Public sector fleet managers across Europe will have to consider the environmental impact of the vehicles they buy within 18 months, following the approval of new public procurement legislation.

The EU has now approved a directive promoting clean and energy-efficient road transport vehicles.

It says public and utility organisations must choose from two options for greening their fleets when buying new vehicles through compulsory competitive tenders:

  • They can set minimum technical specifications for energy and environmental performance; or
  • They can include energy and environmental impacts in the actual purchasing decision by writing these considerations into criteria for bids by suppliers, alongside sticker price costs. If these green costs are priced, a set formula must be used.

 

The legislation says public and utility fleets must consider energy and environmental impacts when purchasing. In the past, value for money was the dominant issue.