Promotion of Green public procurement by providing green technical specifications
About this good practice
Central Procurement Organization (CPO LT) is in charge of centralized purchases on behalf of contracting authorities at both national and local levels. Procurements are handled over CPO LT e-catalogue which is grouped into procurement categories with 49 different groups of services, goods, and works. E-catalogue enables to simplify the way procurement is conducted, optimize procurement cycles and reduce process costs.
In the catalogue it is marked which technical specifications include the criteria for the procurement to be defined as Green public procurement. There are 380 green specifications for the categories such as Office supplies, Cleaning services, Computer and office equipment, mobile phones, furniture, food integrated into the e-catalogue.
In this way the process of green public procurement is facilitated, because the procuring organizations do not need to set up the criteria themselves. On the other hand, procuring organizations can use these technical specifications as examples and conduct the green public procurements themselves.
In the categories which include regular and green technical specifications, 99 percent of procurements are conducted choosing green specifications. In the first half of the year 2020, through the CPO LT electronic catalog purchased green goods and services reached the value of 18 million Eur.
Expert opinion
Green public procurement (GPP) is a pivotal element in the transition to the circular economy. As indicated by the European Commission in the new Circular Economy Action Plan adopted in March 2020, public authorities’ purchasing power represents 14% of EU GDP and can serve as a powerful driver of the demand for sustainable products. The added value of having centres like CPO in Lithuania lies in the fact that they can truly act as GPP ‘one-stop shops’. Smaller local and regional entities can both rely on them to conduct their GPP operations and learn from them all they need to know to carry out GPP operations on their own (i.e. technical specifications, GPP criteria). This replicable good practice offers insights particulary with regard to the development of e-catalogues gathering all relevant information on procurement categories and green specifications. Local and regional authorities are also encouraged to consult and apply harmonised EU GPP criteria that can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/environment/gpp/eu_gpp_criteria_en.htm. The latest ones, adopted in March 2021, concern the purchase of computers, monitors, tablets and smartphones.
Resources needed
Human resources to set up the criteria and develop green technical specifications.
Evidence of success
The largest part of green procurements (almost 53% of the total number) were conducted for the Office supplies. Green office supplies were procured by 845 contracting authorities.
According the value, most of the green public procurements were conducted in order to procure Cleaning Services (84 contracting authorities procured services for as much as 8.4 million. Eur) and the Computer and Office Equipment (6.8 million. Eur)
Potential for learning or transfer
Usually procuring organizations lack skills and competences in order to conduct the Green public procurements themselves. Therefore, the central procuring bodies can play a vital role in facilitating the uptake of the green public procurement by providing an opportunity for the procuring organizations to procure goods and services which comply with the green public procurement criteria set in their regions.
On the other hand, it provides examples of the technical specifications of green public procurements, which can be later used by the procuring organizations themselves.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Central procuring organization