Ghent and Copenhagen finalists for Procurement Initiative of the Year
Image (Pixabay) by "dimitrsivetsikas1969", licensed under Pixabay License
In the Procura+ Awards category “Procurement Initiative of the Year” this year’s finalists are the City of Copenhagen (Denmark) and the City of Ghent (Belgium). During the Procura+ Seminar on 12 October 2022 in Brussels it will be revealed who succeeds the Province of Zeeland, last year’s winner in this category.
The Danish capital is recognised for it’s ambitious plans to increase the market availability and public procurement of fossil- and emission-free Non Road Mobile Machinery (NRMM). Aiming to reduce emission from this product category by 30-40% by 2025, in its procurement documents the city asks for optional/separate prices for having its works done with fossil fuel and/or emission free NRMM. Additionally, starting from 1 January 2021, in all civil works projects concerning drainage and paving works, the city also asks for emission free machinery (electric), if below 2,5 tons. So far, the response has been good. There has been an additional price of 0-3% of construction sum, but in all projects with fossil- and/or emission free NRMM, CO2 savings are between 85-100%, with the additional benefit of a more pleasant environment for workers and neighbourhood residents.
Ghent aims to reduce its CO2 emissions by 40% by 2030 and become climate-neutral by 2050. To achieve these goals, the city aims to use locally produced renewable energy in its public buildings. To that end, the City and Vlaams Energiebedrijf – VEB (the Flemish Energy Company) - set up a virtual power purchase agreement (PPA) for electricity from renewable energy with a citizen energy cooperative. This virtual PPA is a multi-year bilateral electricity contract which protects the city against volatility in electricity prices. The tender requires the delivery of at least 500 MWh of renewable energy per year. It also requires that the production facility where the electricity is generated is at least half owned by a citizen energy community and that residents of Ghent can participate in the community and invest in the project.
Find out more about the successful procurement initiatives of Ghent and Copenhagen on the website of the Procura+ Awards.