EU GPP Helpdesk Webinar on “social and environmental considerations and the link with the subject matter”

The fourth European Commission’s GPP Helpdesk webinar of 2023, held on 12 December 2023, addressed the use of social and environmental considerations in procurement procedures and their link with the subject matter. All criteria applied in tenders must be linked with the subject matter. Criteria must be specific to the goods, services or works which are being purchased and cannot concern general corporate policies or practices of tenderers. This is a requirement that was set by the European Court of Justice and was then enshrined in Directive 2014/24/EU on public procurement. It applies to the use of criteria at different stages of procurement procedures: selection criteria, technical specifications, award criteria, contract performance conditions, and labels.

The webinar featured the following presentations:

• Short introduction to strategic procurement and the work & objectives of the Commission, Ivo Locatelli, European Commission;
• Social and environmental considerations and the link with the subject matter: how to avoid common mistakes, prof. Roberto Caranta, full professor with the Law Department of the University of Turin (Italy) and Coordinator of Sustainability and Procurement in International, European, and National Systems – SAPIENS Horizon 2020 project;
• Wolter van der Vlist, Procurement Policy & Strategy Team, Judicial Institutions Department, Ministry of Justice and Security (NL);
• Karsten Skjellerup, CSR Consultant, Socially responsible procurement team, City of Copenhagen (DK).

Throughout the webinar several sli.dos were used to see what the audience's understanding of the subject matter was and to see the means by which the participants asked their questions.  

If you would like to take a look at the presentations and watch the recording, please visit the Circabc website