GRASPINNO – Green Public Procurement for energy refurbishment of public buildings
GRASPINNO paved the way for wider electronic green public procurement implementation by public authorities in the MED area through common strategies and tools based on project results and collaborative innovative structures such as its Living Labs. It also brought together demand and offer side towards Green Public Procurement by testing the project’s tools and decision support system in 13 pilots across Mediterranean.
Challenges addressed
The Mediterranean area faces a transnational challenge due to the number of its older, energy-inefficient public buildings. Public buildings are the second main energy consumer for European municipalities. Buildings consume around 40% of European energy consumption and account for 36% of the EU’s CO2 emissions. PUBLIC Authorities and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Mediterranean area need support in acquiring the know-how and tools necessary to design and participate in electronic Green Public Procurement (GPP), thereby stimulating green growth and eco-innovation. Also the lack of communication between the demand (Public Authorities) and the offer (private sector) side in public procurement is a challenge that has to be faced.
Main objectives
The main objectives were:
The overall objective of GRASPINNO was to promote a green and sustainable growth model for Mediterranean area:
- by supporting green energy and eco-innovation networks/clusters increase their business and R&I capacities and reinforce transnational cooperation, and
- by supporting Public Administrations (PAs) to adopt green public procurement through knowledge bases, decision support tools, and validated state-of-the-art e-procurement systems.
Also, the project aimed to:
- enhance innovation capacities of PAs to engage in electronic green public procurement (eGPP); and of eco-innovation and green energy private actors, with solutions in green energy refurbishment of public buildings, to participate in green e-tenders;
- improve transnational cooperation and networking by reinforcing networks of networks of the green growth sectors and including all actors of the quadruple helix in a Mediterranean ecosystem, i.e. private actors, research organisations, PAs, civil society engaged in green, smart, sustainable development;
- facilitate transfer and replicability of eGPP practices by developing novel instruments for coaching and mentoring, for sustainable financing, and for effecting continuous behavioral change in favour of green, smart and sustainable development (the Living Lab).
External resources
Facts
Project type Innovative green e-procurement
Partners
- University of Patras, Greece
- General Secretariat of Consumer Protection, Ministry of Development, Greece
- Atlantis Consulting SA, Greece
- Terre di Siena Lab, Italy
- Mountain Community of Alto Basento, Italy
- Association of Chambers of Commerce of Veneto Region, Italy
- Veneto Region, Italy
- University of Maribor, Slovenia
- Syndicat Intercommunal d’Electrification et d’Eclairage Public de la Haute Corse, France
- Department of Public Works, Ministry of Transportation, Telecommunication and Works, Cyprus
- Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Terrassa, Spain
- Department for Development and International Projects of the Government of Zenica-Doboj Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Dates 2016-202o
Funding Interreg Euro MED, 2.811.585 €
Project description
GRASPINNO provided innovative green e-procurement solutions supporting energy savings and the efficient refurbishment of public buildings to sustain the emergence of Mediterranean smart cities
and communities. The project enhanced the capacity of public authorities to manage the energy efficiency of public buildings and strengthened the capacity of SMEs to enter the green energy market. It also aimed at ensuring the replicability, transferability, and leverage effect of GRASPINNO’s results to provide smart, low-cost, and sustainable solutions to public authorities and SMEs in the whole Mediterranean region by:
- Supporting green energy and eco-innovation networks and clusters to increase their business and research & innovation capacities and reinforce transnational cooperation
- Supporting public administrators in adopting green public procurement through knowledge bases, decision support tools, and validated state-of-the-art e-procurement systems
Impact and results
GRASPINNO offered tools to public administrations (PAs) to facilitate electronic green public procurement (eGPP). These tools provided knowledge and sustainability criteria to support decision-making for selecting the best tenders, products and solutions on offer. GRASPINNO also supported SMEs in submitting offers to GPP tenders. The project created the GRASPINNO Unified Platform that integrates three tools: the GRASPINNO Database, the eGPP Support tool, and the Life Cycle Costing Calculating Tool (LCC). Additionally, the project created the Transnational Mediterranean Network (TMN) tool. These tools present the following functions:
- The GRASPINNO Database strengthens PAs’ capacity to set green energy requirements and supports SMEs in implementing these requirements.
- The eGPP tool offers PAs an easier way to collect green specifications to be used during tender preparation.
- The LCC tool calculates the cost of proposed solutions over their lifetime.
- The TMN offers both public and private parties the opportunity to interact and learn from each other.
The GRASPINNO Living Lab methodology was based on seven living labs in six countries which cover a range of areas/scopes within electronic green public procurement. The living labs also offered mentoring and training on green policies and energy refurbishment. About 60 public institutions and business support organisations, and 20 SMEs were involved in the living labs. All parties involved in the project have gained knowledge about green public procurement, funding and mentoring, energy consumption control, mechanisms for removing obstacles for energy refurbishment, and improved governance for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The tools of the GRASPINNO Unified Platform supported Public Authorities in the implementation of green public procurement while assisting in choosing products and services for energy refurbishment and the installation of renewable energy sources in their public buildings. The challenges faced by the PAs correspond to the lack of familiarity with electronic green public procurement (e-GPP), and, as a consequence, it implied an increasing of the cautioness to integrate e-GPP procedures. The GRASPINNO Unified Platform also provided tools for SMEs and enterprises working on green growth initiatives. These tools supported SMEs to promote their green products and services to a wide range of public procurers, highlighting their sustainable practices and certifications. The TMN allowed SMEs to communicate with other actors in their area of interest, offering the chance to exchange knowledge and experiences. The GRASPINNO Unified Platform has been tested in 13 pilots, involving 28 public buildings in five countries across the Mediterranean. On average, the pilots’ energy consumption has been be reduced by 10%. The GRASPINNO platform is active and can be easily used by Public procurers familiar with the procurement procedure and the terminology. However, specific knowledge may be needed for the use of the LCC tool. In order to solve this, the platform provides user manuals to support all users
