News & Press Releases - Fair procurement for the public sector

Employees of the Bonn Green Space Office sample the potential goods of the new framework contract. High-quality clothing and protective equipment is the basis of good work! Photo: © FEMNETEmployees of the Bonn Green Space Office sample the potential goods of the new framework contract. High-quality clothing and protective equipment is the basis of good work! Photo: © FEMNETTwo years after the first fair tender for the Service and protective clothing of the municipal employees of the Bonn Office for Urban GreeneryThe procedure is established. For example, cut-resistant trousers, forest jackets and winter vests were purchased – but also forest boots and work gloves. For the 19 lots, there were at least 4 valuable offers almost everywhere, which had to be evaluated shortly before Easter according to quality, workmanship and equipment.

From the first experience (described in the Brochure step by step (PDF file)) lessons have been learned. In addition to the criteria use value (30%) and price (40%), social criteria went into the race for the award with 30%. Tenderers who wanted to be considered positively in the tender for socially fair production conditions had to attach concrete evidence to their tenders. This was made possible by a graduated tenderer's declaration on the control of the ILO core labour standards. The more measures bidders were able to demonstrate for credible monitoring of ILO notched labour standards, the more points they were able to score.

Read more …

Impulses for Fair Public Procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration. Photo: © FEMNETImpulses for Fair Public Procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration. Photo: © FEMNETHuman rights and environmental standards are violated on a daily basis in the globalised production of goods – goods that are also purchased by the public sector. For this reason, the European and German legislators have stipulated that ecological and social criteria may or should play a major role in public procurement. How the requirements for staff in the administration have changed over the years and what the current state of public procurement law provides for was a topic in our lectures in the context of the training course ‘Grundlagen des Vergabewesens’ at the Verwaltungsakademie Berlin. However, the questions of ‘how’ were particularly exciting for the participants. The approximately 20 employees from the civil service of the districts and the state of Berlin were informed about the possibilities of using ‘quality marks’ such as the seals of fair trade. In model projects, numerous possibilities have also been developed, which we were at least able to tackle.

The two lectures were given by FEMNET employee Anne Neumann on the initiative of the Berlin promoter for municipal development policy Michael Jopp in the course of Thomas Griewald.

Our lectures and workshops can be offered free of charge at all training and further education facilities for public service employees who are involved in outreach. Information can be found in our flyer (PDF file).

Feedback on the event:

‘Fair awarding is proper awarding, is economic award - cost-effectiveness in a comprehensive sense. Deliveries and services may only be awarded by skilled and knowledgeable staff.

Due to the increasing demands on the administration - both in terms of content and quantity - and the central contracting authorities, which are not yet widespread everywhere, employees must be able to deal with the extensive requirements of public procurement law.

The methods and experience of other contracting authorities presented by the speakers are very helpful in this regard.”

Thomas Griewald,
Lecturer for basics of public procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration

Marie-Luise Lämmle from FEMNET explains: What evidence of fair production conditions is credible? What are the challenges for clean production, especially with work and safety shoes? Photo: © FEMNETMarie-Luise Lämmle from FEMNET explains: What evidence of fair production conditions is credible? What are the challenges for clean production, especially with work and safety shoes? Photo: © FEMNETTen representatives of manufacturers and trading companies for work and safety shoes discussed the requirements and possibilities of fair production with the city of Cologne. Employees in charge of procurement from numerous other municipalities also sat ‘at the round table’.

Companies that apply for public tenders have to face new requirements when municipalities formulate social and environmental claims. Since 2017, we have been supporting the Office for Landscape Management and Green Areas of the City of Cologne in integrating sustainability criteria into its tenders for work and safety shoes. To ensure that the city receives good offers for shoes and that compliance with eco-social production conditions is anchored as a central competitive criterion, we spoke with manufacturers and dealers on 16 May 2017.

Read more …