News & Press Releases - Fair procurement for the public sector © Disposal companies Konstanz From Blaumann to Multinorm: Own businesses rent sustainably For the technical companies (TBK) and the waste disposal companies (EBK) of the city of Konstanz, sustainability has long been relevant in purchasing. In the joint re-tendering of a framework contract for rental work clothing with laundry services, FEMNET's municipal own businesses were supported in integrating sustainability criteria on several levels. For almost a year, EBK and TBK were accompanied by Rosa Grabe, project manager at FEMNET and the awarding lawyer André Siedenberg. For example, the companies implemented ambitious sustainability criteria by combining requirements for production (fibers and ready-to-wear) and for the laundries. Important milestones of the pilot project were an extensive market research on rental textiles, a bidder dialogue, the preparation of the procurement documents with legal support and the evaluation of the submitted evidence by FEMNET. The two municipal companies bundle their procurements in a purchasing cooperation. In 2022, around 1,000 garments were advertised for around 180 employees. This includes the orange warning protective clothing of waste workers and city cleaning as well as protective and work clothing for the various work areas on the sewage treatment plant, the cemetery and in the workshops of EBK and TBK. In addition, the tender included 20 dirt trap mats, 1,000 cleaning cloths for the automotive workshop and 130 tea towels. Extensive market research on sustainability in rental textiles © Disposal companies KonstanzThe tender was preceded by an extensive market analysis, as rental textiles were also a new focus for a pilot project for FEMNET: Which sustainability criteria can the clothing ranges of relevant textile service companies already meet? What measures do they implement in the course of industrial washing? According to the market availability of various products and evidence, ambitious criteria could be demanded – partly mandatory, partly optional in the award. ILO core labour standards mandatory for 95% of clothing With regard to the social criteria, the market research showed that compliance with the ILO core labour standards in the assembly for 6 out of 10 lots could even be required in the schedule of services. Compliance was demonstrated by independently conducted audits, which could not be more than three years ago. 30% of the rating points for sustainability in fibers, clothing, industrial washing The market analysis revealed that many rental textile service providers are already implementing innovative environmental protection measures. However, these are not necessarily well comparable with each other. For this reason, the lowest common denominator was found for washing services and transport: For the use of electricity from renewable energies as well as the lowest possible pollutant emissions during delivery, extra points were achieved in the surcharge (10% of the rating). Additional points were awarded to bidders for the above 6 lots for further social and environmental criteria. Two tenderer questionnaires were used to provide evidence: One related to the assembly, the other to the fibers. These questionnaires were included in the rating with a further 20%. Due diligence obligations: Bidder questionnaire based on the Supply Chain Act For public procurement, the use of quality labels is currently a legally sensible approach to demonstrating sustainability criteria, as they create comparability. In principle, however, their use does not exempt manufacturers from complying with their due diligence obligations to protect the environment and human rights. More about the Supply Chain Act What is special about the questionnaire: It is defined in advance which quality marks and/or alternative proofs are accepted. For example, this tool for alternative proof provides guidance to bidders and supports the evaluation. Since 2015, FEMNET has been developing this instrument in cooperation with municipalities and municipal companies. All formulations are subject to legal review. As part of this pilot project, the questionnaire on corporate due diligence at the assembly level was adapted to the criteria of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. The second questionnaire concerned the use of sustainable raw materials/fibers. For example, extra points were awarded for the use of organic or fair-trade cotton or the use of recycled polyester. Innovation with potential: Digital bidder questionnaire For the first time, these questionnaires were summarized in an interactive Excel table. The idea: Offer bidders a bundled interface in which they can enter their supporting documents more clearly per lot and question. They had to submit the completed questionnaire together with their tender. ‘The digitalisation of the questionnaire has also given us a new basis for examining the evidence submitted, as this has enabled us to directly identify valid and invalid evidence, identify additional claims and award the points accordingly,’ explains Rosa Grabe of FEMNET. "This is where we see potential for the future, as digital tools could support this process much more. The digital questionnaire was a first step in this direction, on which we want to build further." The more extensive the sustainability criteria are, the more demanding the audit can be. However, some basic questions help: Is the certificate still valid? Do the production country and the company name agree? At the end of the project, FEMNET conveyed to the procurer of EBK and TBK what needs to be considered during a final strategy workshop. Success factor Bidder dialogue © Disposal companies KonstanzEBK and TBK considered the Tenderer Dialogue tool to be very helpful. Textile service and manufacturing companies were invited to the exchange and brought into contact with each other. At the event, the contents of the planned call for tenders could be presented to potential bidders and questions from the companies could be answered directly. Some representatives of the city of Konstanz also took part, so that a direct transfer of knowledge was possible here. A documentation of the dialogue was published with the procurement documents. The tenders revealed who had participated in the tender dialogue. The submitted evidence was better in line with the specifications and formal errors could be avoided for the most part. Success factor Wear test A wear test was planned as an integral part of this award. Especially when switching to sustainable textiles, the satisfaction of users can be decisive. Therefore, their test judgement was included in the rating with 10%. As part of two awareness-raising workshops, FEMNET provided the consumer with information on what the focus was on in this call for tenders and what they can achieve through the use of sustainable textiles. Sustainability makes the difference With the current tender, EBK and TBK have taken on a pioneering role in sustainable procurement, as sustainability criteria for work-rental clothing with washing service have been defined for the first time and corresponding evidence has been defined. In addition to mandatory social criteria, sustainability criteria accounted for 30% of the rating. In the end, the contract was also awarded to a company that achieved the higher score in terms of due diligence requirements in the production line. Andreas Haaga, head of merchandise management and project manager at TBK, sees the pilot project as a success: “With this call for tenders, we have shown that sustainability can be demonstrably demanded in public procurement. This applies even to this extensive EU-wide call for tenders. We will take this knowledge with us in future procurement procedures. Sustainability is now more than just a buzzword for us.” Tender documents in the Sustainability Compass For 2022 This pilot project took place within the framework of the FEMNET project “Fair Change Procurement”. It is funded by Engagement Global with its service center Kommunen in der Eine Welt (SKEW) on behalf of the BMZ. It is supported by Fairtrade Germany. back
