Center for Not-for-Profit Association publishes guidelines for procurement with social and green clauses

Public or private procurement represents instruments for achieving the public policy objectives of governments as well as the development objectives of the business environment.

The high level of funding allocated to procurement, generally at the level of public institutions and companies, makes them extremely important for achieving sustainability objectives in the public and business sectors.

Romanian public procurement legislation provides a modern framework for reform, including all technical options promoted by EU Directives in the field. A good understanding and consistent use of the procurement tools/options offered by the law can lead to beneficial results in the areas of improving the quality of public services, social inclusion, and sustainability.

Reforming public procurement by promoting the use of social and environmental clauses will not solve all social problems in our communities. However, this can be a step that leads to the elimination of barriers between social and economic intervention and creates better opportunities for social inclusion and the development of modern social services.

The Center for Not-for-Profit Law Association meets the needs of contracting authorities/entities that wish to carry out procurements with social and green clauses by publishing a guide that includes information on the application of the legislation and practical examples of such procurements. The document was prepared by consulting interested parties, namely public authorities, non-governmental organizations, social economy entities, and companies.

“Given the limited resources of the planet, Europe’s commitments to the Green Deal, but also the impact on low-income population due to the pandemic and the crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, through this guide, we wanted to present simple solutions that can be multiplied and can prompt public institutions to follow the exemple in initiating and implementing sustainable procurement.” Alin Izvoran, procurement specialist and author of the guide.

Thanks for the involvement in preparing this material to the following: members of the working groups within the Social and Environmental Impact Procurement project, representatives of the public administration, the business environment, social enterprises, and insertion social enterprises, and the project partners’ teams – the Center for Not-for-Profit Law Association, Ateliere fără Frontiere Association, Civitas Foundation for Civil Society Cluj Napoca.

The guide on procurement with social and environmental clauses can be downloaded HERE.