Social and gender responsible public procurement aims to leverage public spending to advocate for social justice, equality, and inclusion. Within the European framework, this entails embedding social factors like labor rights, gender equality, and anti-discrimination policies into procurement procedures. By adopting this strategy, public contracts play a role in advancing societal objectives beyond just economic efficiency.
Further Reading:
- Socially responsible public procurement - European Commission (europa.eu)
- Introducing Gender Responsive Public Procurement and its Legal Framework 1/4 | urbact.eu
- Gender procurement | EIGE (europa.eu)
Circular procurement is a strategic approach that prioritizes purchasing goods and services designed to minimize waste and maximize the reuse of resources. This aligns with the circular economy principles, which aim to keep products and materials in use for as long as possible, reducing environmental impact and promoting sustainability.
Further Reading:
- European Commission - Circular Procurement
- Circular procurement | PIANOo - Dutch Public Procurement Expertise Centre
- ICLEI Europe- Circular Procurement
Sustainable public procurement (SPP) integrates environmental, social, and economic criteria into the procurement process. SPP is a key tool for achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs) by ensuring that public sector purchasing contributes to reducing carbon emissions, promoting social equity, and supporting economic growth.
Further Reading:
- European Commission - Green Public Procurement (GPP)
- ICLEI Europe •• Sustainable and Innovation Procurement (iclei-europe.org)
- Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) | PIANOo - Dutch Public Procurement Expertise Centre
- Euractiv article (free access in German): Sustainability advocates, unions pin hopes on reform of EU public procurement rules
Climate adaptation in public procurement involves incorporating climate resilience and adaptation strategies into procurement decisions. This ensures that the goods, services, and infrastructure procured by public authorities can withstand the impacts of climate change, such as extreme weather events, and contribute to overall climate resilience.
Further Reading:
- European Commission - Climate Adaptation Strategy
- PROTECT (protect-pcp.eu)
- Public Procurement for Climate Neutrality – a transformative policy instrument? (ecologic.eu)
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