This publication gives an overview of the European regulatory framework surrounding procurement of medical devices and provides some guiding principles for the implementation of sustainable procurement initiatives in healthcare settings.

WIDES ranks and scores products across a number of hazard categories, and all departments are required to use it for purchasing. It significantly contributes to transparency on the disinfectant market, and its impact is reflected in rising purchases of disinfectants with low risk potential, and influencing producers to use low impact ingredients.

In 2015, Hyvinkää Municipality set an ambition to procure the first ecolabelled pre-school in Finland. By building a pre-school to the standards necessary to achieve the Nordic Swan Ecolabel, Hyvinkää was able to promote a range of sustainability considerations, including promoting energy use and using sustainable building materials and methods. The winning bidder not only built the school, but also managed the ecolabel verification process, which the school successfully achieved in August 2017. This was the Procura+ Award winning tender in 2017 for Sustainable Procurement of the Year.

Barcelona City Council has been implementing SPP for almost two decades, and in 2006 it launched the +SCC programme which introduced firm purchasing commitments which are applicable to all council departments. Participatory processes have been central to the development of the +SCC Programme, and were used to develop strategic goals and define compulsory criteria for 12 high priority procurement categories.

In 2016 Cornwall Council launched a project which focused on improving knowledge of and confidence around using market engagement techniques throughout the commissioning and procurement cycle. As a result, procurers and suppliers alike have been supported to participate in engagement, and activities are better targeted and more proportionate to the potential value to be gained.

Public Health Wales adopted a new mindset when moving office in 2016, and instead sought suppliers who could reuse and remanufacture as much already owned furniture as possible. The winning tender provided an attractive, functional office design, in which 94% of furniture was reused or remanufactured.

This case study shows how Suwon undertook successful SPP Tender Implementation and Impact Monitoring. Selected as a city for the “SPP Tender Implementation and Impact Monitoring” that is currently being carried out in Asia under the One Planet Network, Suwon kicked off the project in March 2017 and set the target for increasing the ratio of the annual Green Public Procurement (GPP) to over 40% and that of Recycled Asphalt Con¬crete (RAC) to more than 20%.

PRIMES works to build capacity for GPP within small and medium-sized public sector organisations, provide hands-on support for implementation and act as an agent of change for GPP at the regional and local level in all EU Member States.

The Dutch Province of Zeeland is one of the frontrunners in Europe applying bio-based public procurement with a view to stimulate the transition to a circular economy.