Once per year the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) brings together all 10 of its Communities of Practice (CoPs) in a special in-person event. In 2025, this annual event will be organised by ICLEI Europe and take place in Helsinki, Finland, on 24 and 25 March, with the first day exclusively reserved for CoP members.

The event will focus on how public buyers can drive a more sustainable, social and innovative Europe, befitting the broader aims of the project. BBWT seeks to strengthen the collaboration between public buyers with strong purchasing power, and promote the wider use of strategic public procurement for innovative and sustainable solutions.

During panel discussions and interactive sessions, the event will bring CoP members and other relevant stakeholders together to reflect on BBWT’s progress in the past year, and discuss the future of strategic public procurement in Europe. It will do so by facilitating collaboration and interactions between members from different thematic CoPs, and other stakeholders. Participants will also get the opportunity to find out some great examples of how host city Helsinki has implemented public procurement in practice.

More details about the programme can be found here.

Registration for the BBWT annual event is now closed.

The Circular Investment Readiness Network (CIRN) is organising a series of sessions to support circular economy projects in overcoming development and financial challenges. The next session will take place on 27 March (09:30 - 10:30 CET) and will be hosted by Vojtech Vosecki, one of Europe's leading circular economy voices.

CIRN seeks to create meaningful connections and foster knowledge exchange between circular start-ups, circular experts, and investors across the EU. Its upcoming networking session is designed to help participants connect with the right people and have productive conversations that can spark new opportunities and partnerships.

The networking session will take place on the Conversation Starter platform, where participants should indicate both their expertise and the areas where they seek support. Based on this information, they can schedule three separate 12-minute one-on-one meetings with experts or be automatically matched based on their interests through the platform’s smart pairing system.

To register, click here

The Circular Investment Readiness Network is a joint initiative of CircularInvest and DEFINITE-CCRI. Both projects are funded under the Horizon Europe Programme to assist the Circular Cities and Regions Initiative in advancing the circular economy in Europe. Through Project Development Assistance (PDA) and guidance, CircularInvest and DEFINITE-CCRI aim to support circular economy projects in securing vital investments. More information can be found here.

The first European Union’s GPP Helpdesk webinar of 2025, organised by ICLEI Europe, will address the topic of water in public procurement. Water management and resources can impact a substantial portion of economic activities and industries. By incorporating water-related criteria into procurement decisions—such as prioritising water-efficient technologies, infrastructure, and practices that minimise water waste and pollution, public buyers can drive significant reductions in water consumption and scarcity while improving quality. 

The connection between GPP and water management is especialy relevant in the context of the reports from the European Environment Agency (EEA) highlighting the ongoing challenges of water scarcity, pollution and ecosystem degradation across Europe. In addition to mitigating envrionmental impacts Green public procurement also supports the EU's broader environmental and climate objectives, fostering healthier aquatic ecosystems and safeguarding water resources for future generations. Furthermore, public authorities can purchase infrastructure that helps manage droughts and floods.

Agenda

• Welcome and Introduction from the EU GPP Helpdesk, Ivan Azevedo, Policy Officer, Unit B.1, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission.
• Overview of the state of water in Europe, Dr. Caroline Whalley, Expert, Water Industries and Pollution, European Environment Agency.
• Use of water-saving techniques criteria in contracts, Andrea Sabbadini, Manager of the Expenditure Monitoring Department of the Regional Health Service, Lazio Region, Italy.
• Improving water quality through public procurement, Anette Svensson, Sustainability Specialist, Upphandlingsmyndigheten (Swedish National Agency for Public Procurement), Sweden.

Register here

On 9 May (10-11 CET) the Big Buyers Working Together (BBWT) project will organise a webinar that will introduce the work of the Community of Practice (CoP) on Sustainable Solar PV. The main objective of this CoP is to make solar PV projects more sustainable, ethical and impactful. The CoP is coordinated by ICLEI Europe on behalf of the European Commission.

During the webinar, participants will hear directly from CoP members who will highlight the opportunities and benefits of collaborating in the Community. Furthermore the webinar will introduce the guide designed by the Dutch Buyer Group to help public buyers with a step by step approach on implementing Solar PV projects, from choosing the right system size to obtaining permits. The Guide has been translated in all EU languages and the CoP invites stakeholders from all member states to take a look at the guidance and adapt/adjust it to their national contexts.

Programme

• Welcome and introduction to Big Buyers Working Together project, Dominique Sandy, Head of the Sustainable and Innovation Procurement Team, ICLEI Europe
• The Sustainable Solar PV Community of Practice, Michiel Mensink, CoP Leader, Project leader and management advisor (NL)
• Sustainable Solar CoP through the eyes of its members, Uwe Korch & Josje Mooibroek, EU project and financial management & Head of Department, City of Cologne (DE), and Lukas Sloet, Policy Officer Energy Transition, City of Amsterdam (NL)
• PV Procurement Criteria + PV project Guide, Michiel Mensink, CoP Leader, Project leader and management advisor (NL)
• Q&A

Are you interested in working with relevant stakeholders to make the solar industry more sustainable? Register now for the webinar to learn more!