Using national environmental objectives in green public procurement: Method development and application on transport procurement in Sweden

2021

Sustainability

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This article departs from the perspective of Swedish regional transport authorities and focuses on the public procurement of bus transports. Many of these public organizations on the county level have the ambition to contribute to a transition involving the continued marginalization of fossil fuels and improved sustainability performance. However, there are several renewable bus technologies to choose between and it can be difficult to know what alternative (or combination) is preferable. Prior research and the authors’ experiences indicate a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods on how sustainability assessments can support public procurement processes. The purpose of this article is to develop a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method to support assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability. The method, which was established in an iterative and participatory process, consists of four key areas and 12 indicators. The article introduces the problem context and reviews selected prior research of relevance dealing with green or sustainable public procurement and sustainability assessments. Further on, the process and MCA method are presented and discussed based on advice for effective and efficient sustainability assessments. In the companion article (Part II), the MCA method is applied to assess several bus technologies involving biodiesel, biomethane, diesel, electricity, ethanol and natural gas.

Section: Concluding Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part I—A Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies

Ammenberg

2021

Sustainability

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“…It should be emphasized that environmental performance is very dependent on the underlying sociotechnical and agricultural systems. Renewable and waste-based systems commonly perform very well [15,196]. Applying a marginal perspective on electricity, which may be reasonable in Northern Europe, would lead to far worse results for electric buses [197].…”

Section: Discussion Of the Assessment Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The MCA method is based on 12 sustainability indicators of relevance for all technologies, selected based on literature reviews and stakeholder input, to balance these diverging needs. Although several other studies using MCA have included a similar number of indicators, or even more [203], this is a broad stance from the perspective of GoSPP [15]-the MCA method can contribute towards broadened GoSPP. The developed MCA method can importantly contribute to improved knowledge on the sustainability of different bus technologies, as it helps in structuring relevant information, thereby facilitating overview and more informed decision making.…”

Section: Usability and Accuracymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainability Assessment of Public Transport, Part II—Applying a Multi-Criteria Assessment Method to Compare Different Bus Technologies

Ammenberg

2021

Sustainability

Self Cite

Many Swedish regional transport authorities want bus fleets driven on renewable fuels. However, it may be difficult to know what technology, or combination of technologies, to choose. There is a need for improved knowledge and supportive methods for sustainability assessments that can support public procurement processes. In the companion article (Part I), a multi-criteria assessment (MCA) method for assessments of public bus technologies’ sustainability was established, consisting of four key areas and 12 indicators. In this article, the purpose is to apply the method established in part I on different bus technologies by looking at a general Swedish case and assessing buses driven on diesel, Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME), ethanol, natural gas, biomethane and electricity. Each technology is assessed on a scale from Very Poor to Very Good according to the indicators: technical maturity, daily operational availability, total cost of ownership, need for investments in infrastructure, cost stability, non-renewable primary energy efficiency, greenhouse gas emission savings, air pollution, noise, local/regional impact on land and aquatic environments, energy security and sociotechnical systems services. The results show the strengths and weaknesses of each technology, which are later discussed. We also critically reflect upon the usefulness and accuracy of the MCA method.

“…Lincoln and Guba (1985) have been major influences regarding qualitative research quality, and they have suggested different criteria for judging the quality of research depending on what the basic beliefs are (Guba and Lincoln 1994). Four criteria are suggested for if the belief is that there exists an indisputable reality that research is trying to understand, even if humans might never understand the reality perfectly (positivism and postpositivism): internal validity (that the findings correspond to reality), external validity (generalizability), reliability (that the results are stable) and objectivity (that the observer is distanced and neutral).…”

Section: Reflections On the Research Qualitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Decision-making and decision support connected to biogas use in Sweden

Linköping Studies in Science and Technology. Dissertations

2021