Level 2: Preliminary research

  From the 250 Level 1 products and services a selection was made from the perspective of potential future public procurement. In 2009 some 70 products and services were selected, in 2010 another 40 or so were added.The specifications of the eco-labels were examined for these 110 products and services. The purpose of this exercise is to make a first assessment of a set of sustainable criteria for a certain product or service.  The following method was used as a guiding principle: a) Criteria concerning regulations or criteria established at European level within the context of activities concerning green public procurements (GPP toolkit) were always taken into consideration. b) Criteria commonly occurring with various eco-labels were set as minimum specifications. In the files they were included under the title ‘technical specifications’. There are accordingly also requirements to be met by all valid tenders. Because these criteria commonly occur in the specifications of various foreign eco-labels, they give a first indication of a possible range of products and services on the market. c) Criteria not commonly occurring with various eco-labels were set as optional specifications. In the files they were included under the title ‘awarding criteria’. As a result, it is not absolutely required that these criteria are met. Nevertheless, tenders that do meet the criteria have a competitive advantage. Please note that this technique assumes the use of more awarding criteria than just the price. d) Criteria that are relevant for completing the order (often for service orders) were included under the title ‘conditions for the work’.For details about the methodology: see document WORD / PDFRead more >>