Development of methodological principles and working aids for climate protection and circular economy aspects in public procurement practice

The aim of the research project is to develop specific support for procurers in order to make their procurement practices more climate-friendly and/or more circular economy-oriented. The background to this is the new legal regulations on environmentally friendly procurement in the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act (KrWG), in the Federal Climate Protection Act (KSG) and in the general administrative regulation on the procurement of climate-friendly services (AVV Klima). With the amendments to both laws, the procurement regulations that were previously essentially optional provisions (cf. e.g. the principle of procurement law to take environmental and social aspects into account in public procurement) became mandatory requirements in the Climate Protection Act and a preference obligation in the Closed Substance Cycle Waste Management Act.

In the project, specific measures for the reduction of greenhouse gases and the strengthening of the circular economy will be developed for 15 products and services that are particularly relevant for public procurement, and corresponding tender criteria that comply with procurement law, including verification procedures, will be developed, the GHG emissions and environmental relief potential of these measures will be calculated and materials for the further training of procurers will be developed. In addition, the Federal Environment Agency's life cycle cost tool for green procurement is being updated and expanded.