Hier komt tekst The goal versus the law

Hier komt ook tekst Thomas van Doorn

Utrecht.nl

City of Utrecht and Sustainability

This afternoon

Utrecht.nl

The change of public procurement

Sustainability as goal

Four ways to do so

The struggle to gain that goal

The City of Utrecht

Percentage sustainablity of total spend

Circular and recycling

Utrecht.nl

The City of Utrecht

Difference between recycling and circular?

Utrecht.nl

Utrecht.nl

A brief history...

First public procument law: 1815

Public procument is older

Utrecht.nl

A brief history...

Political focus on public procurement is relatively new

Main goals: freedom of goods and people

Transparancy, equality, non discrimination, proportionality

Focus: compliancy with the EU Laws

Lawfulness, lawfulness, lawfulness

Utrecht.nl

Politics discover procurement (1)

Utrecht.nl

Procurement becomes a policy tool

In 2012 by national law

Small companies are hot!

Introducing ‘Gids Proportionaliteit’

Then comes climat changes and economic crisis

Politics discover procurement (2)

The EU laws change in 2016

Innovation and sustainability

EU 2020

Directive 2014/24/EU

A new vision on public procurement

Utrecht.nl

The struggle begins (1)

Utrecht.nl

The original principles are still there

Freedom of goods and people

Transparancy, equality, non discrimination, proportionality

But the main goals has changed

The struggle begins (2)

A boat over land

Utrecht has policy goals

Innovation

Social entrepreneurship

Sustainability

It’s hard to move a boat over land

Utrecht.nl

Sustainability in a tender

Utrecht.nl

Four ways to move the boat:

1. Selection criteria

2. Technical specifications

3. Contract award criteria

4. Competitive dialoque

Selection criteria

What does EU law say?

Environmental management standards

Check by independent bodies

Only use European standards

Related to the subject of the contract

Utrecht.nl

Selection criteria (2)

Utrecht.nl

So what is the problem?

We want to change the attitude of the company

Not related to the contract!

Lots of national standards

Forbidden to use them

Selection criteria (3)

For example the ‘milieubarometer’

Dutch initiative

Measures the environmental performance

Creates awareness en sets business targets

Utrecht can not use it as selection method

Utrecht.nl

Selection criteria (4)

Utrecht.nl

It is not based on EU standards

And is it not related to the contract

Outdated principles

But understandable in 2004

Contract award criteria (1)

Utrecht.nl

Environmental aspects explicitly stated

No unrestricted freedom of choice

The criteria must be clear and precise

A big struggle for Utrecht

Because the proof is in the pudding

Contract award criteria (2)

Sustainability by innovation

The business in the lead

Utrecht does not give the solution

The business is always three steps ahead

But how the compare?

Utrecht.nl

Contract award criteria (3)

Utrecht.nl

Utrecht:

“the one that fits our ambitions the best will win”

But is this clear and precise?

Is this unrestricted freedom for Utrecht?

Contract award criteria (4)

Example: the Utrecht cleaning service

Business 1: only use bio cleaning solution

Business 2: the employees wil drive electric cars

vs.

Utrecht.nl

Contract award criteria (5)

Example: the building of parking spaces

Business 1: all machinery run on bio diesel

Business 2: we will give a donation to the WWF

vs.

Utrecht.nl

Contract award criteria (6)

Utrecht.nl

Other solution: make it more specific

No innovation by the business

But it is clear and precise

Contract award criteria (7)

The purchase of playsets

PEFC wood: Recycled wood:

5 points 7 points

Utrecht sets the tone

One business said: I want to use bamboo!

Utrecht.nl

Technical specifications (1)

Utrecht.nl

You can ask for a specific label

Related tot the subject of the contract

The use is limited

Most labels refer to business themselves

For example FSC wood

“The organization shall comply with all applicable laws”

Technical specifications (2)

There is a solution

Prescibe the underlying criteria

Mention a specific label as proof

Also accept other equivalent label

Utrecht.nl

Technical specifications (3)

Utrecht.nl

Technical specifications most ‘save’

They are clear and precise

But it is only a minimal

No room for innovation

The competitive dialogue

Utrecht.nl

On of the set procedures

Answer to the ‘specific and clear’ problem

The outcome of the dialoque is sustainable

Then a bidding on the outcome (lowest price)

Expensive procedure

Conclusions

Utrecht.nl

Utrecht uses all of the three options

Takes a legal risk on contract award criteria

The EU directive needs an update

The competitive dialogue is an (expensive) solution