The guide is designed to assist public authorities and public transport operators in purchasing clean and energy efficient vehicles in full compliance with European legislation - in particular the Clean Vehicles Directive (CVD). It is primarily targeted at procurers and fleet managers, but will also be of relevance to policy makers and others involved in the transport sector.

The guide presents how environmental criteria can be introduced into the different stages of procurement procedures, together with information on life cycle costing (LCO) and other relevant topics. The information presented is complemented by various real-life examples from European public authorities.