The background
Copper8 is helping the Province of Zuid Holland with the (circular) tender of its office furniture. Due to upcoming renovations, there is a wish to find a new partner for office furniture. Since a large amount of the furniture is in excellent condition, the focus is on extending the lifespan of the existing furniture.
Context
In 2017, the Province of Zuid Holland signed the Raw Materials Agreement (Grondstoffenakkoord in Dutch), thereby actively committing itself to the transition to a circular economy. One way government organizations can contribute to the circular economy is to intertwine their circular goals with their procurement processes. So at the end of 2017, the Province decided to circularly tender the first pilot project: office furniture.
The question
Support us with the upcoming circular tender for (office) furniture by cooperating closely with us to design and supervise this circular procurement ‘pilot’.
Current situation and future
Because much of the existing furniture is still in good condition, it would be a shame to purchase new furniture. Within this tender, the focus is on the optimal reuse of the Province’s own existing furniture, as well as on the deployment of furniture flows from outside the Province. This approach requires a shift in thinking from market parties: from selling ‘new’ furniture to optimally retaining the value of furniture, parts and materials.
The process
Because much of the existing furniture is still in good condition, it would be a shame to purchase new furniture. Within this tender, the focus is on the optimal reuse of the Province’s own existing furniture, as well as on the deployment of furniture flows from outside the Province. This approach requires a shift in thinking from market parties: from selling ‘new’ furniture to optimally retaining the value of furniture, parts and materials.
The results
A contract has been signed, for a maximum of 10 years, whereby the Province and supplier Gispen commit to extending the life of the existing furniture as far as possible, to look for reusable furniture outside the Province where necessary, and if there’s no other option, to offer new furniture that meets strict circular requirements.
