5. Specify the themes and level of aspiration involved

Select the themes that are most important for your organisation

Environmental specifications and greater aspirations

Using the environmental specifications set out in the criteria documents as a basis, determine whether your organisation's SPP policy reflects greater aspirations in the environmental field. You can then set more stringent requirements, or draw up award criteria for these aspects.

Further details: Green public procurement

Social return on Investment

Determine whether the social return policy can be implemented. A market consultation can provide insight into what constitutes a suitable percentage and a suitable form. Implement social return in the form of a contract provision (usually as a "5% scheme").Incorporate social return in the context of special terms and conditions of performance. Incorporate social return in the form of a MEAT award criterion. Reserve a contract or various lots for sheltered employment facilities. Reserve small lots from a public procurement, via the lot regulation, in order to place them with selected sheltered employment companies, by means of a private procedure.

Further details: Social return on Investment

Social conditions in global supply chains

Implement social conditions relating to the supply chain in all public procurements that exceed the European threshold. Implement additional social conditions for textiles, flowers, cocoa, coffee and tea.

Further details: Social conditions in global supply chains

Themes: Biobased and Circular procurement

When planning your public procurement, decide whether or not you want to create scope for themes such as biobased or circular procurement.

Further details: Procurement of biobased products
Further details: Circular procurement

Select the appropriate level of aspiration

Based on the points highlighted in your organisation's SPP policy and on the results of your market survey and/or market consultation, you can select a suitable level of aspiration:

Prescribe: you set specific requirements and those suppliers who fail to meet them will have no chance of being awarded the contract. Encourage: you set additional qualitative criteria and suppliers are awarded points if they perform better in terms of these criteria. Invite: you invite the market to come up with innovative solutions to your problem.

Further details: From prescribing to inviting