From 2021, the Gothenburg Port Authority will use new procurement stipulations for selected contracts in order to reduce carbon emissions at the port and promote the use of greener construction equipment and methods.
Currently, 20% of carbon emissions from the transport sector comes from construction equipment. This figure is expected to increase to 50% as the development of emission-free road transport gathers momentum.
To address emissions in the construction sector even further, the Emission-Free Construction Sites project has been initiated by the City of Gothenburg and the trade and industry development company Business Region Göteborg. The Gothenburg Port Authority is also involved and will be the first to introduce a procurement system that includes the new stipulations.
The project has led to the formulation of five stipulations, each of which could be suitable for different projects and which could be made stricter as the market matures. This would mean that the port could demand that a certain proportion of the equipment, work process, or energy consumption should be emission free.
Another option would be to design the valuation model in a way that the prospective contractor is required to set out the measures they intend to take to reduce emissions for a specific contract, which could then give them quality points. The higher the assured carbon reduction, the more quality points they are awarded. The points would then be weighted to bring down their price, making it more competitive.
There is also the potential of receiving alternative tenders from the same contractor in which they calculate construction costs in the conventional way and in the emission-free way. The emission-free alternative would be awarded quality points to calculate a price deduction and it would allow a comparison to be made with conventional construction. Different tenders from the same contractor would give a clear indication of the true cost of emission-free construction.
We are currently working with our infrastructure department to examine upcoming projects in an effort to identify one that would be suitable for inclusion in our pilot project. As soon as we find a suitable project we will immediately incorporate the stipulations into the procurement process
said Dirk Wallem, Procurement Manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority purchasing department.
