FIRST PROGRESSES OF THE PROJECT

During the first six months of the project, the consortium completed the preparatory actions that will serve as a starting point for the development of the rest of the project. These actions included a technical update and the identification and characterisation of the different urban furniture products. A summary of the state-of-the-art on green public procurement (GPP) was produced, including current legislation and standards as well as existing procedures, tools and methodologies for GPP. Furthermore, thirteen urban furniture products were identified and characterised according to the different materials, manufacturing processes and technical specifications required. These products were grouped into three different product categories as follows:

· Street furniture products: (i) benches, seats and chairs; (ii) bicycle parking; (iii) canopies and kiosks; (iv) bins and containers; (v) hydrants; (vi) advertising and information panels; (vii) planters and pots; (viii) tree pits, manholes and lids.

· Recreational and leisure products: (ix) playgrounds; (x) sports courts; (xi) showers and footbaths; (xii) fountains and hydrants.

· Traffic management products: (xiii) traffic signs; (xiv) guardrails, barriers and parapets; (xv) milestones and bollards; (xvi) speed reducers.

The project consortium is currently working on the development of the GUF Tool. A preliminary conceptual design of the tool structure and features was carried out. During the first step, the tool will provide GPP criteria that will allow public authorities to include environmental clauses for urban furniture in their call for tenders. The GPP criteria will be based on the EU GPP Toolkit, and will include both compulsory criteria and award criteria. Thus, public authorities will be able to reject those tenders of furniture products that do not meet the specifications and give extra points to those that meet the award criteria. This will ensure that public authorities using the GUF Tool actually perform green procurement of urban furniture. Public authorities willing to invest extra effort in GPP will have the chance to use the tool via a second step in order to assess the life cycle environmental impacts and costs of the different tenders selected in the first step. As a result of this second step, the tool will combine economic and environmental aspects of tenders in a single monetary indicator, so public authorities will be able to select the most economically advantageous tender. At present, the project consortium is gathering all the information required for the database that will feed the GUF Tool, which includes GPP criteria and environmental and economic data for materials and processes related to furniture products.

Moreover, a comprehensive dissemination plan has already been designed, and will be executed during the project in order to raise public awareness and disseminate the project results, especially those concerning the GUF Tool. The dissemination plan identifies the target audience, mainly public authorities and urban furniture manufacturers or suppliers, and defines the communication tools and guidelines to be used, the events to be attended, and the publications and other dissemination materials to be produced.

Progresses of the project to date

100% - Identification and environmental characterisation of the different elements of urban furniture

15% - Design and development of the GUF Tool

0% - Development of guidelines and support materials to be used by public bodies for the inclusion of environmental clauses in their purchasing procedures

0% - Pilot implementation and practical demonstration through real public procurements of urban furniture using the GUF Tool

10% - Dissemination of the results, including training seminars aimed at public bodies

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