Fair procurement for the public sector - Pilot projects with municipalities

© Barbara Frommann, City of Bonn

Cities show good approaches to sustainable purchasing

Cities and smaller municipalities can play a pioneering role in improving global living and working conditions through public procurement. However, it is not always clear which steps make socially equitable procurement successful or how compliance with social standards can be verified. That is why FEMNET has been supporting municipalities in the effective implementation of eco-fair procurement procedures since 2015.

We advise open-minded offices in local governments on the conversion to other tender channels and improved proof of production in accordance with social and ecological standards and provide concrete support to procurement managers, for example in the market research for corresponding products.

Successful consultations:

© FEMNET ⁇ Stefan KlübertThe advice of the City of Berlin in 2021 included a market dialogue for the green flat, street and public order offices, a bidder dialogue for the Berlin fire brigade, the Research and preparation of all Berlin textile procurements (PDF file), participation in two political enquiries, as well as advice on the content of the new product sheets on textiles and the purchasing guidelines for the districts.

© City of Bonn Barbara FrommannThe city of Bonn has already implemented three tenders in 2016 and 2018 in cooperation with FEMNET. After two successful tenders, the employees of the Office for Urban Green are now equipped with fair workwear. As part of the third procurement, fair t-shirts and shorts for swimmers were also purchased.

© FEMNET | Stefan Klübert The cities of Dormagen and Krefeld implemented a joint pilot project on decentralised procurement and direct purchases with FEMNET in 2022-23. Ten departments took advantage of individual consultations and attended cross-city training courses and events such as the Niederrhein Market Dialogue. The Dormagen fire brigade integrated social criteria into a call for tenders for emergency clothing.

© FEMNET ⁇ Stefan Klübert In 2019, FEMNET advised on how social criteria can be taken into account for the first time when purchasing clothing for refugees by the Karlsruhe Regional Council. In 2020, it went a big step further - in a framework contract for several offices, a lot called for sustainable supply chain management in the selection criteria for the first time.

© Disposal companies KonstanzIn 2022, two municipal companies in Konstanz combined criteria at several levels of textile production (fibres and clothing) and maintenance (laundries) in a joint procurement of hired workwear. Evidence was provided, among other things, via questionnaires, which are based on the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act. A bidding dialogue with manufacturers and laundries contributed to the success of the tender.

© Tobias Wesseling | FEMNETThe city of Cologne started in 2017 with a pilot project for the procurement of work shoes for cemetery employees. A particular challenge, because in contrast to the other market for workwear, social and ecological criteria still play a relatively small role in global shoe production. In 2018, the city administration also successfully completed a major tender for the procurement of workwear.

© City of Krefeld, Press and Communication, A. BischofThe cities of Krefeld and Dormagen implemented a joint pilot project on decentralised procurement and direct purchases with FEMNET in 2022-23. Ten departments took advantage of individual consultations and attended cross-city trainings and events. A highlight at the end: The Niederrhein Market Dialogue, which brought buyers into contact with retailers and manufacturers.

© FEMNETIn 2019, the city of Markkleeberg in Saxony enforced with FEMNET that in the future all sensitive products such as workwear must comply with the ILO core labour standards. This can be proven, for example, by certain seals.

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Procurement rules in the Compass Sustainability

© FEMNETFEMNET accompanied the process of the City of Mannheim to prepare a central tender for the procurement of workwear. This included support in market research, the organisation of a user workshop and the preparation of socially sound tender documents.

© FEMNETIn 2018, the city of Stuttgart centrally procured shoes for several offices. FEMNET supported the whole process, as for the first time social and environmental criteria were queried from the bidders.

CTHOE, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia CommonsStarting in 2022, the city of Trier will dedicate itself to two product groups at the same time: Workwear, protective clothing and IT hardware. Textile requirements are bundled centrally for the first time. A challenging undertaking, but with the consulting expertise of ELAN and FEMNET, the calls for tenders will be implemented in 2023.

© FEMNETWith FEMNET, the municipality of Veitsbronn in Bavaria anchored the integration of social criteria in the procurement of sensitive products such as workwear in a Council decision in 2019. Veitsbronn is a member of the district of Fürth, where the various members discuss their steps towards fair procurement and advise each other.