How the City of Dortmund is Integrating Climate Criteria into Its Public Procurement How can cities translate climate goals into procurement practice? In the latest issue of the Kleine Kniffe magazine, we shared insights from our collaboration with the city of Dortmund, Germany showcasing how the city administration is systematically applying a climate factor in its public tenders supported by the CO₂ Performance Ladder. Public procurement is increasingly seen as a lever for climate action. However, translating climate ambition into concrete procurement criteria remains a challenge. Many organisations, including city administrations, are left with questions such as how can sustainability be assessed fairly and efficiently in tenders or how can climate-friendly practices be rewarded without overburdening bidders or procurement teams? In our latest article for the German procurement magazine Kleine Kniffe, we showcase how the city of Dortmund is addressing these questions by applying the CO₂ Performance Ladder with our support as national coordinator for Germany. The article highlights Dortmund’s use of a structured “climate factor” as an award criterion in construction tenders. Since early 2025, bidders can receive up to 20% additional scoring if they demonstrate how their service or product reduces CO₂ emissions. To ensure consistency and comparability, Dortmund accepts various forms of evidence within its climate factor, including environmental certifications, documentation of CO₂-reduction measures, and descriptions of sustainable practices relevant to the contract. The CO₂ Performance Ladder is a recognised reference system, which enables organisations to demonstrate their level of climate ambition through independent certification. Organisations can certify at Step 1, 2 or 3 – ranging from internal CO₂ management and energy efficiency to long-term, value chain–oriented climate strategies aiming for net-zero emissions. This approach provides a practical benefit for procurement authorities: instead of reviewing each sustainability statement individually, they can rely on standardised, audited documentation – making the process both manageable and credible. In Germany, the CSCP coordinates the introduction of the CO₂ Performance Ladder and supports municipalities like Dortmund in putting it into practice. Currently, Dortmund is preparing an evaluation of the model to explore how it could be expanded to other sectors. Since its introduction, the climate factor has been applied in 117 procurement procedures. For further details, you can read the full article in the current edition of Kleine Kniffe. For additional questions, please contact us co2pl@cscp.org.