Our mission –
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The importance of the development of sustainable procurement
The naBe action plan
For sustainable public procurement in Austria
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) make it unequivocally clear that action on climate action (SDG13), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8) and the protection of life on land (SDG 15) and life below water (SDG14) are among the greatest challenges of the 21st century.
To achieve this, it is necessary to sustainably change the way we produce and consume (SDG 12). The public sector has a special role to play in meeting these challenges.
With the Austrian Action Plan for Sustainable Public Procurement (in short: naBe action plan), the public administration in Austria contributes to achieving these goals and takes important steps towards a climate-neutral administration.
The history of the naBe action plan
The emergence of the naBe action Plan goes back to an initiative of the European Commission in 2003, in which all European member states were invited to develop National Action Plans (NAP) on greening public procurement.
On 11 July 2010, the Austrian government decided by resolution of the Council of Ministers to develop an Austrian Action Plan on Sustainable Public Procurement, thus making the decision to promote sustainability in its three core dimensions: environmental, social and economic.
The naBe action plan is to be taken into account in a binding manner for federal public procurers such as all federal Ministries as well as the central purchasing body, the Federal Procurement Agency (BBG). All other public entities, which are subject to federal procurement law (BVergG2018), like federal states, cities, municipalities and other public institutions, are advised to use the criteria as well.
The goals of the naBe action plan
The naBe action plan has three objectives. All three goals are to be achieved within the legal framework provided by the Federal Procurement Act:
- Anchoring sustainable procurement in all federal institutions.
- Harmonisation of criteria with regard to sustainable public procurement
- Securing Austria’s pioneering role in sustainable public procurement in the EU
On June 23, 2021, the Federal Government adopted the updated naBe action plan including the naBe core criteria. You can find the updated naBe action plan in the download area.
The implementation of the naBe action plan
The Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) was in accordance with the decision by the Council of Ministers on 11 July 2010 entrusted with the coordination of the implementation of the Austrian Action Plan on Sustainable Public Procurement.
In order to fulfil the implementation of the Austrian Action Plan on Sustainable Procurement in the best possible way, the BMK uses existing partnerships and networks at all levels, including with the Federal Public Procurement Agency (BBG), Bundesimmobiliengesellschaft (BIG), the federal government, the provinces, cities and municipalities as well as NGOs, the Federal Environmental Agency, scientific institutions, the European Commission and the United Nations.
The naBe platform
In 2019, the partnership between the BMK and with the Federal Public Procurement Agency (BBG) took a new step forward and led to the implementation of a competence center for sustainable public procurement, named naBe platform, to better implement the goals of the naBe action plan. The naBe platform represents the first point of contact for all questions related to the naBe action plan and supports public procurement officers in incorporating sustainability in their daily business. Furthermore, the platform coordinates the working groups to review the naBe criteria constantly. In addition, the naBe platform organizes events and workshops on new topics regarding sustainable public procurement.
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