SPP HIGHLIGHTS

• Pioneer in implementing SPP in Spain since 2001

• Sustainable City Council Convention launched in 2010

• Received the Diamond Purchase Award for SMART-SPP activities in July 2012

• Enacted a Municipal Decree for Responsible Public Procurement in 2013

• Integration of green requirements is compulsory for 12 priority categories since 2015
• Enacted a Municipal Decree for Sustainable Procurement in 2017 that makes SPP compulsory, beyond the 12 priority categories, especially for the social aspects of SPP
  
  

APPLYING THE POLICY

In order to achieve these goals, several instruments and activities have been developed. Examples include internal regulations, inclusion of social and environmental criteria in the city’s tender models and actual procurement processes, training sessions for municipal workers, and business meetings with suppliers and other collaborators.

To communicate those tools and services, the +Sustainable City Council Programme has compiled them in a brochure (in Catalan) for civil servants and all relevant information can be found in the +Sustainable City Council website.  

Furthermore, as the city council is very decentralised and composed of a large number of departments and units, the +Sustainable City Council Programme encourages and provides support to the establishment of Strategic Internal Sustainability Plans by the different units and departments of the administration.

SPP RESULTS

Inclusion of at least one environmental or social criterion in around 37% of all technical and administrative tenders, including:

• the purchase of work uniforms respecting the ILO conventions;

• the acquisition of certified sustainable wood;

• supply of electricity 100% from renewable energy or high-efficient cogeneration sources;
• all school catering services include food from organic agriculture;
• all computers and imaging equipment comply with at least the Energy Star standard.

TRAINING IN SPP

Specific training for professionals working with the City Council is essential to achieve cultural change in favour of sustainability. That is why Barcelona City Council provides training in various areas related to the greening of municipal buildings and services.

For example, Barcelona City Council has provided training sessions on the Barcelona sustainable wood procurement policy to employees of the public entity for urbanism, buildings and infrastructures and to private companies that are in charge of its works management.