Abstract

Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a method used to purchase products and services that impact the environment as little as possible and that have the maximum possible positive social effect. The added value of SPP for people and the environment has to be measured and recorded if we are to develop insight into its impact. A knowledge of this impact enables contracting authorities to act in accordance with their sustainability objectives and use SPP more efficiently.

Since 2009, the water boards have been using their Klimaatmonitor (Climate Monitor) to measure the impact of many of their business processes but have not yet used it to measure the impact of procurement and tendering. This is why RIVM has now investigated how water boards can monitor and measure SPP. Seven enthusiastic, committed water boards cooperated in this study. RIVM used their experiences to make recommendations to the Dutch Association of Water Boards regarding the setting up of an SPP monitor that can be used by all water boards.

The organisation looked at whether the use of SPP has had an impact on tenders in the product groups: hydraulic engineering works, sludge transport and waste collection and processing. As a result, the participants saw, in concrete terms, how they can measure and monitor SPP. It emerged that coordination, regarding SPP, with the right people at the contracting authority and with the suppliers in question is an important precondition for effective measuring and monitoring.

This research was supported by funds from the Klimaatenveloppe (Climate Envelope): Impuls Klimaatneutraal en Circulair Inkopen (Climate-neutral and circular procurement initiative). The central government is using the initiative to encourage organisations with a public procurement task to focus more on climate neutrality and circularity when carrying out their duties.