRES, as the pro-EE Greek partner, assisted in defining the technical, energy efficiency and economic criteria for the tender as well as in solving any legal obstacles for establishing a joint tender. Activities undertaken by CRES included a market survey of Greek retailers offering PV lighting solutions, and the preparation of a questionnaire focussing on technical-economic parameters relevant to the PV lighting products.

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Regular contact with public authorities and the project’s promotion prepared the ground for colla-boration with a number of municipalities and unions in Greece on energy efficiency issues and green public procurement. Specifically, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed with TEDKNA, the Local Union of Municipalities and Communities of Attica (comprising 122 municipalities). The MoU foresees the collaboration of CRES and TEDKNA and refers to the following sectors:

• CRES will provide technical and specialised support for monitoring of the requirements and deliverables arising from the participation of TEDKNA’s municipalities in the Covenant of Mayors. The aforementioned support will be further enhanced within the framework of the European “Energy for Mayors” programme in which CRES is a partner.

• CRES will provide technical and specialised support for implementation of all regulatory procedures for the green public procurement of energy-consuming products. The aforementioned support will be further enhanced within the framework of the European “Pro-EE” programme in which CRES is a partner.

• TEDKNA will encourage its member municipalities through information campaigns and training to actively participate in the CoM initiative.

• TEDKNA will plan training events and campaigns for its staff on energy efficiency issues in collaboration with CRES.

Moreover, CRES’ pro-EE team has actively informed a large number of municipalities on all energy efficiency issues relevant to GPP. Some of them have already implemented the appropriate procedures for purchasing energy-efficient products, while others have increasingly shown an interest in doing so in the future. Based on this, CRES prepared a Declaration of Interest for Cooperation for considering energy efficiency in the municipalities’ procurement procedures. In the Declaration of Interest, the municipality declares that they will start considering energy efficiency criteria when purchasing products that consume energy. CRES also agrees to provide all the necessary support and tools to assist in defining these criteria and to quantify the benefits of GPP. Five municipalities have already signed this Declaration, namely Amaroussion, Patra, Agia Varvara, Serres and Oia. Legal commitments in Greece To clarify the legal framework on conducting a joint public procurement as well as all the issues arising from the national procurement regulation for municipalities, meetings were organised with the legal representatives and specialists for procurement law. All three meetings (two with the legal advisors of Amaroussion and Kifissia and one with a legal specialist on GPP and the EU legislative framework) led to uncertainty as to whether it is possible to implement a joint procurement scheme in Greece. There was a high degree of uncertainty on the legitimacy and the conditions/circumstances under which a joint procurement between municipalities could take place, and no reassurance that objections would not be expressed by the interested stakeholders (suppliers and procurers). Clarification of this issue was requested by the Greek Legal Council of State, but the response is still pending.

Success Story Procurement of street lighting in Amaroussion In May 2009, the city of Amaroussion proceeded with procurement of new street lighting equipment to replace 500 old-style luminaires with new technology. A further 2,000 new technology luminaires were to be purchased by the end of 2009. The latter have a high potential for energy efficiency, whereas the metal halide lamps that are used are more energy efficient than the high pressure mercury lamps used in the past. Moreover, large-scale procurement (2,500 luminaires) allowed for a market price reduction of up to 46%. The initiative of the city of Amaroussion will act as a good example for the replacement of old, high-energy equipment in Greece, according to the Greek energy strategy for public lighting. The concrete energy and cost savings, as well as the achieved reduction in CO2 emissions will play a significant role in replication of the initiative in other Greek municipalities. Moreover, the market price reduction achieved through large-scale procurement will even enhance efforts for the establishment of a joint procurement scheme among different municipalities.

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In close collaboration with the Ministry of Development on energy policy issues, the CRES pro-EE team assisted with the formulation of a new Ministerial Decree, which came into effect on June 17th 2008. This Joint Ministerial Decree (JMD) tackles the issue of energy-saving measures in the public sector in relation to the acquisition of energy-consuming products and maintenance/management of the building stock. Within the JMD, energy standards for electrical and office equipment are fixed based on a minimum set of energy requirements. The standards aim to formulate a new procurement law for the public sector that will incorporate in energy award criteria. JPP in Greece With regards to the implementation of a joint procurement, it was proven to be controversial in terms of its legitimacy. The full joint procurement scheme is difficult to organise, mainly due to the lack of centralised procurement agencies of a prefecture, although the new structure of local administration in Greece may facilitate such activities in the future. The respective decision-makers, who were approached, were not familiar with joint procurement and could not refer to a specific field of the legislative framework to clarify the procedure required (it might be necessary to establish a partnership between the municipalities that are to participate in the first place, a fact that makes the procedure more complicated and time-consuming). However, under the framework of actions concerning the integration of energy efficiency criteria in the public procurement, an examination of the potential savings for the replacement of lighting equipment was conducted with the city of Amaroussion. The city set in motion a procurement procedure that called for new street lighting equipment and resulted in the replacement of 2,500 lighting systems in 2009. The old lighting operated with high-pressure mercury lamps, whereas the new ones operate with metal halide lamps. The replacement yields estimated energy savings of up to 40%.

Spain

In Spain, municipalities completed their tenders using common environmental and energy efficiency criteria. The city of Murcia, a pro-EE partner situated in the Basque Country, is using the centralised joint procurement scheme established by the Spanish national government for the procurement of certain groups of products like vehicles or computers. In this way, local authorities can incorporate the energy efficiency criteria established in the National Action Plan on GPP into their individual purchasing. In the course of the pro-EE project, Murcia procured the city’s first official e-vehicle.

Photo: Murcia’s e-vehicle

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Table: The e-vehicle’s technical specifications The city of San Sebastián, another pro-EE project partner, is one of the pilot administrations parti-cipating in the GPP activities coordinated by Ihobe, the Basque Public Agency for the Environment. In 2009, the use of common criteria for green purchasing also used by private companies and the general public was introduced into the programme in order to move the market forward and reduce the impact on the environment. San Sebastián uses the Basque Country criteria, which is based on the EU GPP Toolkit and adapted to the regional situation (supply side). At the beginning of 2008, Ihobe released a call for tenders for the confirmation of suppliers for office paper, office supplies, ICT equipment, and copying and offset printing services. In the tenders, compulsory and essential environmental criteria were stipulated. In 2006, Ihobe achieved success when tendering environmentally-friendly furniture for their new office after having worked with some companies on ecodesign.

3.4 Main Lessons Learned • A centralised procurement agency for municipalities made JPP feasible through a decrease in

bureaucracy, joint management of procurement needs, and simplification of legal/administrative issues and processes. Particularly smaller municipalities benefit from national or regional platforms.

• Particularly smaller administrations are able to enter the large customer segment as a result of the bundling in terms of pricing, whereby better prices are achieved due to the ordering of larger quantities.

• It is preferable if regions and districts open their tenders for municipalities. • To implement an energy-efficient joint public procurement, the following steps have proven useful:

o Establish a concrete network of public authorities who are concerned and motivated to integrate energy-efficient characteristics into their procurement procedures.

o Consolidate and resolve any open legal issues related to joint tender procedures between public authorities and municipal companies. Determine the proposed JGPP scheme in relation to the nature of the participants.

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o Agree on common criteria for certain products among public authorities belonging to the established network.

o Organise a joint procurement of products selected, including reviewing and further development of a call for tenders based on the model call for tenders, which has already been compiled.

• The (minimum) core criteria for green JPP should be taken from European Commission’s GPP toolkit: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/index_en.htm

• A common misconception is that it is more expensive to incorporate environmental criteria into public procurement. However, experience in pro-EE countries has demonstrated the opposite. Positive results are due to the clear transmission of a message to the bidders, and to the dialogue established with the bidders through the GPP forums and other fields of work.

• When comparing products, it is advisable to look at the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): some products initially seem more expensive, but when reference is made to the TCO, they can prove to be worthwhile.

• The use of an Electronic Marketplace has proven useful in JPP, for example the MEPA Electronic Market in Italy. To procure via an Internet-based electronic marketplace is a dynamic and safe tool in which products and services are listed in e-catalogues according to standard formats. Procurement via an electronic marketplace reduces process time, gives the opportunity to choose the geographical area where to make the Request of Offer, and provides the opportunity to realise joint procurement together with other public administrations. In addition, an electronic marketplace is also flexible in the event of initially unanswered offers if it allows for postponement of the request’s expiration date shortly before it is due to close to give suppliers more time to offer and avoid the use of paper.

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4 Integration in Local Energy Efficiency Action Plans

4.1 Summary The main purpose of this work package was to develop in collaboration with the five pilot cities of Amaroussion, Cascais, Murcia, San Sebastián and Torres Vedras ways of mainstreaming energy-efficient public procurement in the day-to-day functioning of local public administrations, as well as to develop strategies to extend the acquisition of energy-efficient products to other buyers. The point of departure was the awareness that green public procurement continues to be limited to a certain range of products (paper, detergents, ink cartridges, etc.), while the important and energy-intensive acquisitions only take the goal to minimise consumption into consideration on a small scale. The strategy this part of the project followed was therefore to raise awareness among the decision-makers in the administrations in a first phase through an Energy Efficiency Scan of the many fields of action in their departments and offices that have an impact on energy consumption, to give them a feel for where their administration stands in terms of energy efficiency policy, and to provide them with some indication of what the next steps towards more ambitious goals could be. The knowledge gained with the Energy Efficiency Scan was applied in an Internal Action Plan and ultimately a Local Energy Efficiency Plan, which included the involvement of stakeholders and awareness raising campaigns for citizens. As guidance for the development of local energy efficiency plans, Climate Alliance offered its Climate Compass methodology, providing a five-step approach supported by various aids and tools, detailed descriptions of selected measures, case studies from all over Europe, and additional resources. Part of the strategy was a set of further measures and activities to promote “buying energy efficiently” among these other buyers, such as municipally-owned companies, other public authorities and businesses. Additional awareness-raising campaigns for citizens on energy-efficient appliances and housing completed the integrated strategy. This Local Energy Efficiency Action Plan was then to be adopted by the city council. All pilot cities followed this course, using the instruments put at their disposal according to the specific situation they found themselves in.

4.2 Main Results As guidance for definition of the range of policies and measures for energy-efficient GPP that should lead to a coherent strategy and the development of a Municipal Energy Efficiency Plan, Climate Alliance has developed a “starter package” within this context for the pilot municipalities. The “Climate City Toolbox” provides ideas and suggestions for awareness-raising activities for selected target groups in all fields relevant to energy efficiency and consumption. The first of the tables below identifies activities and campaigns that a local authority can take up within its own scope of competence. The second table selects relevant tools developed in other Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE) projects in the same fields.

Success Story Pro-EE and the Covenant of Mayors The Covenant of Mayors is a new initiative by the European Commission in which signatory cities and municipalities commit themselves to going beyond the “3x20” EU energy targets through enhanced energy efficiency, and cleaner energy production and use. The pro-EE pilot cities of Cascais, Murcia and San Sebastián were among the first signatories of the Covenant of Mayors.

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Table: Toolbox – tools developed in other Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE) projects The “Actions and Campaigns” tool provides ideas for awareness-raising activities and campaigns, which can be organised at a local level to inform the main target groups about the benefits of energy efficiency and to incite them to initiate their own actions. Ideas and suggestions presented in the tool can be adapted and customised to meet the specific needs of each local authority.

Table: Toolbox – activities and campaigns The “Tools for the involvement of citizens and stakeholders” provides a list of completed or ongoing projects co-financed by the European Commission within the scope of the Intelligent Energy - Europe (IEE) programme and focusses on awareness raising, education and the participation of citizens and stakeholders for energy efficiency. It aims to promote synergies and create added-value between all of the IEE projects mentioned.

Table: Toolbox – tools to involve citizens and stakeholders

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Starting with the state of arts – The point of departure of the pilot cities’ activities within the context of this work package was the so-called Energy Efficiency Scan, which made use of a specific instrument. The Climate Compass was adapted by Climate Alliance Italy and coupled with the feedback from the partners to serve as a tool for the Energy Efficiency Scan, which corresponds to a state of the art evaluation of activities already being carried out. It consists of a matrix of measures covering eight fields of activity (public procurement being one of them), as well as detailed descriptions of selected measures, case studies from all over Europe, and additional resources. The Energy Efficiency Scan was applied in all of the pro-EE pilot cities of Amaroussion, Cascais, Murcia, San Sebastián, Torres Vedras, and was re-elaborated and modified on the basis of the partners’ experiences in order to assure its applicability. Below is an example of the matrix for an Energy Efficiency Policy. In the first column are the possible steps to be taken; in the next four, the rising levels of ambition.

Sample page from the Energy Efficiency Scan tool The tool is divided into four macro categories of interest: Energy Efficiency, Energy, Transport and Procurement, and fundamentally has three functions:

1. To verify the state of arts of the energy efficiency policies of the administration, visualising the level of performance in the different fields of action.

2. To create a cross-cutting awareness among the decision-making staff members and the political leaders of the city of the large variety of activities that can be undertaken and of the levels of ambition that can be envisaged.

3. To permit definition of tailored ambitious goals in the field of energy-efficient public procurement.

In each pilot city, staff from all relevant departments gathered at one or more meetings to compile the activities already being implemented or planned, and to identify potential additional measures in the whole field of energy efficiency, with a special emphasis on the pro-EE subjects.

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All five pilot cities completed the Energy Efficiency Scan, thus providing a basis for the next step by not only taking stock of what exists and what is in the pipeline, but also by creating a common awareness within the local administrations of energy-efficient procurement in general and participation in pro-EE in particular.

Public procurement within the Energy Efficiency Scan tool The Energy Efficiency Scan proved to be a valuable tool. The main challenge consisted of getting the decision-making personnel of the various departments around one table, a challenge that was well worth meeting, as completion of the Scan is in itself an occasion to raise awareness among the key persons in the administration of the issue of energy efficiency. As to the state of the arts, the situation was of course different from city to city, but in all of them, energy efficiency in the mobility sector was weak. In the various activity plans prepared by the pilot cities, different points in common and some specific characteristics of the various towns emerged. As far as the energy sector is concerned, the two Spanish cities of San Sebastián and Murcia have already developed detailed policies oriented towards energy efficiency with the support of Eco-Institute Barcelona. The Eco-Institute adapted the Energy Efficiency Scan to the Performance Indicators of the Basque GPP programme. Both cities have elaborated energy plans with particular attention to energy efficiency and quantitative goals; furthermore, they both have Energy Agencies. The Portuguese cities of Cascais and Torres Vedras, supported by LNEG, have shown a high level of activity in the field of energy policies in general and energy efficiency in particular in the context of their Agenda 21 processes. The fifth pilot city active in this work package, the city of Amaroussion in Greece, worked closely with CRES to develop an extensive Activity Plan. There seems to be a strong political will for action in collaboration with local stakeholders. The city succeeded in involving construction companies, banks and NGOs in its effort to reach out to the local community with the argument for energy-efficient procurement. Within the field of mobility in particular, the Spanish cities are very active in the areas of transport and sustainable mobility, and are well aware of the vast importance of this sector for the general question of energy efficiency and the perspectives of sustainable development of their territories. Murcia has already activated many of the steps necessary to steer the mobility sector towards a higher level of sustainability; what is missing are strong initiatives in reference to the municipal staff itself. Cascais and Torres Vedras have started a process of reorganisation of their transport system with the aim of making mobility by bike and on foot more attractive and safe, but they also have not yet activated any programme with their municipal staff. Amaroussion has planned a number of actions in the field of mobility, but has not yet taken any concrete measures; in some fields, such as the transport of goods they do not see any possibility to intervene because it is not within their scope of competence. An important and common field of activity is sustainable mobility for the municipal administration itself. This means converting the municipal vehicle fleet to clean and energy-efficient vehicles, a policy all five pilot cities are following, but also making the use of sustainable forms of mobility attractive for the staff in their journey to and from work (incentives for using public transport, restrictive policies for parking spaces) and make them more aware of their use of motorised individual transport (eco-driving). See: European Local Transportation Service, www.eltis.org.

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All pilot cities involved external stakeholders and citizens. The aim was to identify actions and measures for individual actors (companies, housing associations, private house owners, etc.) and to provide information on how the local authority would support or promote such actions. For this purpose, all five cities organised meetings with local stakeholders and public meetings for citizens to inform them about their own activities and aims, and the possibilities and benefits of energy efficiency for the various stakeholders, presenting energy-efficient appliances, etc. As an instrument for awareness-raising campaigns, Climate Alliance provided a ‘Climate City Toolbox’, a set of customised and ready-to apply awareness-raising activities for selected target groups in all fields relevant to climate protection, and in this context, specifically for energy efficiency and consumption. At the end of the pilot phase, the five cities had developed their own energy efficiency plans in sufficient detail, comprising targets for individual sectors and fields, a list of activities and measures for immediate implementation (which have already started in part), as well as a medium and long-term strategies. The final step of having the plan approved by the city council by the end of the project was not achieved by any of the pilot cities. The wide political support this should create will come from adherence to the Covenant of Mayors. pro-EE has demonstrated how energy-efficient procurement must become part of a strategy to reduce emissions, showing the concrete ways in which local governments can become the frontrunners and involve other stakeholders in the process.

Image: Leaflet for the citizens of San Sebastián

Success Story Stakeholder participation in Torres Vedras and Cascais For preparation of the energy efficiency action plans of the Portuguese municipalities, workshops for relevant stakeholders, who had already been identified, were held in the municipalities of Torres Vedras and Cascais on September 28th and 30th respectively. Relevant stakeholders were invited to discuss the priorities for the municipality regarding energy consumption in four main sectors: public lighting, buildings, transport and procurement. Both workshops were divided into a presentation session and a working session. During the training session, LNEG gave a brief overview of the pro-EE project, focussing on the methodology for preparation of the municipal energy efficiency plan. The municipality representative then presented the energy efficiency plan, discussing the actions set. In the working session, participants were invited to outline energy efficiency actions they were involved in or planning to implement in their organisations in addition to solutions and/or products they were able to provide to help the municipality achieve its own energy efficiency objectives in each of the four sectors mentioned.

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4.3 Main Lessons Learned a) To increase energy-efficient public procurement, all the decision-making personnel of an administration must be involved and made aware of their possible contribution to the goal. Apart from the daily consumables (paper, ink, etc.), which are purchased centrally, larger items (vehicles, computers, furniture) in most administrations are acquired by each department individually. This means that it is not enough to inform and sensitise the staff to public procurement, but virtually all leading and decision-making personnel must understand how they can contribute to energy efficiency in their procurement policy. The Energy Efficiency Scan is an excellent tool to achieve just this. It shows in concrete terms the many aspects of energy efficiency in different departments and areas of activity within public administrations. b) pro-EE correctly included the goal of a political decision, i.e. to have the Local Energy Efficiency Action Plan approved by the city council. Adoption of a strong political position within the administration helps those who would like to act but are afraid of possible negative consequences if their energy-efficient procurement turns out to cost more, involves new providers – in short, changes the conventional routine. A clear and specific expression of the city council in favour of energy-efficient procurement helps those who want to be able to act. But it should not stop there. The general declaration in the council in favour of GPP needs to be repeated periodically, updating previous decisions, and confirming them, thus strengthening the decision-makers within the administration, who want to buy “green” and making the purchase of “prestigious” un-ecological goods and services – glossy paper, large vehicles, flashy lightning – less acceptable. c) As much as it is desirable to have energy-efficient procurement sustained with a specific political decision by the city council, the project showed that the more promising path is to make energy-efficient procurement part of a more comprehensive energy strategy – be it in the context of a municipal energy plan, a Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP), as part of adhering to the Covenant of Mayors, or in the course of an environmental certification process. In fact, four of the five pilot cities have signed or are about to sign the Covenant of Mayors, and the work of pro-EE will find its collocation in the SEAP of the respective cities (Cascais, Murcia, San Sebastián and Torres Vedras).

4.4 Overview of pro-EE’s Practicable Tools In order to embed procurement in energy plans, pro-EE developed the pro-EE Compendium of Measures as well as the pro-EE Toolbox. The pro-EE Compendium of Measures provides the full range of potential measures in the fields of: • Energy efficiency policy in general • Energy • Transport • Public procurement The individual tasks are grouped into a total of four so-called “steps”, representing ambition levels, which turn the Compendium into a step-by-step evaluation tool and decision support system for local authorities. It provides a visualised assessment of current activities and a path to future action. It builds on the individual degree of progress in each field, and provides insight into fields of action, which may not yet be known.

Success Story Cascais - bylaw to increase energy efficiency in public lighting The municipality of Cascais has elaborated a bylaw to increase energy efficiency in public lighting. The bylaw classifies municipality territory into sectors where the level of illumination may vary according to the territory’s function. The bylaw also fixes the technical criteria to ensure the energy efficiency of technology installed. A remote-controlled system for monitoring the consumption of public lighting serves to constantly monitor consumption and the savings achieved.

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The pro-EE Compendium of Measures is supported by additional tools such as: • More detailed descriptions for the strategies; • Proposals for potential measures, including detailed descriptions of so-called robust measures; • Best practice case studies giving insight into successfully-implemented measures in Climate

Alliance member cities and municipalities. The pro-EE Toolbox contains

• Climate City Toolbox for local energy efficiency plans: sensitising, involving, activating citizens and stakeholders for energy efficiency;

• Actions and campaigns; • Tools for the involvement of citizens and stakeholders.

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5 Pilot Training Sessions in Sustainable Public Procurement

5.1 Summary In the pro-EE pilot training sessions on sustainable public procurement, project outcomes were merged into a training course for procurement staff from public authorities of the countries participating in the project plus Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic. pro-EE’s elaborated training concept covered transnational content and were additionally adapted to national requirements. This approach proved effective, providing participants with a comprehensive, well-suited content. Moreover, feedback from the participants, which is summarised in the evaluation report, showed that participants benefitted from the training, and that further training sessions on the topic of sustainable procurement would be very welcome in the future.

Image: Announcement of the pro-EE pilot training

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5.2 Main Results Altogether eight training sessions took place for participants from nine European countries (participants from Slovakia and the Czech Republic were brought together in one training course) with more than 250 participants. In most countries, the training was designed as two-day sessions, Portugal additionally organised a two-conference, and in Hungary and Slovakia, half-day excursions were arranged. The table below shows the dates and number of participants of all eight of the training sessions held in 2010:

Country City Date Participants

Italy Perugia 24th February 55

Portugal Lisbon 18th /25th February

4th/25th March 33

Slovakia/Czech Republic Hostetín 8th/9th March 18

Greece Athens 10th March 25

Germany Mainz 16th/17th March 20

Austria Vienna 8th/9th April 26

Spain Murcia 27th/28th April 29

Hungary Györ 18th/19th May 46 As the contents of the trainings were adapted to the national needs, they differed from country to country. The following main aspects were included in all training sessions however:

- Information on innovative energy-efficient products, especially on the products the pro-EE project focussed on (street lighting, office equipment, vehicles)

- Joint green public procurement - Implementation of sustainable energy action plans in local policy - The legal framework for sustainable public procurement - Best practice examples - How to set up tenders

So far, the topic of sustainable procurement has not been considered a component of municipal climate protection in most municipalities. The pro-EE project, and especially the pilot training sessions, disseminated this aspect in a very effective way. In many municipalities throughout Europe, aware-ness for climate protection and the cost-saving potential of sustainable procurement has grown substantially. In most of the participating countries, sustainable procurement initiatives were started as a result of the pro-EE project. Procurer networks were established in most countries. Municipalities which have already been quite progressive with climate protection initiatives have included sustainable procurement as another important aspect. In some cases, cooperation with other IEE-funded projects dealing with sustainable procurement was possible. In Germany, the training was organised in cooperation with the IEE project “Buy Smart In Austria” for example, the so-called LCC-CO2 tool (Life Cycle Costs and CO2 Assessment Tool), elaborated within the “Smart SPP” project, was presented during the training session in Vienna, and participants could calculate the life cycle costs and CO2 emissions of their own products. Pilot training on energy-efficient public procurement in eight European countries As the pilot training sessions took place in eight countries (Austria, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain), standards were drawn up for the training (duration of two days, training

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free of charge, target group of procurement staff and public authorities) and the main session content developed. All the partners fixed dates and locations for when and where to host the pilot training sessions (schedules and venues for training project partners concerning elaboration of the national training programmes and the organisation of national pilot trainings). A total of eight training sessions took place for participants from nine European countries (participants from Slovakia and the Czech Republic were brought together in one training course) with more than 250 participants. In most countries, the training ran for two days; Portugal additionally organised a two-day conference, and in Hungary and Slovakia, half-day excursions were arranged. Austria developed the training programme, organised meetings with lecturers for the training, and published an invitation to the training. The call for training in Austria was advertised via the Climate Alliance newsletter (entitled Klimanews), the Climate Alliance newspaper, the Climate Alliance website (www.klimabuendnis.at/pro-ee) and the pro-EE project website. Training materials and handouts were prepared. The pilot training in green public procurement for Austria targeted purchasers for Austrian municipalities and cities. It was promoted via the Climate Alliance Austria network, which includes more than 850 municipalities. As it was to be a very practical event, the number of participants was limited to just 25. 26 participants ultimately took part. The training was divided into theoretical and practical parts over both days. During the practical workshops, participants had the chance to choose between different topics, and were then divided into smaller groups. The pilot training in green public procurement for Slovakia and the Czech Republic targeted purchasers for municipalities and cities. It was promoted via the Centre for Environmental Public Advocacy (CEPA) network, which is a Slovakian NGO that works with municipalities and cities in the fields of environmental issues, climate protection and sustainable development. In the Czech Republic, training took place on 8th and 9th March, 2010 and was organised by Climate Alliance Austria and Friends of the Earth-CEPA/Slovakia. Approximately twenty participants, most of whom were from Slovakian municipalities, met in the Centre for Sustainable Rural Development in Hostetín, a small village where sustainability has been practised for many years. Energy efficiency experts from the Centre Veronica Hostetín, an institute for ecology, trained the participants in green public procurement. Previously, green public procurement was not widely known in Slovakia or the Czech Republic, but apparently it has become a more relevant issue to municipalities within these countries due to the recent rise in energy prices. It seems that there is great potential for implementing climate protection measures by boosting energy-efficient procurement across Europe, but particularly so in Eastern European countries. The pilot training in green public procurement in Györ targeted purchasers for all Hungarian municipalities and cities. It was promoted via the REFLEX network, which is an NGO that works with municipalities and cities in the fields of environmental and climate protection. The two-day training session was divided into a theoretical part on the first day and an excursion on the second day. The training proved extremely popular (46 participants).

Success Story Involvement of Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary in the pilot training Besides the trainings themselves and their effect on the establishment of networks between important stakeholders, pro-EE was able to involve Eastern European countries such as Slovakia, the Czech Republic and Hungary in the training. Interest from these countries was enormous, and participants intended to implement the newly-acquired information in their municipalities’ and administrations’ local policies. A crucial fact was that participants realised that not only energy but also money can be saved in the long run by considering energy efficiency criteria.

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In Spain, a concept for the training course was developed. The training course’s structure was used successfully in previous training courses on GPP organised by Ecoinstitut Barcelona for public pur-chasers in Spain at the local, regional or national levels (regional institutes for public administrations, general administration of the Spanish state). The partners were advised on the structure and integration of practical exercises. Contacts with other projects and programmes on GPP were made to establish a broader network for green and energy-efficient public procurement in Spain. Therefore, at the beginning of the training course, a round table with representatives from these initiatives was planned. In Greece, CRES organised and prepared pilot training on the sustainable procurement of energy-efficient products. The training mainly targeted public authorities’ technical staff and representatives from procurement departments. Once the training agenda had been finalised, the training session took place on 10th March, 2010. In Germany, a two-day seminar and workshop on the purchase of energy-efficient products was held in Mainz on 16th and 17th March. It was organised by the environmental department of the city of Mainz, Climate Alliance and the organisation for environmental consultation and municipal environmental protection in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate, UHR e.V. The target group comprised purchasers and environmental consultants in public institutions and municipalities. Training was organised in coopera-tion with the IEE project “Buy Smart”, and the Berliner Energieagentur. Invitations were mailed to all municipal administrations in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate and emailed to more than 4,000 contacts across the country. On the first day, a more or less theoretical introduction was given to the subject. On the second day, the tender procedure was applied to practical scenarios using concrete examples in smaller groups and discussed in the plenum afterwards. The training sessions in Portugal on SPP were promoted directly through the LNEG’s UPCS (Sustainable Consumption and Production Unit) contacts, which included numerous municipalities and cities as well as several private enterprises and the ministries. The training session was divided into two different events: first a 3-day training course (18th and 25th February and 4th March; programme in Annex 3) aiming to aid technicians working in procurement, environment, public works departments; then a conference (25th March, programme in Annex 4) aiming to aid top managers, who will work on procurement strategies. The conference on sustainable public procurement was held following the training topics; the conference was attended by 80 people, mainly from municipalities – apart from the

Success Story Involvement of political decision-makers in pilot training in Spain The Spanish pilot training in green and energy-efficient public purchasing organised by the Murcia City Council and Ecoinstitut Barcelona took place in Murcia on 27th and 28th April, 2010. It was divided into a technical workshop and a pilot training session. The workshop targeted policy makers, public procurement managers, Agenda21 officers, and public authority suppliers. The training session targeted public procurement managers in charge of IT equipment, maintenance of buildings and street lighting. The technical workshop included a round table with attendees from national, regional and local public authorities. Discussions focussed on the implementation of action plans and policies for energy-efficient and green public procurement as well as a presentation of tools for Joint Public Procurement. Each of the participating public administrations will assume a different role to promote and implement GPP on a broader scale: developing joint GPP, criteria working with both the supply and demand sides, introducing criteria for GPP in the framework contracts of the National Procurement Agency, facilitating exchanges between administrations, and supporting smaller municipalities creating networks. One of the highlights of the pilot training session was presentation of the TCO Certification programme. The second day of the pilot training combined interactive presentations and practical exercises, featuring a presentation of tools for energy-efficient purchasing and its practical application in tenders from participants. The pilot training session concluded with a presentation in the state-of-the-art fields of building and street lighting maintenance. Based on the experiences of two pro-EE mentor cities, Murcia and San Sebastián, the pilot training focussed on the importance of combining strategic elements (such as raising awareness among involved actors) with technical tools, common criteria and exchanges on a broader level.

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participants who had already participated in the training sessions. The case studies/posters developed during the training sessions were displayed so the attendees could see the work done. The pro-EE training session held by Climate Alliance Italy (55 participants) was divided into two phases. Phase one consisted of action research whereby 17 public servants responsible for public procure-ment in their administration were questioned on their GPP practices in general and specifically on energy efficiency in face-to-face meetings and telephone sessions, followed by an on-site session on possible ways of improving the ecological quality and in particular the energy efficiency of their procurement. The final pilot training event was organised in collaboration with the region of Umbria. The feedback from the participants, which is summarised in the evaluation report, showed that most of the participants really enjoyed the training, and that further training sessions on the topic of sustainable procurement would be welcomed in the future.

5.3 Main Lessons Learned

The pro-EE training sessions showed that there is a high demand for training in sustainable procurement throughout Europe. This demand can on the one hand be explained by the rather complicated legal situation in most countries, and on the other by the growing awareness for the purchase of energy-efficient and sustainable products. It became obvious that procurement staff really need support to make procurement more energy-efficient and sustainable. Most procurers are willing to buy sustainable products and services, but they often just do not know how and where to buy or obtain these products, or whether it is legal or not. So as to organise future training sessions in a most effective way, some important aspects that arose during the eight training sessions, are listed below.

• It is very effective and useful to bring suppliers and procurers together during training so that they can exchange experiences, problems and needs.

• The participation of political decision-makers is very helpful and important as the participants can directly mention their problems and needs.

• Enough time should be planned in for experience exchanges between the participants (for example, extended coffee breaks).

• The presentation of best practice examples is very important, as participants can see that means such as sustainable procurement action plans they know theoretically, actually work in other municipalities.

• Training session participants are often employees of public administrations/authorities and should receive credits for their participation in the training, as this provides additional motivation to participate. An awards scheme like this is already in place in Spain.

• It has proven crucial for invitations to training session and workshops to be addressed to the correct people; those responsible for climate protection issues are not necessarily the ones responsible for procurement issues in municipalities.

• It is important to encourage participants to interact with suppliers and to ask them for sustainable and energy-efficient products; procurers should not be satisfied with responses from suppliers such as “We do not have energy-efficient products” after having participated in a training session.

• Participants from municipalities should be told that committing to making procurement more sustainable should be introduced into local policy.

• In times of substantial financial problems in municipalities, it is very important to stress the advantages of sustainable procurement, such as the energy cost-saving potential.

• A main focus should also be on the tendering process during the training.

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Photo: Training on energy efficient procurement for Slovakian and Czech municipalities in the Centre Veronica in Hostětín (CZ), which has been built to passive house standards. Hostětín itself is a good practice example for sustainable rural development.

© Climate Alliance Austria/Brigitte Drabeck

Results from Pro-EE field research in Italy regarding training needs Sensitization and training of all decision-makers in the administration and continuous political support – from a shared vision to a common practice In Italy, pro-EE was able to verify that in the participating cities, public servants showed a high level of information on Green Public Procurement and also on energy efficiency in GPP, particularly in fields such as office equipment and public lighting. The situation changed drastically when it came to what they manage to apply in their daily work. “We are pretty much behind”; “practically we pay next to no attention to these criteria” were frequent statements. Two obstacles were identified during the field research, which must be removed for energy-efficient public procurement to occur, and they are closely connected: apart from the daily consumables (paper, ink, etc.), which are purchased centrally, the larger items (vehicles, computers, furniture) in most administrations are acquired by each department individually. This means that it is not enough to inform and sensitie staff to public procurement, but also virtually all leading and decision-making personnel to ecological purchasing and energy efficiency. Secondly: training and sensitiation have to be complemented repeatedly with adoption of a strong political position within the administration. It is not a question of passing a general declaration in the council in favour of GPP once; what is needed is a periodic and explicit stance in favour of ecological purchasing in order to strengthen the decision-makers within the administration acting in this sense, and making the purchase of “prestigious” un-ecological goods and services – glossy paper, large vehicles, flashy lighting – less acceptable.

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6 Dissemination and Information

6.1 Dissemination at the Local, Regional, National and EU Levels A central aim of pro-EE is to establish a framework enabling the pro-EE network to communicate in a consistent, effective manner with all stakeholders, including local purchasers and decision-makers involved in public procurement. pro-EE shows that a high degree of information among both purchasers and suppliers can significantly improve the environment in which public procurement takes place. Adequate dissemination of information is therefore of utmost importance to boost innovative products. Dissemination activities were very intensive at all levels (EU, national and local), and media coverage was very good (more than 100 articles, etc.) – and this despite the somehow highly administrative as well as unwieldy topic. All pro-EE project deliverables are ready for download on the homepage. Based on the communication strategy, six newsletters (one in print form) in six languages (and an average of ten pages) were prepared featuring articles, pro-EE results, news, etc. Furthermore, the project aimed and succeeded in disseminating the project results, its aims and its progress in media beyond the project consortium. Dissemination activities of the pro-EE consortium were very intensive (presentations in conferences, newsletters, etc.) and were recorded regularly in the dissemination plan. pro-EE was presented at more than 30 conferences at the regional, national and EU levels (such as the Lead Market Initiative For Europe meetings of the Enterprise and Industry DG in 2008; the EU conference on “Promoting Innovation through Public Procurement” held in Brussels on 23rd/24th March, 2010; Ispra on 3rd/4th March, 2009). At the same time, Climate Alliance’s and ICLEI’s numerous conferences and seminars at the European and national levels provided several opportunities to present the project and its outcomes. Several press releases were prepared (e.g. to promote the training sessions and the final conference). A final conference was organised in Linz in October 2010 with approx. 200 participants. The final conference was also used to disseminate the outcomes of the project among stakeholders to guarantee use of the project outcomes and deliverables after the end of the project implementation period. Presentations are available on the website. Press coverage of the project, especially also in connection to the final conference was very good (including press releases, articles, mailings, etc.) As part of the dissemination activities, the partners wrote and published an implementation manual. The manual will help guarantee a sustainable effect for the project. The project website presents all results and is widely used. All regional and national coordinators as well as partner cities present the project on their own websites.

Success Story Interview with the Ferrara’s councillor about the collaboration with CONSIP On 23rd November, 2010, Mrs Rossella Zadro, Councillor for the Environment, was interviewed by CONSIP Communication Department on her experiences with the pro-EE innovative purchasing scheme. CONSIP focused on the following aspects in particular: • The path that led the municipality of Ferrara to choose the Electronic Market for Public

Administration (MEPA) as the tool to purchase IT equipment; • Key steps for reduction of the Request for Offers of IT products on the Electronic Market for

Public Administration (MEPA) and which subjects were involved; • Evaluation of the purchasing process through MEPA; • Main advantages of the purchasing process through MEPA; • Achievement of pro-EE targets through the Electronic Market for Public Administration

(MEPA); • Successful pro-EE elements and future planning. The interview was published on the Electronic Market for Public Administration official website “Acquisti in Rete” as a relevant best practice and widely disseminated.

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Photo: pro-EE final conference in Linz, October 2010

6.2 Lessons Learned pro-EE successfully encouraged all project partners to ramp up their communications effort throughout the project. This led to a lively communications culture among all partners from the beginning through to the very end of the project with more the 130 credits (articles, press releases, etc.). 1) In terms of the broadest outreach, the most successful communications channels were in connection with concrete activities, e.g. the pilot training sessions and final conference. Both led to numerous requests for further information and/or future collaboration from our audience. In terms of outreach within national boundaries, the regional meetings and participation in national conferences allowed awareness to be raised. 2) It is very important to have an updated database on those responsible for procurement. It is fairly difficult to address the correct individuals responsible for procurement issues in the municipa-lities. The networks were usually in contact with the mayors and climate protection coordinators of the municipalities within its network, but usually other individuals were responsible for procurement issues

Success Story Greek regional workshop and the conference organised by Amaroussion The actions and initiatives were very much welcomed by both local administrations and stakeholders especially since concrete results on energy and cost savings have been presented. Many of the participants in the Greek regional workshop and the conference organised by Amaroussion entitled “Action Plan of the Municipality of Amaroussion for Energy Efficient Procurement, Information and Involvement of Citizens and Local Stakeholders” expressed their interest in cooperating with the municipality and conveying the know-how in a broader national field. It has been recommended that the dissemination of results should also involve the central state authorities in order to reach a broader audience and interested parties at a national level.

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within the municipality. Within the scope of pro-EE activities, Climate Alliance updated its database on those responsible for procurement in the member municipalities. 3) With regard to the European expert community and future project collaborations, partnerships with other EU-founded projects turned out to be successful. Participation in the meetings of the Lead Market Initiative For Europe of the Enterprise and Industry DG in 2008 was very helpful for further contacts at the EU level. Furthermore, insertion in the parliament magazine issue during Green Week 2009 proved a great opportunity to promote the project and the municipal involvement to a wider audience. At the same time, the final conference as a combination of national platform meeting turned out to be very fruitful.

Success Story Internal communication - the case of Ferrara The A21 participation bureau (Department of the Environment) and informative systems department of the municipality of Ferrara had to adopt a preliminary training and communication strategy for the municipal employees belonging to the department involved and to the local suppliers to make them aware of the benefits of using this e-procurement tool. Together with CONSIP, the participation bureau organised a full morning workshop addressing the managers and employees of the informative systems department in order to describe the Electronic Marketplace for the Public Administration. The audience was already accustomed to buying ICT with eco-labels, but they were used to putting only technical criteria in tenders. This was an appreciated participative approach, a useful platform for sharing opinions and solving possible problems among the parties. MEPA presented a new tool for the municipality of Ferrara to publish e-calls for tenders, but not the Electronic Marketplace. Meanwhile, the participation bureau managed and disseminated a pro-EE website, and periodically updated where all the main information could be found such as news, events, newsletters, project descriptions, questionnaires, dissemination, workshops, expected outcomes and legislation. In addition, a specific action was addressed to organise and participate in national events.

Communication of energy-efficient public procurement in Greece The CRES pro-EE team was in constant contact with municipalities, municipality networks and other relevant stakeholders throughout the entire duration of the action. Because of the barriers described in 3.1, CRES’ actions focussed on approaching competent decision-makers and promoting the establishment of GPP at a higher political level. The most significant outcome of the communication and dissemination activities was that it was ascertained that issues regarding energy efficiency and public procurement cannot be established on the voluntary basis of the relevant public authorities, although most of the respective decision-makers in public authorities are already aware of these issues. Such an approach would only be adopted by a minimum number of municipalities, as it would depend on individuals, who are themselves interested in such issues or have claimed the required budget to bear the increased initial cost of energy-efficient products. Moreover, there can be no holistic approach for the establishment of GPP, solely by disseminating the benefits that arise both at environmental as well as budgetary level. The reason for this mainly lies in the reluctance of public servants to bypass certain regulations that are long established (e.g. tender evaluation based on the cheapest offer) and in their fear of being exposed to objections and accusations on legitimacy issues. The latter would probably need to be handled with extra administrative and bureaucratic load, which is why it is usually avoided. Therefore, to effectively establish issues of energy efficiency and GPP in the public procurement in Greece, they have to be legally approved and incorporated into the relevant laws, decisions and regulations for public procurement. During the campaign, CRES already provided significant input to the relevant ministries for revision of the legislative framework, and will continue this in the future, as described in 3.3. Meanwhile, the MoU signed with TEDKNA and the Declaration of Interest for Cooperation signed by five more municipalities will enhance the efforts for establishing GPP in their daily procurement procedures.

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6.3 pro-EE Dissemination Materials Details on the pro-EE results on joint public procurement are listed on the project homepage: www.pro-ee.eu/procurement.html The following dissemination materials are available (in six languages):

• Final result leaflet • Six newsletters (with articles on products, criteria, etc.) • Joint Green Public Procurement Manual – A Guide for Public Authorities

Photo: pro-EE project team at the project conference in Linz, Austria 2010

Documents

Public Procurement boosts Energy Efficiency - isprambiente · 1.3 Target Groups and Key Actors The main target group and final beneficiaries for the project were European local authorities,