Our Activities

The six cities involved in the project will go through a Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP) process. PCP is an innovation procurement tool to stimulate market innovation as it enables the public sector to steer the development of new solutions directly towards its needs. The six cities will define the needs and requirements of the energy and mobility solutions to be developed, and challenge start-ups, SMEs and companies to design innovative solutions applying the use of AI and related enabling digital technologies, such as 5G, Internet of Things (IoT), cloud computing and big data applications.

ICLEI's aim in the project is to maximise consumers’ and specifically procurers involvement via specific campaigns, via retailers, cities and manufacturers’ service network. ICLEI is creating awareness amongst European public and business procurement personnel (PPP) through targeted and tailormade campaigns to inform public procurement actors and their organisations. The consortium wants to empower PPP to make better, more informed decisions when it comes to the procurement of high energy efficiency products.

The Big Buyers Initiative presents an opportunity for public authorities to engage with other authorities across Europe and to shape new innovative solutions to their procurement needs. ICLEI and EUROCITIES are currently running the initiative on behalf of the European Commission, DG Internal Market, Industry Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW). The initiative works together with existing networks and organisations active in this area. To put these goals into action, three working groups have been established, with over 40 participating cities, which meet regularly to work on relevant procurement topics. The first group focusses on electric vehicle procurement, the second on circular construction procurement, and the third on zero emission construction vehicles. The groups meet regularly and ICLEI together with EUROCITIES provides faciliation and organises market engagement for the groups to achieve their goals.

ICLEI is in charge of making a review on barriers and opportunities for the development of bio-based value chains; identifying stakeholders and expected benefits from mutual learning; mapping bio-based products (applications) based on stakeholders’ interests; creating guidelines for the BIOVoices Mobilisation and Mutual Learning approach; engaging the plurality of voices through creation of the BIOVOICES community and establishing a mechanism for communication of their needs, through the methodological approach for Mobilisation and Mutual Learning (MML) workshops; creating the on line BIOVoices social platform and on line mutual learning activities; co-designing of the BIOVoices social platform and organising a series of European, National and Regional MML co-creation events. All of these actions will promote the dialogue among civil society, business, policy makers and researchers as well as develop a common understanding of the different needs and possible solutions and produce policy briefs in order to increase the societal confidence related to bio-based products and industries.

ICLEI is compiling a guidance document for "Buying Social". It provides guidance for procurers on how to include socially responsible considerations in their tenders. The European Commission will publish the final guidance document. To develop the guidance ICLEI is also compiling a range of good practice examples to illustrate the guidance provided.

BuyZET, coordinated by ICLEI, aims to understand and optimize the impact of public procurement activities on transport patterns in cities – and to find innovative and sustainable delivery solutions for goods and services, which can help to address these challenges. The goals of the project are to boost demand for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and other zero emission urban delivery solutions on the European market, and to develop procurement plans to achieve zero emission urban delivery of goods and services to the public sector. To achieve the project goals, participating cities identified the areas of procurement spend with the biggest influence on the movement of goods and services. They developed plans for innovative zero emission procurement activities for these high priority areas in co-operation with key market actors and other stakeholders. ICLEI provided support for the cities in these activities, as well as established cross-border networking and experience exchange between consortium partners, other European cities, and further stakeholders. The project also resulted in a series of recommendations for both public authorities and national and European policy makers in support of zero emission delivery of goods and services.

ICLEI USA provided technical advisory services at the request of the Climate Smart citizen task force of Philipstown New York. ICLEI contributed to the development of a baseline estimate for "net" GHG emissions after removals. The object of the analysis was to inform the development of a Climate Action Plan to outline the policies and actions local government, community partners, and individuals could take to measurably reduce emissions and adapt to unavoidable climate change. The task force recommended that the Town adopt the analysis given that it best localizes the global emissions resulting from the community’s actions and unites efforts to promote community health, a growing local economy, environmental stewardship and other sustainability initiatives under the common banner of a collective plan to address climate change. The town set a goal of carbon neutrality by 2040 and explored opportunities to do that with and without the purchase of carbon offsets.

The Circular PP project studies the current state of knowledge on circular public procurement in the Baltic sea region, builds capacity on circular procurement among relevant stakeholders, and delivers and implements pilot procurement programs. ICLEI provides mentoring services to the city of Aalborg in the implementation of two circular procurement pilots, as well as project management and communication support. As a result of this process, the city of Aalborg, along with the other public authorities that are part of the project, will pilot a circular tender process, showcasing how public authorities can leverage their purchasing power to push the economy towards more circularity.

The EcoProcura conference series is where public procurement policy meets practice, and where future innovations originate. For 20 years EcoProcura conferences promote exchange and dialogue amongst purchasers from all levels of governments, suppliers, policy-makers and multipliers on strategies and the latest practical solutions on SPP every 3-4 years. The purpose of the EcoProcura is to provide a forum to encourage public authorities (with a focus on local governments) and their partners, such as businesses, to exchange experiences and coordinate their actions and purchasing power in favour of sustainable and innovative products and services.

ICLEI, along with other European Commission partners, supports training on green public procurement (GPP) across 11 countries. ICLEI has developed the GPP training material and a curriculum for the training programs. ICLEI provides a comprehensive ‘train the trainer’ session to equip the national training organization with the knowledge and tools they need to carry our trainings in their countries.

The Global Lead City Network on Sustainable Procurement is a group of cities committed to drive the transition to sustainable consumption and production by implementing sustainable and innovation procurement. Participating cities act as ambassadors of sustainable procurement to lead to a resource efficient, low carbon and socially responsible society. Their aim is to share and develop capabilities to implement sustainable purchasing practices, as well as to help develop a supportive political framework for implementation.

ICLEI coordinates the GCLN on Sustainable Public Procurement. Through defining quantified targets for their procurement processes, the GLCN members create political commitment to SPP. This allows them to implement ambitious SPP practices. After announcing quantifiable sustainable procurement related targets at COP23 in Bonn, ICLEI and the network will seek to expand its membership in different world regions, focusing on regional sustainable procurement leaders – in terms of achievements and/or ambition.

ICLEI operates the Helpdesk on behalf of the European Commission, with the goal of providing an easy entry point to GPP for all European public authorities to increase the uptake and professionalization of GPP. Part of the GPP Helpdesk service are the publication of monthly newsletters, answering Helpdesk queries, semi-annual educational webinars on a content management on the European Commission’s GPP website; and dissemination of GPP policy and practice towards the Member States and all other organizations that fall within the scope of the EU Public Procurement Directives.

Public buyers are supported in the identification of their needs and, once ready, connected with SMEs and start-ups able to develop innovative solutions responding to their requirements. A total of five regional procurement of innovation broker schemes will be piloted in the Upper Austria Region, Denmark, North Rhine Westfalia (Germany), Ireland and Andalusia (Spain), then scaled up to a European level. We test innovation procurement brokerage approaches at regional and European level, we support and carry out assessments of public authority needs and we engage with start-ups and SMEs across Europe to find innovative solutions to needs.

This “Leading City Network on Green Public Procurement” project aims to build a leading city network on Green Public Procurement(GPP) among participant’ cities—including Gyeonggi-do province, Goyang City, Bucheon City, Daejeon Metropolitan City and Busan Metropolitan City.

Under this project, ICLEI Korea Office has provided several consultations to enhance the execution of GPP, offered expert lectures to improve awareness, construct a foundation for continuous exchanges and cooperation by creating a domestic network of GPP, and publicize its performance through the ICLEI global networks.

Ultimately, this project helps local governments acknowledge the necessity and significance of Green Public Procurement (GPP) in addressing climate change, and achieving regional sustainable development, and to lay the foundation for voluntary participation.

Ecoinstitute SCCL together with ICLEI is developing the LCC tools in 2018 and 2019. A public consultation on the tool(s) is carried out in cooperation with the Procura+ European Sustainable Procurement Network Interest Group on LCC. Once the tools are developed, they will be publicly availble for procurers to use in their tender procedures.