Telford & Wrekin Council, GB Social Value Swap Shop integrates social value into procurement
The council's Social Value Policy seeks economic, environmental, and social value from every contract. Bidding companies use the Swap Shop platform to identify local organizations providing services within these categories. The Offers section for each category lists community groups with skills training, community events, and grants programs. Council contractors can also demonstrate social value with job placement and employee volunteer opportunities in the Asks section.
Telford & Wrekin Council, GB
United Kingdom
Cook County, IL supports budget-conscious buying decisions with its Furniture Cost Estimation Tool
The Furniture Cost Estimation Tool houses information about furniture options from approved vendors. Agencies are guided to the best-available options based on their needs, available space, and current budgets. The county's Budget Department uses the tool in evaluating annual budgets for furniture purchases. This in-house resource nudges buyers toward eco-friendly and low-cost options while meeting the needs of county departments.
Cook County, IL
United States
Grand Rapids, MI prioritizes small businesses in procurement with its MLBE Certification
Locally owned businesses with revenues or employees up to 25% of the Small Business Administration's size standards qualify for the certification. Micro Local Business Enterprise (MLBE) recipients are considered priority vendors with the city. Successful applicants receive 3% bid discounts if providing goods or services and 5% bid discounts if providing construction services. The program also focused on MLBE businesses for medical marijuana and river restoration projects.
Grand Rapids, MI
United States
Halton Borough Council, GB adopts Early Pay by Saltare for expedited supplier payments
Halton Borough Council is the first local council in the UK to use Early Pay. The payment management platform offers expedited payments to suppliers. This optional offer trades quick turnarounds on invoices for small discounts on product or service costs. Council officials are integrating Early Pay throughout its operations in early 2023. Early Pay eliminates long wait times for local vendors and creates opportunities for council savings.
Halton Borough Council, GB
United Kingdom
Mansfield District Council, GB emphasizes local vendors in procurement decisions with new portal
The council amended its procurement methods in 2019 to prioritize local vendors under certain spending limits. Businesses register their interests in future council contracts with the portal's intake form. Council decision-makers consult the portal for potential partners when posting contracts valued up to £50,000. A series of Meet the Buyer events and a proposed limit increase to £100,000 demonstrate Mansfield's commitment to local business growth.
Mansfield District Council, GB
United Kingdom
Ciudad de México, MX Tianguis Digital boosts the transparency and efficiency of public procurement
Tianguis Digital - Digital Market - hosts procurement tools for suppliers, city departments, and residents. This platform offers entirely online methods for registration and bidding by vendors. City teams use Tianguis Digital for contract development and legal guidance. Members of the public find visualizations of public spending by contract method, department, and project. There is also an engagement section for projects in the public discussion stage.
Ciudad de México, MX
Mexico
Wichita, KS promotes procurement opportunities for small businesses with Work With Wichita portal
Wichita partnered with Qwally on an easy-to-use procurement website for local businesses. Work With Wichita includes guides on starting new enterprises, registering as city vendors, and invoicing for contracted work. There is a database of past and current bid opportunities available to portal users. This website also promotes the Emerging Business Enterprise certification, which guarantees faster payments and improved Request for Proposal scoring for recipients.
Wichita, KS
United States
Westminster City Council, GB incorporates ArcGIS into procurement process for waste collection
City officials sought a data-driven method for procuring cost-effective recycling and disposal services. The Waste Services and GIS teams produced a GIS map with GPS data from the city's waste collection vehicles. This map showed a 35-minute drive-time zone from the city center based on real-world drive times and routes. Westminster prioritizes tenders from waste management companies with sites in this zone, thus reducing personnel and fuel costs paid by public funds.
Westminster City Council, GB
United Kingdom
Helsinki, FI designs its own Application Evaluator tool for public procurement decisions
The city's Forum Virium team identified the absence of a market solution for complex procurement processes. The Application Evaluator was developed in less than a month with an emphasis on easy accessibility and customization. Helsinki assisted the international A14Cities project by narrowing more than 100 applicants to seven finalists with the tool. This solution is posted on GitHub for user customization based on local criteria and evaluation methods.
Helsinki, FI
Finland
Calgary, AB magnifies the social impacts of public purchases with Benefit Driven Procurement
Benefit Driven Procurement prioritizes socially responsible local vendors in Calgary's procurement processes. Requests for proposals include a BDP questionnaire with questions about city priorities like staff diversity and living wage policies. Decisionmakers choose local vendors for minor purchases as often as possible. The BPD pilot also requires at least three quotes - including one local vendor - for services under CAD 75,000 and construction projects under CAD 200,000.
Calgary, AB
Canada
Reading, MA partnered with NORESCO to implement new energy-efficiency building projects
The town of Reading is using new procurement methods to implement energy-efficiency projects. The town contracted with NORESCO, a national leader in energy efficiency, resiliency and infrastructure solutions, to generate $4 million in savings through building improvements. The buildings included in the new project are projected to reduce energy consumption by 12% and reduce annual emissions of carbon dioxide equivalents by 940 metric tons.
Reading, MA
United States
Aarhus, DK and Konsido create AI-enabled analytical tool for sustainable procurement decisions
Konsido's technology divided municipal purchases into 1,000 categories based on an analysis of past invoices. The procurement tool estimates emissions created by purchases in categories ranging from telecommunications to construction. Authorized buyers direct the city's DKK 200 billion in annual purchases toward sustainable options with the system's help. Aarhus allocated DKK 250,000 from its Green Investment Pool for the project with national and international use in mind.
Aarhus, DK
Denmark