Analysis of sustainability in the procurement of public works

the influence of the Covenant of Mayors

Abstract

The fight against climate change is a global challenge that must be addressed at all levels of government, especially by local governments, whose potential to contribute to this process has been widely recognized. With the aim of contributing to the fight against climate change, most of the municipalities in Spain have signed up to the Covenant of Mayors, an initiative of the European Union that has three clear strategies: mitigation, adaptation and the fight against energy poverty. This study aims to identify the main measures that town councils attached to the Covenant of Mayors have committed to carrying out towards this goal and to analyze how environmental sustainability is being promoted through the local public-works procurement. In order to do this, regulations related to public contracting and sustainability have been analyzed, measures contained in the action plans of the municipalities attached to the Covenant of Mayors have been identified and classified according to their action sector. Finally, the award criteria for public-works procurement files were analyzed. The results suggest that the municipalities affiliated to the Covenant of Mayors are working mainly in the area of energy efficiency, while the public-works procurement files emphasize environmental criteria mainly related to the areas of environmental management and energy efficiency, although they receive insignificant weights.