Procurement category: interior design service, CPV code: 71318000-0 Consultative engineering services
Environmental impacts targeted: circular economy, resource efficiency, zero waste
Relevant EU legislation/policy/guidance: A new Circular Economy Action Plan For a cleaner and more competitive Europe (2020), the New European Bauhaus (2021).
Cities have an important role to play in resource management and promoting sustainable consumption patterns. Urban resource centres are one example of how cities can promote circular economy practices locally. Urban resource centres are physical spaces that bring together communities of stakeholders to find alternative ways to manage waste and encourage circular practices such as reuse, repair, and refurbishment in urban areas.
On December 6th 2024, Riga’s first Circular Economy Hub was inaugurated. An old post office was converted, and the Riga Energy Agency procured interior design and furbishing services to create the multifunctional space. This multifunctional space is designed to help citizens get acquainted with the principles of the circular economy by attending master classes, seminars and networking events. It also provides a free workshop where residents can borrow tools to repair and prolong the life of their items. Moreover, it aims to support the development of pilot projects and foster collaboration between organisations in the field of circular economy.
Learning from other countries
The City of Riga is taking steps towards a circular economy. Its Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan 2030 (SECAP) promotes circular practices in the construction and energy sectors. The SECAP promotes the use of green criteria in the procurement of renewable energy, infrastructure, and to drive sustainable development. Furthermore, the Integrated Action Plan of the City of Riga envisaged the establishment of a Circular Economy Competence Center to raise awareness about resource efficiency, train municipal employees, raise awareness among the general public and pilot projects. It also promotes the use of green and circular procurement in construction projects in the city.
In 2022, the Riga Energy Agency took part in the European Climate Initiative (EUKI-2022) project entitled "Centers for Resource Reuse and Recycling in the Urban Environment (CURE+)". The CURE+ project brought together 5 partners from Estonia, Greece, Latvia, the Netherlands, and Spain to develop urban resource centres. These centres aim to reuse and upcycle construction materials, reduce CO2 emissions and avoid unnecessary resource depletion. The project studied best practices in operating circular economy centres in European countries, developed recommendations for the partner cities, and implemented a pilot project. Within the context of this project, the Riga Energy Agency established the Riga Circular Economy Hub.
Finding inspiration from students
To incorporate novel ideas into the project, the Riga Energy Agency (REA) launched in April 2024 a call for ideas aimed at Latvian university and vocational school interior design students. The students were invited to contribute their interior design ideas for the Riga Circular Economy Hub. This initiative sought to source modern, ergonomic, and functional interior design concepts aligned with circular economy principles. The students developed their proposals in the framework of their studies and were therefore given learning credits for their work.
Seven teams of students from various institutions, including technical universities, art academies, and vocational schools, submitted their proposals for design elements to be included in the hub, as well as ideas for the general concept. In May 2024, the jury evaluated the proposals submitted by the students and chose the most suitable ones for implementation. The winning concepts and ideas for design elements were incorporated into the tender documents for the designing services of the circular economy hub.
Staff contributing to the project
In Riga municipality, staff have an opportunity to organise a “different working day” where they can do an activity that differs from their routine work and has a positive impact on the community. A team from the Riga Energy Agency decided to use two Fridays in July 2024 as a “different working day” to do the minor refurbishment works such as cleaning, repainting walls and repairing floors to transform the old post office into the premises of the Circular Economy Hub. They prepared the premises ahead of the interior design works.
Procurement procedure
To design, furnish, and decorate the hub circularly, the Riga Energy Agency launched in June 2024 a small single-stage open call for interior design and furnishing services. The revamped hub had to have a cosy and modern atmosphere to demonstrate that a circular design can be aesthetic. This aligns with the sustainability, aesthetics, and inclusion values of the New European Bauhaus. The procurement procedure aimed at hiring a team of qualified specialists in interior design and a workshop master.
The community room (60.9 m2) was to be completed by November 2024. The total estimated contract price of this service could not exceed EUR 30,000 excluding VAT.
Technical specification for the circular economy hub
To put into practice the principles of a circular economy the design of the hub had to incorporate second-hand and reused furniture, products and materials. As it is difficult for a contracting authority to compare offers on the secondary market, directly procuring second-hand and upcycled products is not usually possible. In this contract, the winning contractor was responsible for sourcing materials, products and furniture for the interior design of the hub, within the allocated budget. The contractor also had the possibility to build the furniture from scratch using recycled or upcycled materials. The bidders had to sign an application form committing to sourcing reused or second-hand furniture and materials wherever possible.
The Contracting Authority provided a list of furniture, with indicative measurements, to fit out the administrative work area, seminar space, recreational area, and wardrobe. This list provided tenderers with an indication of the activities that the contracting authority planned to conduct in the hub. Within these guidelines the tenderers had some flexibility to bid. Within the allocated budget for this project, the furniture and products could either be bought second-hand, repaired, refurbished, or built from scratch using secondary materials. If the furniture or materials could not be obtained second-hand, purchasing new furniture had to be done in coordination with the Riga Energy Agency and comply with circular economy principles (e.g. made of recycled materials, easy to repair, etc.). The supplied furniture had to be in excellent condition, clean, aesthetic, modern and consistent with each other to create a cosy and modern atmosphere. These requirements align with the New European Bauhaus values of beauty, sustainability, and inclusion.
The hub also had to incorporate acoustics improvement solutions, a space for a screen and a projector. The contractor had to provide 50 green plants in flowerpots to compose a green wall. The winning bidder had to create paper waste wall panels of at least 25 m2 and install them in the hub, as well as a soft furniture made from recycled toys. The green wall, soft furniture and paper waste wall panels were ideas envisioned by the student call that were integrated into the tender documents.
Qualification criteria
To ensure that the team of experts has the competencies to undertake this project, competency and qualification requirements were used in the procurement documents.
The interior designer had to have a degree in interior design, industrial design, architecture or a related field. They had to have experience in circular economy and sustainable design, as well as the ability to develop creative and functional solutions with secondary materials. To demonstrate experience in the field, bidders had to present examples of three public space projects implemented within the last three years that incorporated circular economy principles.
The workshop master had to have an education and experience in the field of carpentry, woodworking or another relevant field. They also had to have experience in making and restoring furniture and the ability to work with secondary materials and various tools. The bidders had to present at least seven pieces of furniture that were refurbished, modified, or renovated within the last three years.
Awarding the contract
The bids had to be submitted digitally, and the offers that met all the requirements were evaluated based on the lowest price. Two offers were submitted for this project. A non-profit organisation called Tandeems Society with a team composed of two architects, and a carpenter was awarded the contract.
Results
The benefits of repair: More than 90 % of residents in Riga live in apartment buildings that provide limited space to store tools and repair items. By opening an urban resource centre, the City of Riga is providing its residents with a space where they can repair their items themselves. By providing access to a repair space, the city can help people save money, prevent waste and limit environmental impacts. Furthermore, learning how to repair stuff can help to boost self-esteem and help to acquire new skills. Several studies have shown that for every 10,000 tonnes of waste, upstream strategies such as repair have the potential to create more jobs in the economy (404 jobs) compared to recycling (115), remanufacturing (55), composting (7), or landfilling and incinerating (2 jobs).
While it is too early to assess the impact of the repair workshop, the City of Riga will gain insights into the repair needs of its citizens from this first hub. Potentially, the city could open other urban resource centres in other neighbourhoods to make repair more accessible.
Reducing the need for new items: Around 10 million tonnes of furniture are discarded annually in the EU. Reusing furniture prevents the extraction of raw materials, greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacturing of furniture, and related environmental impacts. By furbishing the centre with second-hand furniture and materials, the Riga Energy Agency has given products a second life and therefore limiting environmental impacts.
Lessons learned
By hiring a team with experience and knowledge of how to work with secondary materials and second-hand and upcycled products ensured that the project incorporates circular economy principles holistically. The focus on the skills of the team and their knowledge across different disciplines, rather on the technical specification of the products to be procured, has provided more flexibility and creativity in the delivery of this interior design service. It also helped to stimulate demand for circular skills in the market and demonstrates that it is possible to source second-hand products and materials. As this procurement procedure was done within the context of a pilot project, the lessons learned from this contract can inform the development of circular skills criteria in future projects. Generating ideas from students helped to incorporate novel and original ideas into the project. It also helped to raise awareness of the principles of a circular economy among the students.
More information
For related information, please see the European GPP criteria for furniture and the Technical Background Report, as well as the GPP criteria for office building design, construction and management, and Technical background report.
Riga Energy Agency website
Riga Energy Agency - Circular Economy page