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Latvia

Current national procurement legislation/standards for the project-relevant fields

•  IT                                                        no
• household appliances                     no
• public lighting                                  no
• green power                                     no
• vehicles (public transport buses) no
• building components                     no
• other                                                  no
• general/universal                            no

Current national / regional practice

Public Procurement law amended on September 1st, 2009 fully complies with new EU procurement directives 18/2004/EC and 17/2004/EC. The law is favourable towards green procurement and defines ways how a procurement maker may obtain both environmentally friendly, sustainable, and best economic offer through introduction of environmental criteria. Still application of environmental criteria is offered on a voluntary basis which leads to situation when they are not used often. According to the Law, environmental criteria can be introduced as a part of technical specifications, tender documentations, or criteria for selection of the best economic offer.
In year 2008 The Ministry of Environment has introduced green public procurement as one of its tasks and has developed a set of recommendations for facilitation of application of green procurement in Latvia:

1)    “Recommendations for promotion of green public procurement in state and municipal institutions”. This document includes a strategy for green public procurement introduction, description of legislative framework, and environmental criteria for six groups: office paper, cleaning supplies and services, office appliances, vehicles, office furniture, and food products and catering.

2)    “Recommendations for promotion of environmentally friendly construction”. This document describes environmental criteria and ways of their introduction into three stages: design, construction works, operation of the site, and demolition process. Criteria can be applied for energy consumption, use of RES, characteristics of materials and products used for construction works, and waste and water management, and other aspects.

Recognised barriers

• Even though a state institution has been appointed to develop recognition and improve promotion of green procurement among state institutions, there is no binding legislation or standards has been developed neither for state institutions nor for private companies that could accelerate the process of integration of green purchase process into regular purchasing processes.
• Low level of understanding the benefits of green purchase among private companies, i.e. understanding of life cycle costs, better social image, and other economic and social aspects.
• Strong purchasing habits.
• Lack of governmental support on incentive and motivation level.

Opportunities

•  Cooperation of legal authorities and private and non-governmental organization in promotion of green purchase approach. Common promotion of green purchase instruments.
• Constant update of environmental criteria and facilitation of green purchase instrument application by state and private institutions.
• Permanent positioning and marketing of green purchase system among potential users.

 Relevant sources of information

Link to the Green Public Procurement documentation developed by the Ministry of Environment (available in Latvian language): http://www.vidm.gov.lv/lat/darbibas_veidi/zalais_publiskais_iepirkums/