Policy and implementation
Government procurement amounts to nearly 116 billion euros per year. It thus has a significant impact on the environment and on social issues, both here and in other countries. Deliberately targeted sustainable public procurement is a powerful tool for achieving major sustainability goals.
Please note: Most links lead to pages in Dutch.
Sustainable procurement action plan
Dutch public authorities together have a large buying power of about €116 billion. By using procurement to pursue social goals, you can make a big impact on the market. When the government (and other buyers) ask for sustainable, social and innovative products and services, this encourages companies to make their offers more sustainable and to innovate. To support this mission, the national government presented the National Action Plan on Socially Responsible Public Procurement (Nationaal Plan Maatschappelijk Verantwoord Inkopen).
Sustainable Procurement Manifesto
The Manifest on Socially Responsible Public Procurement (Manifest Maatschappelijk Verantwoord Opdrachtgeven en Inkopen, MVOI) encourages governments and other contracting authorities to make conscious choices for social value in purchasing and procurement. By focusing on sustainability, social impact, and innovation, organisations use their procurement to support a fair and future-proof economy.
A contracting authority that signs the manifest prepares an action plan. This action plan shows how MVOI will be applied in practice. It is a clear and practical way to put the ambitions of the manifest into action. The plan also helps to track progress and report on results.
European Green and Social Legislation
The European Union (EU) considers public procurement a key tool for achieving its green and social objectives. Therefore, European sectoral directives and regulations have been developed that contribute to achieving climate objectives or that include social obligations.
Environmental Criteria
The national criteria for sustainable public procurement (SPP) are available via the MVI-criteriatool. Using the tool you can quickly collect the most recent SPP criteria. You can select suitability requirements, selection criteria, requirements, rewarding criteria and contract provisions. The tool is also in English.
Where possible, maximum use has been made of the European Green Public Procurement criteria (GPP).
Buyer groups for sustainability
In the Netherlands, contracting authorities in the public and private sector that wish to incorporate climate impact, circularity and social goals into their procurements can join a buyer group. In a buyer group, they work together to develop a shared market vision and strategy for a specific product category.
Relevant links and tools
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