Harnessing Public Procurement for the Green Transition

Switzerland

Framework, scope, action-plans

Switzerland has not developed a national strategy or action plan specific to GPP. Nevertheless, Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is part of the broader national Strategy for Sustainable Development 2030. Notably, the Strategy states that the Swiss Confederation “procures products, services and construction works that meet stringent economic, environmental and social specifications throughout their service life. It establishes a strategic framework that sets the level of ambition for sustainability criteria and provides for appropriate controlling and monitoring”.

In addition to that, the country has recently revised its public procurement legal framework (Federal Procurement Act, 2020)1 with the objective, among others, to harmonise procurement legislation between the federal and cantonal level while setting an economic use of public funds that has sustainable economic, ecological and social effects. To guide and support implementation of the revised norms, a new Strategy for public procurement by the federal administration was issued in 2020 (“Federal Procurement Administration Strategy - Strategy for the Implementation of the Total Revision of Public Procurement Legislation for the Strategic Period 2021-2030”), and it identified sustainability as part of the mission of the Swiss public procurement system as well as a key strategic axis.

Implementation

Since 1 January 2021 - under the revised legal framework, contracting authorities at the federal level are encouraged to further consider quality and sustainability factors, for technical specifications and award criteria, while ensuring that the core-principles of non-discrimination and transparency apply, as well as the compliance with the other commitments deriving from international procurement agreements. They are also required to award contracts to the most advantageous offer, rather than to the most economically favorable offer. Moreover, all contracting authorities, across all levels of government, are required to only award contracts to suppliers that comply with national and international legal provisions (e.g. Swiss environmental law, international conventions on the protection of the environment signed by the Federal Council) on environmental protection and conversation of natural resources2, depending if the place of performance is in Switzerland or abroad.

To guide and support the implementation of sustainable public procurement by contracting authorities, the Swiss Federal Procurement Conference (CA) has also developed some guidance documents, including a document on the Guiding Principles for SPP (2018) and a set of Recommendations (2021) to integrate sustainability criteria, including environmental criteria, across the different phases of the procurement procedure (i.e. selection criteria, technical and functional specifications, and award criteria).

Furthermore, a new knowledge platform on sustainable public procurement (PAP) provides since 2021 contracting authorities of the Confederation, cantons and municipalities with information and tools on sustainable public procurement.

Measurement and impact

Central purchasing agencies (e.g. Federal Office for Defence Procurement, the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics, and the Federal Roads Office) provide data on SPP through an independent digital platform, which is not linked to the e-Procurement system. Moreover, each central purchasing agency publishes an annual report on public procurement (“Set de reporting du controlling des achats de l’administration fédérale”), which also contains information on GPP. Other public organisations still report on the use of GPP, but this is done on a voluntary basis.

Moreover, some public organisations report on sustainability performance related to public procurement. For example, the Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics (or UFCL), which is one of the three central purchasing agencies in Switzerland, publishes an annual report on its progress in sustainability, including in the area of public procurement.

Recent developments

The Federal Office for Buildings and Logistics organises, together with other stakeholders, an annual conference on sustainable public procurement. The aim of the Conference is to contribute to the exchange of experience between contracting authorities at all levels and to support the ongoing efforts to develop sustainable public procurement practices and their harmonised implementation in Switzerland.

On 18 June 2023, Switzerland’s voters approved the Climate and Innovation Act, whose goal is for Switzerland to become climate neutral by 2050.  The act states among others that the Confederation and the cantons are playing a leading role in achieving the objective of net zero emissions and adapting to the effects of climate change, including through government procurement practices.