The “ParisBuildings: Transition of the Procurement Process Towards Paris Compatible Public Buildings” project analyzed building-related emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) in Austria and also explored opportunities to reduce them to meet the Paris climate goals. It focused on public buildings in order to integrate climateprotection measures into public procurement processes. Early consideration of issues of sustainability in planning is crucial to reducing GHG emissions. A model developed in this project for the procurement process for public buildings — LCA [Lifecycle analysis]-based bonus / malus system — valuated the environmental quality of buildings so that it can be considered in the procurement process. In two stakeholder workshops, representatives of industry and government were invited to contribute their perspectives and experiences to our ongoing research.
While national reports show only direct operating emissions as building emissions, the results of our project show that looking at the area of the building as a field of action (considering both operating emissions and the gray GHG emissions of all building types) points to considerably higher building-related GHG emissions. Gray emissions represent a significant share. Strategies on the materials and building level to reduce gray emissions could result in substantial reductions by 2050. The integration of renewable energies into building operations is crucial to achieving GHG-reduction goals.
Austrian procurement law offers opportunities for climate-protection measures, but there are barriers and a lack of awareness, as well as contradictions between the logic of procurement and that of planning. Various obstacles make integrating the ecological balance sheet and calculating lifecycle costs in public procurement are made considerably more difficult. A model developed as part of this project could create incentives for more environmentally friendly decisions by means of internal CO2 price instruments. The results of the project propose a CO2 price corridor to close the gap between current GHGemissions reductions and the Paris climate goals. Implementing the LCA-based bonus / malus system requires clear guidelines and a good foundation of data.
To encourage the implementation of such measures, the project has developed recommended courses of action for decision makers in public procurement in construction as well as a guideline for sustainable procurement for public buildings.
