How sustainable procurement works in small municipalities:

Tools to support the process

Project proCURE, funded by Program Erasmus+, is currently developing a manual and a digital toolbox. These resources are designed to help procurers and decision-makers in small municipalities with up to 5,000 inhabitants implement sustainable procurement practices.

While there are already numerous tools available to support sustainable public procurement processes, some are only partially practical for smaller municipalities. For the procurement needs of smaller municipalities, two aspects are particularly relevant and must be addressed by the tools: Just like in larger municipalities, the products and services to be procured are extremely diverse—ranging from road salt and firefighting equipment to vehicles for public transportation. At the same time, the individuals responsible for procurement in municipalities have many other duties. Therefore, the information resources must be compact, engaging, and easily understandable. Additionally, tenders are rarely conducted. Most products and services are procured directly. This requires specific tools/resources.

During the development of the manual and the toolbox, an overview has been created of what is procured in small municipalities and what types of tools can be helpful for procurement (e. g. tools for the municipal council decision and the development of an inventory of what is procured by whom).

Additionally, the project partners have reviewed the existing informational resources. Among the extensive range of resources, Germany stands out particularly. The content of the tools was identified. Based on this, the project partners assessed which of the content required by smaller municipalities is covered and which is missing. They also determined what can be used directly by municipalities, where further development of the form ("compact, engaging and easily understandable”) is needed, and where new development of resources is necessary.

The preliminary results will be reviewed in a total of 8 focus groups with public procurers and decision makers — do the project team's assumptions about the practicality of informational resources actually meet the requirements of the buyers? Employees from municipalities in Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein will be invited to four virtual focus groups.

Further information on proCURE can be found here.

 

 

_{Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible.}