
Big Buyers for Climate and Environment
WHY GET INVOLVED?
Big Buyers is designed to help drive market demand for innovative and sustainable products and services in Europe.
We establish working groups, which focus on a specific unmet public procurement need. The groups meet regularly, both online and in person, and consist of a small number of public purchasing organisations, such as local and regional governments, central purchasing bodies, and other public agencies.
Through participating in these groups, participants benefit from a number of joint activities.
ACTIVITIES
Exchange of best practice with peers from across the EU
Carry out joint market engagement and share market intelligence
Find out about the latest guidance and technical developments
Joint development of procurement criteria and strategies
Full reimbursement of travel costs for all physical meetings and technical visits
Our Working Groups
The Big Buyers Collaboration Network for Strategic Procurement is designed to help drive market demand for innovative and sustainable products and services in Europe. The third phase of the network will start in Spring 2023 with the establishment of in ten working groups, which focus on a specific unmet public procurement need. The participants of these working groups will soon find their home in a platform under the umbrella of the European Commission. Here each working group will have its own designated collaboration area. More information about this platform is soon to come.
The Working Groups meet regularly, both online and in person, and consist of a small number of public purchasing organisations, such as local and regional governments, central purchasing bodies, and other public agencies. Through participating in these groups, participants benefit from a number of joint activities.
The second phase of the project began in April 2021 when four working groups were launched::
- Electric heavy-duty vehicles for waste collection, for street cleaning and maintenance
- Zero-emission construction sites (Zemcons)
- Digital solutions in the healthcare sector
- Circular construction - roads, infrastructure, public space
The Digital solutions in the healthcare sector group operated until October 2022. The three other Working Groups will continue in the third phase of the project, alongside the seven newly established Working Groups
Regular updates on the activities and results of the groups, together with opportunities for collaboration will be shared across relevant media channels.
Three Working Groups were created during the first phase (2018-2020). Find out about their lessons learned and more:
Participate in shaping the new edition
ICLEI, EUROCITIES and BME are currently running the network on behalf of the European Commission. In developing the new working groups, they aim to work together with organisations and other stakeholders active in the thematic area of each working group. For this reason a needs assessment will soon be launched that will help define the themes and needs of the working groups.
Lead
Lead, steering and implementing
- Steer the group activities, propose new activities, speakers, actions, etc.
- Participate in all the activities
- Is expected to deliver concrete outcome (e.g. joint statement of demand, development of procurement criteria, joint market consultation) in the lifetime of the project
Roles
Buyer
Implementing pilot projects and procurement contracts
- Participate in defining group activities
- Participate in all the activities
- Is expected to deliver concrete outcome (e.g. joint statement of demand, development of procurement criteria, joint market consultation) in the lifetime of the project
Follower
Learning and contributing
- Participate in defining group activities
- Participate in all the activities
- Is not expected to deliver concrete procurement outcomes in the framework of the BBCE project, but mainly to learn and contribute.
Expert
Support public entities in delivering procurement elements such as technical specifications
Observer
Group of entities not directly involved in a group
Regular communication keeps the Observer Group up-to-date on the activities of the Big Buyers