CIVITAS has released new guidance on public procurement that provides local and regional policymakers and transport practitioners with policy reflections and practical insight from European procurement experts.
The report outlines how public authorities should rethink how they meet their mobility needs, and how their procurement strategies can have broader positive (or negative) impacts on sustainable urban mobility patterns.
It describes what cities need to do before procuring vehicles, such as assessing needs and priorities, provides a methodological approach to greening public fleets and sets out how public authorities can go further and be bolder ‘“ for example, by procuring together with other cities or beyond local markets.
The guidance builds upon existing initiatives and projects and offers some of the most inspiring good practice examples on sustainable mobility procurement in Europe.
Sustainable public procurement is a topic that touches upon many, if not all, of the 10 CIVITAS themes. Examples include purchasing new vehicles or infrastructure that is more sustainable than traditional alternatives, and procuring public transport vehicles that clean or maintain roads and paths.
Concepts such as more efficient distribution systems for urban freight and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which takes a holistic view of the environmental impact of a product, can also be invaluable tools to cities seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.
Table of contents
- Purpose of this guide
- About CIVITAS
- Before procuring vehicles
- Good practice examples
- Greening public fleets
- Stepping further and bolder
- Good practice examples
- Greening the transport of goods and services
- Good practice examples
- Relevant initiatives and sources
About CIVITAS
The CIVITAS Initiative is the flagship EU initiative for cleaner, safer, and more sustainable urban mobility and transport. With a primary focus on testing and implementing measures in cities, evaluating their impact and sharing the knowledge and experiences generated from them, CIVITAS promotes a transition to a more sustainable mobility culture in cities. Adding to over 800 measures tested in CIVITAS cities over the past decade, CIVITAS has now expanded to include a growing community of practitioners, policy-makers and experts on different transport topics.
Sustainable public procurement is a topic that touches upon many, if not all, of the 10 CIVITAS themes. The most obvious example is purchasing new vehicles or infrastructure that is more sustainable than traditional alternatives. Procuring services such as public transport vehicles that clean or maintain roads and paths is also a relevant concern for cities and public transport operators. Finally, concepts such as more efficient distribution systems for urban freight and Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), which takes a holistic view of the environmental impact of a product, can be invaluable tools to cities seeking to reduce their carbon footprint.
You may download the report CIVITAS Guide: Procuring sustainable mobility solutions from here