The European Commission held recently a call for evidence for the evaluation of the EU Public Procurement Directive. ELCA has sent in feedback on behalf of the landscape garden sector.

Simpler, more flexible rules, value for money, transparency and integrity
ELCA is of the opinion that the rules itself may seem adequate but with room for improvement. In the current public procurement practice we see for example, that there is too less attention from tendering authorities for encouraging innovations. At its core, greenery and nature-based solutions contribute to a better climate, biodiversity and public health. ELCA pleads for more attention for using the public procurement procedures for enhancing innovations in the framework of the policy based green transition and social inclusion.

Easier market access, SMEs and cross-border participation
Creation and maintenance of greenery and nature-based solutions are now often part of a bigger tenders with predominately other types of works. Landscape garden companies should be, looking at the assets of greenery and nature-based solutions, more acknowledged in the role of main contractor. ELCA pleads for not clustering green projects into other kinds of works, but to put specific green tenders on the market. 

Addressing strategic challenges
Knowledge of greenery and nature-based solutions at tendering authorities is increasingly under pressure or disappearing. ELCA pleads for more attention at tendering authorities for professional knowledge of greenery and nature-based solutions so that, based on a balanced tendering request, ecosystem services and related green and inclusive innovations are optimally applied for addressing societal challenges.  

Competition
Green projects bear a substantively complex character and aim to realise increasingly higher values of ecosystem services over the years. ELCA pleads for the adjustment of tendering choices towards the realization of maximum ecosystem services in the course of the years and, from that perspective, to grant projects based on the principle of the economically most advantageous offer instead of only focussing on the lowest price bidding.

Boosting public-private partnership
ELCA likes to place public procurement also in the perspective of the implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation. Most of the measures will be taken at local level and initiated by municipalities. ELCA strongly believes that public procurement can boost the public-private partnerships for green innovation and realisation of local and regional social objectives. For that it is needed not only to look at procedures, but also to work on trust, to exchange of knowledge and experience to define balanced tenders and to achieve together the unique results of nature-based solutions based on sustainable, economic, environmental and social value.

For more information:

Egbert Roozen, secretary general
Phone: (+32) 468 35 11 91
Mail: contact@elca.info