Province of Zuid Holland

Circular retention and procurement of furniture

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.

“With the tender for circular furniture, the Facility Department has made a concrete contribution to the Province of Zuid Holland’s circular objectives. Copper8 provided excellent support for the tendering process. The Copper8 team are experts in the areas of procurement and circularity as well as in legal and financial matters, so their advice is always complete. They are involved, act quickly and can switch easily between the strategic and operational levels. Their proactive and friendly attitude also makes working with Copper8 very pleasant.” Sabina Duijvestein Senior Policy Officer

Similar projects

Want to learn more about our projects? Email us.