News & Press Releases - Fair procurement for the public sector © FEMNET 02 December 2019 Public procurement "on the button" – new content in fair procurement training Under what conditions is workwear made? What are the new public procurement directives? And how do companies view fair workwear? With questions like these, we put public procurement back on the button during our multiplier training in October 2019. After initial contacts were made and thematic aspects were refreshed, we went deeper into the subject matter with a gripping lecture on the Working conditions in the manufacture of workwear in North Africa and Southeast Asia. The first results of the study, which were carried out together with our partner organisations CIVIDEP in India and FTDES in Tunisia, are already summarized in factsheets. The results are sobering: In both countries, no living wages are paid and, similarly to the fashion industry, time pressure, lack of employment contracts and overtime are commonplace. Only companies that commit to multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Fair Wear Foundation scored with more transparency. “Create concrete action plans! Establish state seals! Create Competencies!” These were some of the demands that were subsequently worked out in a group work. To this end, we discussed in small groups the contribution that companies and politics at municipal, state or federal level can make to fair public procurement. Procurement in smaller structures in particular plays a special role here, as the second presentation illustrated. The main advantage here was the manageability of products as well as the personal reference of individual buyers to the respective subject areas. This was also confirmed by the experience of our cooperation with regions such as the district of Fürth. Green button in public procurement? The extent to which state seals can actually contribute to fair public procurement was demonstrated by the Talk about the Green Button. Johannes Norpoth, the coordinator of civil society in the Textile Alliance, informed about the criteria of the new state metaseal and illustrated its composition of product and company testing. He also assessed the opportunities and risks of the Green Button with regard to fair public procurement. The Green Button can be used primarily as a tool to anchor targeted measures in companies and set time windows for the establishment of certain social and ecological production standards. The many questions and contributions showed the keen interest in this complex topic and ensured a lively end to the dinner. Amendments to public procurement law: Declining thresholds and price information The second day also promised exciting input: firstly, new developments in public procurement law were presented fresh from the award day in Berlin, including falling thresholds from 2020 and a subsequent discussion on the need and obligation to provide price information. In some cases, very cheap offers are critical, especially with regard to social standards. Here, the regulation offers an opportunity for greater transparency and fairer competition, especially in the event of large price differences. Manufacturers record growing demand for eco-fair workwear With full enthusiasm for responsible public procurement. © FEMNETFor the first time, we were also able to present the perspective of fair public procurement from a company perspective. Mr. Kukula explained the importance of a fair award for industry and trade and the associated additional effort of the companies for the acquisition of certifications. At the same time, however, he also sees the growing demand for ecological and fair (professional) clothing and the associated added value of such certifications. As with previous training courses, the constellation of participants was once again mixed. In addition to multipliers, staff from the cities and municipalities as well as from the Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement (KNB) part. The KNB serves as a state instrument for sustainable public procurement. The employees advise and training at federal, state and local level. In contrast to our work, the focus here is not only on textiles, but includes all goods. A complex task for the six-person team, which has to familiarize itself with a wide variety of subjects. This is precisely why we appreciate the dialogue and look forward to the possible addition of two important actors in the context of future-oriented and sustainable procurement of public institutions. The third and last multiplier training for this year took place on 26 and 27 October 2019 in Cologne and once again provided space for enough starting points to continue working on this important topic next year. Since 2015, we have been committed to more sustainable public procurement. Since then, we have been working together with municipalities, training centres and civil society actors on different setting screws - and with success! In this way, we succeed step by step in moving conventional public procurement towards more rethinking and sustainable change.
