The FNTP publishes a study on the integration of the environment in public works contracts

The FNTP wanted to draw up a precise inventory of the current integration of environmental considerations in public procurement, one year before the widespread inclusion of environmental considerations in award criteria and performance conditions. Thus, in partnership with Vecteur +, the FNTP analyzed more than 4.000 DCEs over the period 2022-2024.

This study aims to produce a series of recommendations aimed at informing public works companies and public buyers on the best way to integrate the environment into works contracts, while respecting all the principles of public procurement and following appropriate and efficient requirements for all types of companies.

The results of this study will be presented in two parts:

• The first part, released in June, provides a quantitative analysis of the consideration of environmental considerations in public procurement.
• The second part, which will be published in the fall of 2025, will provide a qualitative analysis of the award criteria, the use of variants and the environmental execution conditions present in these public contracts.

At this stage, the main lessons from the first part of this study, which focused on a quantitative analysis, can be summarized as follows:

• 14% of markets were open to variants (authorized or mandatory);
• 68% of markets have integrated an environmental criterion (as a main criterion or sub-criterion);
• 95% of public buyers have used environmental, technical or administrative execution clauses.
• The criteria used mainly concerned the circular economy, mentioned in 90% of the execution clauses but also in a third of the DCEs as part of award criteria.

For Alain GRIZAUD, President of the National Federation of Public Works: "More than 30% of public buyers do not yet use environmental criteria in their contracts, which demonstrates the need to continue efforts to raise awareness and train public works companies and public buyers on the best way to integrate the environment into works contracts, in compliance with all the principles of public procurement and following requirements adapted to all companies before their generalization on July 1, 2026."