News & Press Releases - Fair procurement for the public sector 16 November 2020 Networking for more fair procurement How can sustainability criteria be specifically anchored in procurement procedures? For this purpose, a Germany-wide specialist audience discussed at the online networking & training meeting on 23 and 24 October 2020. At the end of October, FEMNET hosted an already established event: from all over Germany, local procurers, education officers, consultants and coordinators of local development policy met online. The group discussed current developments in fair procurement and reported on its own successes and challenges. There was also the opportunity to network for future plans. Current legal developments The speakers André Siedenberg (lawyer & expert for public procurement law), Gisela Burckhardt (chairman of the board, FEMNET) and Rosa Grabe (project management, FEMNET) highlighted the different aspects of fair public procurement. André Siedenberg offered a refresher of important background knowledge and explained, among other things, the legal framework for procurement processes and different procurement procedures. He then provided the ‘tools’ of fair procurement: The concrete anchoring of sustainability criteria in the tender specifications, in the selection and/or award criteria as well as in the specific implementation conditions were explained and weighed against each other. Supply chain law, Grüner Knopf & Co. In her contribution, Gisela Burckhardt focused on current political developments around the textiles product group. She reported on the impact of the Covid pandemic on textile industries and workers in India and Bangladesh. It became clear that the pandemic exacerbated pre-existing problems, such as unfair purchasing practices by branded companies, working time violations and the employment of workers through agencies. Gisela Burckhardt also presented the current status of the Supply Chain Act: Key points are to be discussed in the cabinet, but the Ministry of Economic Affairs and associations are walling up. Finally, she gave an insight into a forthcoming study on the Green Button and its assessment by civil society. From consulting practice Rosa Grabe reported news from the consulting practice of FEMNET. This year, the city of Karlsruhe will be intensively supported in its project to integrate social and environmental sustainability criteria into a call for tenders for a large framework contract for several offices. Particularly innovative is the anchoring of sustainable supply chain management in the selection criteria and the absence of a reference to the DAC list. Participants also had the opportunity to report on their own successes and challenges in fair procurement. Pilot procurements of textiles and natural stones, successful bidder dialogues and planned events could thus be shared with the group.
