Presentation given by Anja De Cunto, EUROCITIES, at Open & Agile Smart Cities' annual Connected Smart Cities & Communities Conference 2020 on 23 January in Brussels, Belgium

1. Procurement? Boring no more!
The big buyers initiative
or how to move the market together towards
higher social and environmental criteria!
23 January 2020
Anja De Cunto,
funding and financing coordinator
anja.decunto@eurocities.eu

2. By working together big buyers can move the market!
1) Achieve lower prices by buying in bigger quantities
2) Joint dialogue with the market for:
▪ Procuring products/services more targeted to their needs
▪ procuring new products with higher environmental and social standards
3) Learn and share on
market engagement techniques,
innovation procurement,
circular procurement, etc, …

3. What is the Big Buyers Initiative?
▪ Collaboration between big buyers
in Europe in strategic public
procurement to help drive the
market for innovative goods and
services
▪ An initiative of the European
Commission, DG Grow
▪ Managed by EUROCITIES and
ICLEI

4. BBI
working
groups
3 working groups
established
Aim: Work together
on shared
procurement
approaches, criteria,
and messages to the
market – to drive
strategic change
1. Circular
construction
materials
2. Zero emission
construction
sites
3. Electric vehicles

5. Circular construction materials
▪Focus
• Improving circularity in the construction sector by
fomenting procurement of secondary or reusable
construction materials
▪Possible outcomes:
• Share criteria, methodologies and experiences in
procuring circular construction
• Joint market engagement event
• Recommendations for higher level EU policy makers
▪The buyers
• Vienna, Amsterdam, Haarlem, Rotterdam, Paris,
Oslo, Stavanger, Helsinki, Vantaa, Lisbon, Porto,
Brussels and Budapest

6. Zero-emission construction
▪Focus
• Non-road mobile machinery
▪Possible outcomes:
• City targets for zero emission construction sites
between 2025 - 2030
• Local and European level market dialogue,
preparing suppliers for new procurement
requirements
• Pilot procurements planned in Oslo, Helsinki,
Copenhagen and Amsterdam
▪Buyers
• Oslo, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Lisbon,
Brussels Mobility and Trondheim

7. Electric heavy duty vehicles
▪Focus
• Electrification of heavy-duty vehicles (waste
trucks, street cleaning, heavy delivery)
▪Possible outcomes
• Creating a platform for collaboration
• Sharing specifications and tender criteria unique
for the public sector
• Joint market dialogue and engagement
• Joint statement of demand
▪Buyers
• Rotterdam, Oslo, Helsinki, Budapest, Lisbon,
Belgian post, Malmo, Paris, Porto, Amsterdam,
Stavanger

8. 30 October 2019
Kick off
meeting,
Rotterdam
October
3) Joint
statement of
demand and
final joint event
February, platform is
finalised and filled with
information. Other
entities can participate
4-8 May
Market dialogue
with suppliers
during IFAT, Munich
28 November 2019
Market dialogue
training, Oslo
January 2020,
Online meeting
work update
September 2020,
Online meeting,
getting ready for
joint statement
March/April 2020,
Online meetings with
suppliers on future
technology plans
1) Sharing platform, development of
standard procurement criteria and
information sharing
2) Market dialogue
29 November 2019
2nd meeting, Oslo
5 March, study
visit with supplier,
focus on market
engagement
preparation
Big Buyers Initiative – WG heavy duty
electric vehicles timeline and objectives

9. More information on
sustainable-procurement.org/big-buyers-initiative
The Big Buyers Initiative is a European Commission Platform
for promoting collaboration between big public buyers in
implementing strategic public procurement