Public Procurement Partnership gathers to advance the implementation of the new Action Plan

On 12–13 May, the Urban Agenda Partnership on Innovative and Responsible Public Procurement held an in-person meeting to advance the implementation of its new Action Plan. The City of Haarlem, which coordinates the Partnership, welcomed 34 partners and associates to Zaamen, a vibrant venue and local entrepreneurial hub in the heart of the city.

A growing Urban Agenda Partnership

Since the beginning of 2025, four new members have joined the Partnership: the City of Tallinn, the City of Leiden, ProcurFinland - a joint initiative involving the Ministry of Finance, the Association of Finnish Municipalities, the Confederation of Finnish Business, Finnish Entrepreneurs, and the welfare area company Hyvil Oy, and the Sweden Emilia Romagna Network (SERN), a transnational European network fostering connections between Northern and Southern Europe.
The meeting provided an opportunity for these new members to introduce their organisations and share their motivations for joining the Partnership.

Moving forward with the new Action Plan

The 2025–2028 Action Plan was acknowledged at the recent meeting of the Directors-General on Urban Matters (DGUM), held in Warsaw on 24–25 April. The Partnership has begun discussions on the implementation of its three planned actions:

Action 1: Capacity building for public procurement as a strategic tool
Action 2: Advocacy for improved regulation
Action 3: Enhanced funding to support strategic procurement

As part of Action 1, a series of webinars will be organised. For Action 3, an initial survey will be developed to gather input from cities, public authorities, procurement professionals, community members, end users, managers, and experts. The aim is to better understand their needs and challenges related to funding strategic procurement.

Building on the outcomes of previous Action Plans and aligning with the new objectives of the 2025–2028 Action Plan, the Partnership has also produced an engaging video offering a visual overview of its activities and strategic priorities.

Learning how to reduce CO₂ emissions through strategic procurement

As CO₂ reduction remains a key priority for municipalities and public organisations, the meeting featured a Masterclass dedicated to this critical topic.
Green public procurement plays a central role in driving sustainability and innovation. By leveraging their purchasing power, public authorities, especially in high-impact sectors such as infrastructure, construction, public transport, and healthcare, can incentivise businesses to adopt more sustainable practices. During the meeting, experts shared practical tools and strategies for reducing CO₂ emissions within organisations. One key focus was the CO₂ Performance Ladder, a powerful procurement instrument that harnesses the “Power of Procurement” to support long-term decarbonisation.

The session included insightful presentations by:

Margo Meeuwissen (Project Manager, Decarb-Pro at the Dutch Climate Alliance and UAPP member), who introduced the Carbon Pricing Model and CO₂ performance indicators;
Thijs Wentink (Project Officer, Procurement and CSR at SKAO) and Elisabeth van Loon-Muller (CO₂ Performance Ladder Project Manager at SKAO), who presented the CO₂ Performance Ladder in detail;
Joan Prummel (International Circular Economy Advisor at Rijkswaterstaat and UAPP member), who shared a best practice example of integrating CO₂ pricing into a procurement project.

This Masterclass provided valuable insights into how public procurement can be effectively used to meet climate goals.

Next steps

The next Public Procurement Partnership in-person meeting will take place on 17–18 November 2025 at Zaamen in Haarlem, The Netherlands.

To stay informed about Partnership’s activities, events, and news, please visit the Urban Agenda Public Procurement Platform.