CityLoops final webinar on Bio-waste will present in depth the main results from the project's work towards a circular bioeconomy, giving an overview of how the developed instruments and demonstration actions can be replicated in other cities in Europe and beyond.

The webinar will follow the structure of one of the main legacies of the project, the Bio-waste Practitioner Handbook. The handbook provides recommendations for any European local government on how to promote circularity in the bio-waste sector. It aims to bridge the gap between theory and practice by referring to both relevant findings in literature and a selection of case studies from CityLoops as well as from other projects.

Preliminary programme for the webinar

• 13:00 Introduction: The circular transition of the bio-waste sector and the role of local authorities
• 13:05 Evaluation: Understanding your city
• 13:15 Implementation: CE in the bio-waste sector
  - Waste prevention
  - Food redistribution
  - Decentralised treatment
  - Centralised treatment (Separate collection, Pre-treatment method and Main valorization technologies)
• 13:35 Implementation & acceleration - Enabling and accelerating the transition to a circular bio-waste system
• 13:50 Q&A with webinar participants
• 14:20 Closing

The webinar will feature examples and speakers from Apeldoorn (the Netherlands), Mikkeli (Finland), Porto (Portugal) and Seville (Spain).

The webinar can be accessed via the link below. Registration is not needed. Add it to your calendar!

CityLoops final webinar and workshop on CDW will present in depth the main results from the project's work with Construction and Demolition Waste, giving an overview of how they could be replicated in other cities.

The CityLoops legacy is a Handbook for Circular Construction intended for cities and local governments that are new to the concept, alongside 9 Replication Packages: Planning and decision making, Tendering and procurement, Circular demolition, Circular soil use, Data and material passports, Recycling concrete, Material banks and marketplaces, Stakeholder involvement and Business cases. At the final workshop, we would like to address these Replication Packages, sharing recommendations and lessons learned, demo action experiences and CityLoops instruments.

If you want a sneak peak you can already find the 9 replication packages on the CityLoops website.

Agenda

Introduction part" - 1 hour - an overview of main CityLoops' outcomes:

13.00 Welcome & agenda, Pernille Kernel from the Capital Region of Denmark
13.05 Main results & Handbook of Circular Construction, Leslie Petitjean from ICLEI
13.30 The 9 Replication Packages, Pernille Kernel from the Capital Region of Denmark
13.40 Focus on business cases for concrete and soil with Høje Taastrup study case, Erika Yates from Høje Taastrup Municipality
14.00 Coffee break

2. "Deep dives into experiences and instruments" – 1h45min

14:15 Planning and decision making, Thomas Budde or Martin Visby Buchard from Roskilde University (20 min) and Kimmo Haapea from Miksei Mikkeli (10 min)
14:50 Circular procurement and the Procurement Handbook, Sanne van Asselt and Jan Jaap Blüm from Alba Concepts (20 min) and Christian Jurado Meza from Bodø Municipality (10 min)
15:25 Recycling of soil and concrete incl business case and risk management, Klaus Kellerman, Roskilde Municipality
15:50 Final reflections and goodbye, Pernille Kernel, Capital Region of Denmark

Participants are very welcome to attend both parts, but the first part is especially relevant for those want to have a better understanding of how CityLoops results can be implemented beyond the project scope, both practically in other cities throughout Europe and politically in sustainability strategies.

The webinar can be accessed via the link below. Registration is not needed. Add it to your calendar!

The 5th Interdisciplinary Symposium on Public Procurement will take place in Cagliary (Italy) from 28-29 September. The Symposium aims to bring together economists, engineers, lawyers, management scholars and professionals in the field of public procurement through dialogue and discussion. The organizers have the ambition to reduce the terminology barrier between all interested parties, bridging the cross cultural divide and reaching a joint wider understanding of practical issues in public procurement.

The Symposium will this year focus on the following topics:

• Preferences and Political Economy in Public Procurement
• Climate Change in Public Procurement
• Defence Procurement
• Human Rights in Public Procurement

The Symposium attempts to suggest reform measures for better rules of acquisition for Public Administrations and provides a platform for the discussion on the challenging issues of the modern practices in public procurement. While topics and references will certainly involve the European Union environment, the Symposium shall not be limited to this area, taking advantage of best practices worldwide

The Symposium is organised by the University of Rome Tor Vergata. Previous editions took place in Rome (2011), Budapest (2014), Belgrade (2016), and Paris (2018). For more information on this year's edition, visit the website.

During the European Week of Regions and Cities, ICLEI Europe, together with the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements, the European Committe of the Regions, and the Turkish Association of Social Democratic Municipalities, will co-organise the session "Promoting social innovation through public canteens". The event will highlight the power of public procurement and thereby call for a better use of public money to help Europe transition to a healthier, more resilient and equitable food system.

The workshop will advocate for the implementation of healthy and sustainable school meals and food education for every child in Europe. The goal is to achieve more resilient food regions and communities. The sustainable food systems law and the revision of the EU school scheme this year are decisive opportunities. This session will show the power of the public plate combined with social innovation as a way to improve the welfare and well-being of individuals and communities in Europe.

The session is the culmination of several previous joint sessions, projects and initiatives advocating for transformative and concrete minimum standards in public canteens through the EU, building on the shared goal of creating more socially just and resilient food regions and communities.

To register (EU Login required), and get more information on the programme and the speakers, click here

The EU Urban Agenda Partnership on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement, together with URBACT, EIC and ICLEI will present a workshop session during the European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels. The in-person workshop will take place on 11 October (16:30 - 17:30 CET) and integrate the EU funded projects PROCEDIN, PROTECT and LIFE Future Proof Artificial Sport Pitches in the presentation.

The EU Urban Agenda, the EIC, URBACT, PROTECT and PROCEDIN all explore synergies for the benefit of both cities and regions and use innovation procurement as a strategic tool. During the workshop they will present how cities and regions across Europe could use innovation procurement in practice.

The workshop will feature present concrete examples, e.g. of how the challenges faced by local and regional stakeholders could attract the interest of top-notch European innovators, and promote developed tools and training. Among the speakers will be Mara Inzaina (ICLEI), Vasilis Tsanidis (EIC) and Jenny Koutsomarkou (URBACT).

Register here for the workshop (EU Login required). The registration deadline is 28 September - please note that the availability of seats during the workshop is limited to 91.

Save the date! ICLEI Europe and ICLEI Member Lisbon (Portugal) are proud to announce that the 11th Procura+ Conference will be held in the Portuguese capital from 13-14 March 2024. The conference will showcase how cities and public authorities can use public procurement to implement step changes that make a big impact.

During the conference, cities, public authorities, representatives of the European Commission, business leaders, researchers and other public procurement stakeholders will be able to:

• Perfect their procurement skills in specialist Breakout Sessions
• Be inspired to think more strategically by Disruptors and Game Changers
• Learn from the wisdom of experienced procurers in the Confessions session
• Engage with peers and learn about their latest tools, actions and initiatives in the Market Lounge
• Hear how public money is being directed towards technologies and businesses that support an innovative, net zero and just sustainable society
• Explore the latest policy updates and the future of procurement

In the last 25 years, the Procura+ conference has become one of Europe’s key public procurement events—a conference where sustainable, circular and innovation procurement policy meets practice, and where procurement innovations have originated. It offers public procurement stakeholders a great opportunity to exchange information, build capacity, and network, aiming to accelerate and enable the implementation of high quality, cost effective, sustainable, circular and innovative procurement practices.

The conference is a great opportunity for public procurement practitioners to showcase their work to over 250 attendees from across Europe and the world. Interested? Fill in the call for contributions form here!

The call is open to procurement practitioners from local, regional and national government; public authorities; businesses, suppliers, manufacturers; policy makers; legal experts; scientific and research organisations; international and European institutions and agencies. The deadline for the submission of proposals is 15 September 2023 EOB.

Examples of possible contributions include:

• Good practice examples of implementation, strategies and lessons learnt
• How procurement addresses societal challenges faced by cities, public authorities and businesses
• The latest projects, initiatives, research, guidance and tools designed to improve sustainable, circular and innovation procurement practices
• Working with the private sector
• Sustainable and innovative product or service solutions

To find out more about the conference, visit the Procura+ conference website. More information about the programme, speakers and registration will be made available soon. If you are interested in collaborating, or have any questions about the conference, contact conference@procuraplus.org.