On Tuesday, the 4th of July, Latvia’s Cabinet of Ministers passed amendments to the Green Public Procurement (ZPI) requirements and their application, as reported by Ministry of Environment Protection and Regional Development Ministry (VARAM).
VARAM has developed amendments and they contain updated and simplified ZPI criteria for multiple product and service categories – food and catering services, indoor lighting, street lighting and traffic lights, construction, transport, road design, maintenance and construction.
VARAM minister Māris Sprindžuks says that
ZPI amendments open up wider opportunities for local food and agriculture product producers to receive orders from municipal and state institutions.
“Kindergarteners, schoolchildren, nursing home tenants, as well as everyone else using public catering supplies and services will be able to receive quality food products grown or produced close to them.
Additionally, when delivering food products, suppliers will have to spend less time on the road, which is sure to reduce the impact on the environment,” said the minister.
According to him, Latvian municipalities and state institutions should learn to organise procurements in a way that would provide local furniture and wood processing companies market advantages instead of using the currently dominant cheapest price approach.
Sprindžuks also said that in Latvia public procurement reaches 17% of GDP, and this can help bring about serious quality of life improvements to all members of society.
The minister said that ZPI amendments to construction, road construction, interior and street lighting will help provide a positive long-term economic effect and indirect benefits for residents.
Amendments are set to come into force on the 1st of August 2023.