€15.9 million in public procurement with full compliance to green initiatives

Over a period of nine months, government issued €25 million in tenders that comply with environmental guidelines. Of these, €15.9 million reached the full criteria as set out by the guidelines.

GPP - green public procurement - is a process whereby public authorities seek to purchase goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle.

Addressing a press conference at the Finance Ministry, minister Tonio Fenech and environment minister Mario de Marco said that this year over 2,500 tenders were issued.

Of these, 1,900 were screened and 510 were found to fall in any of the 18 categories available.  113 tenders, with a value of €15.9 million, were found to meet the full criteria.

In addition to tenders that have already been published as at the end of September 2012, an additional 15 tenders amounting to €7.6 million were found to be compliant and are due to be published in the coming weeks. Once published, these tenders would increase the percentage of GPP-compliant tenders to 24.4% by number and 30.9% by value of the tenders that fall within GPP product groups.

During this year, government established a green public procurement function, which ensures that all government tenders are screened for compliance with GPP criteria, and provides advice on a daily basis both to government procurers, and to suppliers interested in engaging in GPP tenders.

 "As government, we want to push forward environment credentials. Over the years we have worked to protect the environment through various iniatives and projects including the car scrapping scheme, the development of the Delimara power station extension and plants for water filtering," Fenech told the press.

The minister insisted that environment protection can however only be achieved through a culture change.

"Government has showed continuous commitment towards a cleaner environment and sustainable development. The various initiatives have helped the general public to start thinking green," he said, with reference to schemes such as the handing out of free energy saving lights.

"The benefit of such a process is that it fits with its efforts to encourage further the expansion of a local green economy, which is an important emergent source of job creation."

Fenech also warned that abiding by the GPP didn't necessarily mean that government would be opting for the cheapest tender submitted.

"We receive complaints by bidders that their tender had been the cheapest of all, yet it wasn't chosen. The reason is that it's useless offering the cheapest price if the bidder fails to meet all requirements," Fenech said.

"If the requirements are not met, one is simply disqualified. Government is not obliged to purchase the cheapest but the one that meets the requirements."

Minister Mario de Marco said that the National Environment Policy adopted earlier this year recognises that a shift to a greener economy would require strong signals and incentives on the part of the government.

"The GPP is intended to strengthen both the environment and the economy. It is not a luxury we desire, but an economic necessity that we cannot do without," de Marco insisted.

He said that building a green economy encourages the creation of high quality employment and market opportunities, whilst reducing our impact on the environment.

"This is certainly the way of the future," de Marco added.