The Big Buyers project has been nominated for the European Ombudsman Award for Good Administration 2023. The project coordinated by ICLEI, Eurocities and BME, on behalf of the European Commission is nominated in the category Excellence in Citizen-Oriented Delivery. Vote here until 14 June 2023.

The Big Buyers Initiative is recognised for promoting  collaboration between cities, central purchasing bodies, and other public authorities in the strategic procurement of sustainable solutions. By working together through this initiative, public administrations are able to steer the market into developing new technologies for a greener and more digital future, ensure higher quality and more cost-effective public services, and promote transparent public administration.

In the previous edition public buyers joined forces in four working groups respectively focusing on electric heavy-duty vehicles for waste collection, street cleaning and maintenance; zero-emission construction sites (“Zemcons”); digital solutions in the healthcare sector; and circular construction – roads, infrastructure, public space (with focus on circular asphalt).

In 2023 the next phase, called Big Buyers Working Together, kicked off. The project is currently preparing its Needs Assessment which will identify whether the groups established in the previous phase will continue to collaborate, whether there are new needs (e.g. the sectors or the main focus areas) which require establishing new groups and choosing new approaches, or whether other existing public buyers’ initiatives can benefit from the support available under Big Buyers Working Together in order to accelerate development of new procurement strategies in their respective areas of focus.

More about BBWG can be found here