Czech railway becomes greener and more social

The Czech Railway Infrastructure Manager Správa železnic (RM) is a governmental organisation under the Ministry of Transport, which employs about 17,000 employees. It performs various responsibilities and tasks in the field of development, construction and maintenance of railways and related facilities. It manages national and regional railways as well as other facilities necessary for rail transport, such as railway stations.

RM has made significant strides in adopting more environmentally and socially responsible practices. It oversees railway electrification, aims to optimise energy use in facilities, and reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Projects are carried out to support transformation of buildings in an energy efficient manner, as well as to transform the lighting system (LED technology).

The aim to systematically carry out responsible public procurement was set by the Order of the Ministry of Transportation No. 19/2018-810-VZ/1 from September 18th, 2018. This document lists instruments to support sustainability in the purchasing activities of three (3) Czech major contracting authorities in the transport sector: 

• Encouraging the participation of SMEs in tendering
• Using employment clauses and other tools to support the participation of social enterprises in public procurement (by the means of reserved contracts or award criteria).
• Opportunities for apprenticeships.
• Environmentally friendly solutions.
• Decent labour conditions and occupational health and safety.

The Instruction also supports fair and transparent communication between the contracting authorities and the bidders, for instance by encouraging the use of pre-market consultations. Moreover, the major institutions are also obliged to report annually on the application of these provisions to the Ministry of Transportation.

The Director General of RM issued in 2020 a directive outlining a unified process for sustainable procurement and mandated reporting on these practices. The Instruction defines responsible procurement as a process aimed at managing the contract process in a way that produces best value for money by creating benefits for society and the economy, while minimising negative impacts on the environment.This includes responsible sourcing for cleaning services, office supplies, and furniture, among others, and tracks responsible procurement methods in a dedicated software solution.

In 2022, RM reported using 964 responsible procurement instruments, illustrating their initiatives’ impact, such as providing employment opportunities for disadvantaged individuals. It plans to further strengthen and digitise data collection to further enhance its procurement processes and societal contributions.

Find out more about the Czech railway.