Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GreenS (GreenS – Green public procurement supporters for innovative and sustainable institutional change)

Teaser

The project supports public authorities to successfully apply GPP with priority. G.PP. S (Supporting Units) provide long-term support and technical assistance on GPP to public authorities. Starting from gained experiences of the CoM initiative and related projects on SEAPs...

Summary

The project supports public authorities to successfully apply GPP with priority. G.PP. S (Supporting Units) provide long-term support and technical assistance on GPP to public authorities. Starting from gained experiences of the CoM initiative and related projects on SEAPs, Energy Agencies and Public Bodies are upgrading their competences to provide full set of services to local authorities on GPP. Pilot projects, the experimentation of green procurement process and tenders, are challenging on the filed the most efficient and effective actions for GPP implementation. GreenS is testing a series of innovative tools (GPP database with templates of technical terms to purchase green energy related products and services). 21 public administrations (3 per country) are experimenting technical support by using templates database aiming a successful pilot implementation of GPP purchases. The model aims at overcoming barriers on GPP up-take to favour the replicability in other EU countries. Several key challenges and barriers have been identified addressing some solutions. These barriers include awareness that GPP practices, tools and regulations are not supported by public authorities to develop GPP strategies & policies. Dialogue & actions to boost multi-level cooperation among different actors at national, regional and local level on GPP will be supported by Steering Committees to encourage cooperation on GPP, to overcome legal uncertainties (procedures, categories of products & services, quality criteria). The GPP database, an on-line catalogue (green suppliers), position papers (policy recommendations) aim at filling lack of innovative tools on GPP. Lack of training in public bodies will be overcome by innovative training sessions for Energy agencies staff members & procures. The project objectives are to address obstacles to the uptake of GPP that have been identified by partners in their own country (good and bad practices analysis in 7 countries). The implementation of pilot projects, by aiming to intensively consult public administrations in the implementation of pilot green procurement process, have the scope to test on the field that are the most efficient and effective actions to provide GPP implementation and up-take.

Work performed

In the first 18-months tangible results have been achieved as planned. Difficulties & barriers have been faced by the Consortium considering the ambitious objectives of GreenS. Project started with WP2 and WP7. WP2 started with the analysis in each participating country of practices on GPP. Main results: 1) GPP practices identification & analysis 2) 108 SEAPs analysed 3) identification and analysis of 10 green products and services, 7 categories of products and services useful and preparatory for the pilot projects testing/experimentation. Experiences and analyses of bad and good practices has given results and information on the main gaps and successful stories at national, regional and local level on GPP. The first and tangible result of WP3 has been the institutionalization of G.PP.S. WP3 has produced the following results: 1) Strategy & GPP Institutionalization 2) Steering Committees & dissemination 3) regional/local supplier’s network & the International Consortium: the on-line catalogue (list & info on green products suppliers). The first international webinar has been organized; 4) training and Institutionalization: tangible and relevant results have been also achieved in WP4. WP’s results: training programmes and materials adapted to local, regional and national realities and policies on GPP (translated in 7 languages). Training activities have been innovative not only for contents but also for methodologies. On the “Train the Trainer” event in Brussels (February 2015), and in the webinar series, ICLEI involved and stimulated attendees with innovative training material and communication methods. ICLEI addressed aspects related to WP4 of the strategy documents in respective on spot visits. WP5 Leader has identified 3 product categories: 1) templates created & evaluation criteria and technical terms. GPP technical terms templates have been translated and adapted into 7 languages. Templates have been uploaded on the website (database). 1 pilot project on a joint green procurement concerning street lighting has been finalized. New GPP product groups have been identified and draft criteria have been settled. The WP6 Leader from Sweden presented a template concerning the evaluation of WP3, WP4, WP5. They prepared some guidelines to assess the impact and success of the activities. Till the end of November, the WP leader has started elaborating a specific report on benefits and challenges of multi-level GPP approaches and strategies on implementing G.PP.S. Also on training material they have elaborated a comparative analysis on different approaches. WP7 Communication & Dissemination has demonstrated for the first half of the project how cooperation among partners, considering EU guidelines, has achieved excellent and tangible results. A common communication strategy has been developed to provide a make better use of results, by making sure they are taken up by decision-makers to influence policy-making and by industry and the scientific community to ensure follow-up. WP Leader ensured coordination for dissemination and external communication producing all foreseen tools and results. Website and 2.0 tools are visited and updated constantly with the project’s progress, including news, events organized and attended, deliverables and training materials. The electronic informative newsletter was prepared and distributed with the support of all partners. Press releases have been issued by partners. Articles in specialized media were also published, promoting the GPP among the public authorities’ experts. So far, some partners created articles and TV/radio materials, published/broadcasted in specialized magazines/websites and TV/radio stations. The press releases and articles were accompanied further by radio and TV interviews, at local, regional and national level. Conferences, workshops, brokerage events and fair were organized.

Final results

GreenS project, till this stage, has achieved measurable results and impacts. The project foresees a series of actions driving towards the core of the project which is the 21-pilot experimentation projects to implement and test with an energy saving at least of 2 GWh/year per pilot experimentation project. The core indicators: 1). Energy savings triggered by the project within its duration and 2). RE production triggered by the project within its, will be measured in the second part of the project, at the end of the results of the pilot projects. In the first 18 months, the consortium has worked to create the basis to achieve these targets. GreenS has driven the experimentation of innovative green public tendering procedures. Pilot projects are already started in Cyprus and in the other countries are going to be launched. All partners have integrated and translated the technical templates of the 3 categories created by the WP5 Leader. Public administrations are already boosting the number of green tenders and contracts, enhancing skills of public procurers to facilitate the market up-take of innovative products and management processes. 114 good and bad practices on EU level related with purchase of energy products and services have been collected and analyzed. 108 SEAPs have been analyzed

Website & more info

More info: http://greensproject.eu.