Over the past year, the Competence Centre for Sustainable Procurement Saxony (KNB) conducted a targeted series of online capacity-building webinars under the EU-funded CE-PRINCE project (Interreg CENTRAL EUROPE). Designed specifically for public authorities and municipal decision-makers, these sessions brought together 80 regional representatives to explore legally sound, practical methods for integrating circularity and climate protection into public tendering.
The series systematically broke down sustainable public procurement across two core operational themes: Sustainable Infrastructure & Construction and Strategic Climate Protection & Procurement Law.
1. Sustainable Infrastructure & Construction
Given the high environmental impact of public building projects, two dedicated webinars examined how to embed circular principles and carbon accounting directly into construction procurement workflows.
Carbon Shadow Pricing in Construction Tenders
- Core Focus: Integrating carbon-related costs into tender evaluation criteria to align public building projects with long-term climate targets.
- Key Content: Participants explored practical methods for calculating carbon shadow pricing, evaluating tenders based on life-cycle emissions, and navigating relevant European and national legal frameworks. The session also highlighted how sustainability certification schemes can verify carbon reduction commitments in real-world tender procedures.
Modular Steel & Timber Hybrid Systems
- Core Focus: Evaluating innovative modular construction methods as an adaptable, low-carbon alternative to traditional building practices.
- Key Content: The workshop examined steel modular systems and timber-hybrid structures, comparing their lifecycle carbon performance against conventional building methods. Attendees received practical guidance on structuring design-build tenders using functional specifications, while exploring options for building adaptation, deconstruction, and material reuse throughout a building’s life cycle.
2. Strategic Climate Protection & Procurement Law
Combining Public Procurement Law and Climate Protection
- Core Focus: Translating high-level municipal climate strategies into compliant, economically viable purchasing processes.
- Key Content: The seminar provided practical tools for integrating environmental criteria into every phase of the procurement lifecycle—from early strategy design to final contract execution. Participants were introduced to publicly available calculation tools for Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) and carbon-related expenditure, enabling public buyers to make evidence-based decisions that balance fiscal responsibility with climate compliance.
Moving Knowledge into Action
Across all topics, interactive Q&A sessions allowed public sector buyers to address shared challenges, refine technical specifications, and resolve legal uncertainties. By focusing on concrete tools like LCC calculators, carbon shadow pricing, and functional specifications, this training block provided public authorities across Central Europe with the exact foundation needed to drive regional circular markets.