Clean Fleets - case studies

clean fleets
www .clean-fleets .eu
case studies

purchasing clean public vehicles
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About Clean Fleets
The Clean Fleets project assists public authorities and fleet
operators with the implementation of the Clean Vehicles
Directive and the procurement or leasing of clean and energy
efficient vehicles.
The project aims to accelerate a broad market introduction of
vehicles with higher energy and environmental standards and
thereby reduce energy consumption, noise, CO2 and pollutant
emissions.
Clean Fleets is a threeyear project funded by the European
Commission Intelligent Energy Europe Initiative.
About the case study
compendium
This compendium of case studies was written by local authorities
for local authorities, as part of the Clean Fleets project.
The case studies outline concrete procurement activities of
public authorities and fleet operators. They illustrate real
examples of vehicle procurement in detail including results and
lessons learned.
We hope to inspire others to learn from and replicate these
examples. Each case study includes contact details for those
who would like to discuss the activity in more detail.
For further information please visit www.clean-fleets.eu or
get in touch with procurement@iclei.org
© Clean Fleets 2015
Design: Simone Schuldis
Authors: Simon Clement, Natalie Evans, Caroline Chandler (ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability)
Peter Wiesinger (City of Vienna), Andrew Robb, Edmund Hosking (TFL), Hendrick Koch (City of Bremen),
Eva Sunnerstedt (City of Stockholm), Doina Anastase (URTP), Christine Kury (VAG), Martijn Gilbert,
(Reading Transport Limited), Lies Helsloot (City of Ghent), Matjaž Uhan (Slovenian Ministry of Finance),
Wynanda Babb (City of Rotterdam)
Produced by:

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Content
Glossary
BEV Battery electric vehicle
CNG Compressed natural gas
CoC Certificate of Conformity
CVD Clean Vehicles Directive (Directive 2009/33/)
EV Electric Vehicles
GPP Green public procurement
HDV Heavy duty vehicle
HEV Hybrid electric vehicle
HVO Hydrogenated vegetable oil
ILUC Indirect land use change
LCC Life cycle costing
LDV Light duty vehicle
LPG Liquefied petroleum gas
NEDC New European Driving Cycle
NMHC Non-methane hydrocarbons
NOx
Mono-nitrogen oxides, which includes both
NO (nitric oxide) and NO2
(nitrogen dioxide)
OEM Original equipment manufacturer
OLC Operational lifetime cost
PHEV Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
PM Particulate matter
TCO Total cost of ownership
TTW Tank to wheel
WHTC/WHSC World harmonized transient cycle/
stationary cycle
WTW Well to wheel
Imprint. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Content . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Joint Procurement of EVs and PHEVs in Sweden. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Innovative Electric Buses in Vienna. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Monetising emissions for a lease contract in Bremen. . . . . . . . . . 10
First EEV buses in Baia Mare, Romania. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Reforming the public fleet - Electric and CNG vehicles in Ghent . . . . 14
New Bus – Diesel/electric hybrid in London. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Joint Procurement of Cars and Vans in Slovenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
A Fleet of Biomethane Buses in Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Retrofitting buses in Freiburg. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Sustainability criteria as minimum treshold
for student transport in Rotterdam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Annex: Further information on tender definitions
and calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

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Joint Procurement of EVs and
PHEVs in Sweden
• Buyers’ group of 296 organisations
• Energy consumption < 0.37 kWh/km and emissions
< 50g CO2
/km
• 34 tonnes CO2
saved in first 1.5 years
(95% reduction)
Contract tendered
• Framework contract for passenger cars and transport
vehicles (light duty vans)
• Led by the City of Stockholm and covering 296 organisations
(260 public and 36 private bodies). Each organisation
committed to a minimum number of purchases.
• 2-year contract with possible 2-year extension, starting Oct
2011 Estimated purchase volume of 1,250 vehicles per year
– 5,000 over 4 years
• The Swedish Energy Agency will fund up to EUR 6,000 for
the first 1000 vehicles procured
Targets and planning considerations
A Clean Vehicles in Stockholm programme has been run by
the Environment and Health Administration of Stockholm
since 1994 to speed up the transition to clean vehicles and
renewable fuels. In 2011, the City Council approved an Electric
Vehicles Strategy, aiming to become one of the world’s leading
clean vehicle cities by 2030.
The joint procurement was initiated by the City of Stockholm
and the state-owned utility company Vattenfall to demonstrate
Sweden’s purchasing potential to manufacturers of Electric
Vehicles (EVs) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs),
to contribute to a quieter and cleaner fleet, and to enable
Swedish organisations to buy or lease EVs or PHEVs under
optimal conditions.
The City of Stockholm does not normally specify one
technology in its calls for tenders, unless it requires a market
boost. In this case, the market for EVs was less developed than
that for ethanol or biofuel driven vehicles.
Sweden has good conditions for EVs in terms of production
capacity, infrastructure and distribution systems for electricity.
Approximately 65% of the Swedish population has engine block
heaters at home or work. They are normally used to keep the
engine, coolant or oil warm in cold temperatures, but can also be
used to recharge EVs.
Procurement approach
The joint procurement approach was applied for several
reasons:
• Toreduceadministrativecostsfortheparticipatingorganisations.
• To achieve price reductions (although in this case, prices did
not vary much).
• To send a strong demand signal to the market.
• To ensure that smaller municipalities would have access to
such vehicles, as bidders may not otherwise be interested
in such small calls for tender.
Swedish procuring entities (municipalities and county
councils) and private organisations were invited to participate
in the joint procurement process in October 2010, two months
before the start of the actual procurement process.
Participating entities jointly determined the vehicle
specifications, with two seminars organised by the City of
Stockholm. All potential bidders were also transparently
informed about the upcoming tender.
The procurement itself was a two-phase procedure including
a prequalification phase for bidders.
Two separate contracts were tendered for – one for public
bodies and one for private bodies.
Clean Vehicle Directive (CVD) Methodology
• CVD Option 1 (technical specifications) was used for the tender
• The tender specified EV or PHEVs should meet the following
minimum criteria:
Passenger car Transport vehicle
Type EV PHEV EV PHEV
All-electric
range (km)
>100 >20 >100 >20
Energy/
CO2
<0 .37
kWh/
km
<50
gCO2
/
km
No
criteria
No
criteria
Charging Schuko socket, one phase, 230 V & 10 A
Copyright:AndreaLehmkuhl,Fotolia .com

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much slower than expected. Orders are now increasing, but it
is doubtful that the overall target for 6,000 vehicles over four
years will be met. Some purchasers have organised training
sessions on how to handle EVs. However these are not judged
to have made a big difference in terms of use or satisfaction.
Costs
Maximum prices were set after consultation with 20
manufacturers as follows (set purposefully high and generous
to allow many bidders to participate in the first phase of the
tendering process): SEK 400,000 – 650,000 (EUR 48,000 -
EUR 78,000) for passenger cars SEK 600,000 – 800,000
(EUR 72,000 - EUR 96,000) transport vehicles. The range of
prices is for different types of cars and vans. Each type had
a fixed maximum price. Offers received were below these
maximum prices, e.g. 362,000 SEK (42,054 EUR) for the
passenger car Citroën C Zero. Since the demand for EVs is
much larger than the supply, it was only possible to get a
max. 3% rebate through joint procurement (low compared to
other joint tenders, where 9-14% rebates are common).
Including the costs for battery leasing, prices exceeded those
for equivalent petrol driven cars by 200,000 SEK (EUR 23,234)
on average, although with higher resale value.
Environmental impacts
For all vehicles receiving the Energy Agency’s subsidy of
EUR 6,000, the buyers have to hand in monthly data reports to
the City of Stockholm. Every six months, this data is compiled
and CO2
emissions are calculated with assistance from the
Royal Institute of Technology, based on the comparative
figures in the table below.
By the end of 2012, 174 funded vehicles had been purchased
and had driven 300,000 km in total delivering a saving of
34 tons of CO2
compared to equivalent petrol cars (approx
95% reduction). As purchases have increased significantly in
2013, although not yet calculated, the CO2
savings although
not yet calculated can also be assumed to have increased
proportionally.
Passenger car Transport vehicle
Top speed
(km/h)
>100 >90
Max cost
(SEK)(EUR)
400,000 – 650,000
48,000 – 78,000
600,000 - 800,000
72,000 – 96,000
The values for energy consumption and CO2
emissions
were taken from the definition of clean vehicles national
governments. The procurers preferred to stick to the
established values for energy consumption, although they
could easily have been halved.
The value for CO2
emissions derives from a national premium
of 40,000 SEK (EUR 4,647) which the government pays for
every EV emitting less than 50 g CO2
/km.
• Bidders had to provide figures necessary for the procurers
to calculate life cycle costs (LCC). These included:
• Acquisition costs (including delivery) or leasing costs
• Fuel/electricity costs
• Maintenance costs (if vehicle purchased rather than
leased)
• Residual value following the envisaged usage period
(calculated automatically)
• Life cycle cost was then calculated based on net present
value (with a defined discount rate). Annual mileage,
electricity and fuel costs were set in the tender for the
purposes of the calculation
Contract Monitoring and Management
Due to the immature nature of the EV market, other potential
environmental impacts (e.g. the use of metals such as cobalt
and lithium, and nano-products) will be assessed a year into
the contracts.
Although car manufacturers are required by law to take back
and dispose of batteries in an environmentally responsible
manner, these aspects will be also followed up by contracting
authorities throughout the lifetime of the contract.
Results
The City of Stockholm and Vattenfall both planned to purchase
20 vehicles per year. Befor May 2013 Stockholm had purchased
around 40 vehicles, which makes up 5% of their vehicle fleet
of 800 cars. In total, 300 vehicles (the large majority EVs) had
been purchased under the contracts by May 2013. 10 bids
were finally submitted by suppliers, exceeding the target of
8. 12 out of 14 suppliers passed the initial prequalification
phase. As the first year was viewed by some organisations as
a trial period, demand was slow and purchasing proceeded
Minimum criteria Specified for EVS/PHEVS

The table shows average Swedish figures which have been
estimated from the EV procurement project in Stockholm.
They are for EVs only. No reporting has been done on PHEVs
yet, but will be available for the first time in August 2013.
Petrol driven
vehicle
EV
Energy/fuel
consumption
6 l petrol/
100 km
20 kWh/
100 km
CO2
emissions
2,3 kg CO2
/l
petrol
66 g CO2
/kWh
according to
nordic energy
mix
CO2
/
100,000 km
over 13 .8 t just over 1 .3 t
Comparison of fuel consumption emission for petrol driven &
electric vehicles
by the buying organisations should be questioned more
thoroughly and be adjusted if necessary.
• A one-year trial phase should be considered, as buyers like
to check the performance of the new cars in all weather
extremes. Estimated first year purchase volumes should
therefore be lower.
• The placement of the vehicles has not always been ideal -
sometimes there was no possibility to recharge the vehicle
in between two shifts or the driving range overestimated.
Written: July 2013
Contact information
Eva Sunnerstedt
Project manager of Clean Vehicles in Stockholm
Environment and Health Administration
City of Stockholm
Email: eva.sunnerstedt@stockholm.se
Indirect impacts: The major impact of electric vehicles
remains CO2
emissions, as well as nuclear waste, potentially
caused by electricity generation. Therefore the procurement
of renewably-generated electricity to run the electric vehicles
is an important element in the overall procurement approach
for clean vehicle fleets.
Batteries used in EVs contain metals like cobalt and lithium
as well as nano-products. Many of these can almost only be
found in Congo, China and Bolivia and their extraction can
cause severe environmental and social problems.
Lessons learned
• The two-phase procurement gave preparation time not only
to the buyers but also to suppliers
• Recruiting public partners was quite straightforward, as
they were already used to such procurement procedures.
Deciding upon vehicle specifications with all stakeholders
of the joint procurement was however time-consuming and
challenging due to their number and concerns over vehicle
safety. Nevertheless the city of Stockholm still considers
“the more participants the better”.
• Recruiting private buyers was much harder, and the city of
Stockholm would put less emphasis on this in future.
• Some manufacturers were disqualified in the first phase
due to not filling in the tender documents correctly, despite
the amount of information provided. In future a lobby
organisation which has 99% of Sweden’s car industry as its
members may be asked to do a course on how to tender
correctly.
• The estimated purchase volumes were not realistic from
the beginning. The next time, the numbers submitted

Innovative Electric Buses
in Vienna
• 12 electric microbuses purchased for the city centre.
• New technology: batteries charged through tram’s
overhead power lines at end stations.
• Pre-procurement test phase with four buses.
Contract tendered
• Supply contract for 12 electric microbuses launched by
Wiener Linien, Vienna’s city-owned transport company, in
Sept 2011, for inner-city bus lines.
• Awarded to Siemens/Rampini for the ElectriCitybusse in
March 2012.
• First buses operating in Sept 2012. Since July 2013, two
inner-city bus lines rely entirely on ElectriCitybusse.
Vienna is striving to be a leader in green transport. In its
e-mobility strategy of 2012, it sets the aim to reduce personal
motorised transport to less than 20% in 2025. As a model
region for e-mobility it is testing new transportation systems
and with SMILE (smile-einfachmobil.at) and MobilCard
(mobilcard.info), the city is involved in two projects supporting
multimodal transport.
The initiative for purchasing electric buses came from Wiener
Linien themselves. They decided to create a zero-emission
zone in the historic centre with low emissions in the wider
centre. Viennese buses, which all used to be powered by
liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), are therefore gradually being
substituted by diesel, hybrid and electric buses. As the two
bus lines the tender referred to run in the historic centre, zero-
emission electric buses were specified.
As it would have been difficult to obtain a planning and
building permit for new power lines or charging stations in
the historic environment, Vienna decided to use the extensive
existing network of overhead tram power lines to recharge the
buses – Vienna has the fifth largest tram network in the world.
This, however, required the development of new technology.
Given the novelty of the technology required, an extensive
market dialogue and testing phase took place before tendering.
Peter Wiesinger, head of bus procurement for Wiener Linien,
contacted suppliers all across Europe and visited several fairs
in order to choose a new drive system.
Four potential buses were identified on the market, however
during initial testing two were rejected due to size or energy
consumption. Therefore, following an open tender for battery
driven buses without diesel auxiliary power unit, just two
companies were able to meet the requirements.
The requirements of the CVD for considering CO2
and toxic
emissions were met through specifying the vehicle type
(electric) – i.e. Option 1.
Further specifications were set relating to the technical
performance of the vehicle:
• Maximum width, length, height and wheelbase due to the
narrow and winding inner city streets.
• Two doors, low-floor buses (for the elderly) and a minimum
of 30 passengers.
• Charging either via overhead lines or induction. Outlets
must not be the exclusive charging technique, but have to
be additionally provided.
• Charging time: max. 15 minutes.
• Range: min. 150 km.
• Reliability: Bus must not need to be removed from service
for repair before 30,000 km is reached.
Compliant tenders were then evaluated against the following
award criteria:
• 45% cost (including battery replacement cost, and
operational overheads).
• 25% technology (e.g. vehicle dimensions, number of seats,
door features such as low-floor and lowering ratio, range,
charging time etc.).
• 20% reliability (e.g. downtime, maintenance time etc.).
• 10% charging process (e.g. charging time, charging cycle etc.).
Two years of full warranty were requested, including both
buses and batteries. Repairs are covered by the supplier, but
maintenance is carried out by Wiener Linien. Extra training for
maintenance personnel has been carried out.
The energy consumed by the e-buses will be measured with
the support of the Technical University of Graz. As energy
consumption is very low in summer – buses could complete
five circuits before recharging – measurements are planned
for winter 2013, when the heating draws additional electricity.
Copyright:JohannesZinner/WienerLinien

Results
• Out of four companies which took part in the test phase,
two bid. Only the consortium of Siemens/Rampini fulfilled
all requirements, and was awarded the tender.
• Training on how to drive the new e-buses has been
conducted for all bus drivers of Wiener Linien. Retraining
directly at the charging station was necessary.
Drivers have less space in the e-buses than in the previous
buses.
• For external communication, Wiener Linien gave a press
conference after the introduction of the first bus. On the
buses is written ElectriCitybusse – emissionsfrei unterwegs
(travelling emission-free). Except for this, publicity on the
buses is prohibited in order to maintain the design.
• Passengers do not notice the difference between the electric
and previous buses when inside, but the charging process
arouses their interest.
Technology
The buses recharge at their end stations by hooking up to
the overhead lines of the Viennese tram using an extendable
pantograph, an arm on the roof. The overhead lines from
the tram system supplies direct current, however alternating
current is required to recharge the bus. As the bus needed
to connect to the power lines without additional equipment,
both the charger and inverter were requested to be included
in the bus – a feature which had not been available on the
market until then.
The direct current is converted to alternating current by an
IGBT power inverter included on the bus. Not more than
30% of the batteries’ power is used for each circuit, so each
recharging process only lasts five to eight minutes, during
which passengers can get off and on the bus. At night, the
batteries are recharged at the depot.
With this recharging technique, it is possible to install a
smaller battery system (nine lithium iron phosphate batteries
with a total capacity of 96 kWh instead of the 180 kWh
electric buses usually need). Like this, the buses still need
a stronger rear axle, but have space for 46 passengers, as
many as a comparable diesel driven bus. Batteries also last
longer (at least four years), because they are always being
fully recharged. In addition to the drive system, the batteries
supply all of the onboard electronics, the heating and the air
conditioning. Thanks to regenerative ESB braking systems, the
buses can also recover energy.
ElectriCitybusse have a top speed of 62 km/h and a range of
up to 150 km without recharging (the distance decreases to
120 km in winter when the heating system consumes ca. 7
kW more energy).
Costs
Wiener Linien run 480 buses in total, so the twelve electric
ones cover 2.5% of their fleet.
Each electric bus cost EUR 400,000, double the cost of
a comparable diesel bus. Prices are likely to drop as
production rises, however. In addition, the additional charging
infrastructure costs included a charging point at each end
stations (each costing EUR 90,000), and charging point at the
bus depot (EUR 320,000).
The operating costs of the electric buses offset some expenses.
Prices for electricity are significantly lower than for diesel. In
terms of maintenance, electric buses will save about one
third compared with diesel buses (with maintenance costs
estimated at EUR 8000 per year) which themselves have
lower maintenance costs than LPG buses. According to regular
reliability monitoring, buses only require maintenance every
second week on average, less frequently than the previously
used liquid gas driven buses. They can then be substituted
by one of the three buses in reserve before customers even
notice.
The operation of ElectriCitybusse is also less expensive than
of other hybrid or electric buses, because the quick recharging
allows them to use a smaller battery, which makes them
lighter, and no new infrastructure had to be built.
How environmentally friendly electricity actually is depends
on its sources. Wiener Linien source 100% of their energy
from the city-owned electricity company Wiener Stadtwerke
of whom they are a subsidiary. One half of their supply derives
from water, one third from wind and the rest from gas power,
so mainly from renewable sources.
According to calculations of the Technical University of Graz,
ElectriCitybusse will reduce emissions of CO2
by 5.3t, of NO
by 1.7t and of NO2 by 0.06t per year compared to the liquid
gas buses which had been used before. As NO2 is far more
dangerous to health than NO, it was considered very important
to split NOx
emissions. NMHC and particulates have not been
measured, as the Euro VI standard already ensures that their
values are below the European limits.
The environmental and as well social impacts caused by the
batteries should also be taken into account. Their production
takes place in China and requires rare earths. These are
extracted with toxic acids which are, especially in the many
small, rural and illegal mines, prone to be released into the
general water supply.

Lessons learned
• Unexpectedly, recharging only takes five to eight minutes
and passengers can get off and on the buses during this
time. For future tenders, Wiener Linien will therefore
specify a significantly lower charging time of max. 5 min.
for microbuses and max. 10 min. for buses of twelve meter
length.
• Mostly in winter, the outer batteries got colder than the
inner ones, which creates problems as electricity tends to
be drawn from the warmer batteries. Special heaters for the
outer batteries have therefore been installed. Costs had to
be covered by the supplier.
• From spring 2014 on, Vienna will investigate how batteries
could be reprocessed and reused, instead of being disposed.
• Vienna plans to purchase other, larger electric buses, too.
Around the turn of the year 2015/16, a 12m bus will be
tendered for. The purchase of an articulated bus is also
planned.
• Siemens is negotiating with other cities in Europe and in
South America that have existing tram lines and might
adopt the Vienna system.
Written: September 2014
Contact information
Peter Wiesinger
Head of Technology Unit
Wiener Linien
Email: peter.wiesinger@wienerlinien.at

Monetising emissions for a
lease contract in Bremen
• Low emission vehicles available for all city staff
• CO2
emissions between 96 139 gCO2
/km
• CVD operational lifetime cost methodology used to
monetise emissions
Contract tendered
• 2 year framework contract for the lease of approx. 80 vehicles
for everyday use in Bremen
• Contract tendered in 2011
The Free Hanseatic City of Bremen has set its own climate and
energy goals. Since 2009 the strategic objective has been to
reduce Bremen’s CO2
emissions by 40% compared to the 1990
levels. One of the sectoral actions is to reduce transport related
CO2
emissions. To meet its targets, the Senate wishes the city
administration’s vehicle fleet be as clean and efficient as possible.
In addition for business trips undertaken by administration staff
there is a rule which prioritises more sustainable modes or
transport. The order of priority is: walking, cycling, public transport
– a car may only be used if these modes are not appropriate for
their work.
The Clean Vehicles Directive (2009/33/EC) was transposed into
German law in 2011, and to help meet the above objectives
the administration wished to apply the new approach in the
Directive for monetising environmental impacts of vehicles – the
operational lifetime costing (OLC) methodology.
Each Bremen Senate department must determine their own
demand for vehicles and pay for the car/van or car-sharing
service themselves. The Umweltbetrieb Bremen (environment
agency) acts as the central purchasing body for vehicles, and
published a call for tender in 2011 for a passenger car framework
contract.
Prior to tendering, market research was carried out in order to
establish additional minimum specifications for CO2
emissions
and harmful local emissions, which would still allow sufficient
competition. Levels were set to enable approx. 50% of vehicles
on the market to comply, with the OLC methodology awarding
better performance during the evaluation.
The tender was separated into lots. There were 5 lots in total –
1 for each of the vehicle categories in the table below.
1) Specifications
• CO2
emission limits were set as follows:
Copyright:StadtBremen
Passenger Car
Category
CO2
emission limit
(g/km)
Small car 120
Compact car 130
Medium class 150
Minivan 140
Van 150
• Vehicles must at least achieve Euro 5 standard
• The supplier could offer diesel, petrol, and/or alternative
fuel options for the different lots.
• Each supplier could bid for as many lots as they wanted,
with no minimum or maximum requirement
2) Award criteria
Tenders were evaluated on the basis of most economically
advantageous price, determined by adding:
• Leasing costs.
• Operational lifetime costs (OLC), calculated according to the
methodology of the Clean Vehicles Directive.
The OLC methodology allows emissions of CO2
, NOx
,
particulates, NMHC and energy consumption to be monetised
for use directly in a cost calculation in tendering. For this
purpose Bremen used a tool developed by the Berlin Energy
Agency. A full description of the OLC methodology can be
found in a separate Clean Fleets factsheet.

Results and environmental impacts
• Only one supplier responded to the tender. The
administration believes this is likely due to the complexity
of the information relating to a separate tender requirement
on demonstrating compliance with the ILO1
conventions,
rather than the OLC methodology.
• Only diesel and CNG vehicles were offered. However the
results in environmental terms still exceeded expectations
(see table below). Overall, therefore all Bremen
administrations which lease through this contract will be
replacing their old cars with more efficient ones. The mean
CO2
emissions value of all 531 cars in 2013 was 141.2 g/km.
Passenger
Car Category
CO2
emission
limit (g/km)
CO2
emission of
best offer (g/km)
Small car 120 96
Compact car 130 119
Medium
class
150 119
Minivan 140 124
Van 150 139
Costs
The price impact of adding environmental criteria appears to
have been limited. This will be further examined following
the next framework call for tender in 2014/2015, when a
performance comparison will be conducted.
Lessons learned
• The availability of low CO2
emission vehicles is already high,
and this will be likely reflected in future tenders by using
more ambitious minimum specifications.
• Most trips take place within the city centre leading to higher
pollutant emissions from diesel vehicles. In future tenders
urban consumption figures may therefore be requested in
tendering, rather than the combined figure.
• The more suppliers are requested to provide emissions
data for the OLC calculation (as well as ILO verification) the
more used to this they will become, and more offers can be
expected.
• To better understand the user needs, a short survey will be
carried out prior to the next tender. This might lead to only
one van class and a lot for 2-seaters as an addition to the
small car category.
• There will be lots for all categories asking for petrol, diesel,
CNG and electric vehicles.
Written: October 2014
Contact information
Hendrik Koch
Project Manager Sustainable Mobility
Freie Hansestadt Bremen
E-Mail: hendrik.koch@umwelt.bremen.de
Tel.: +49 421 361- 10455
Internet: www.umwelt.bremen.de
1 International Labour Organization

First EEV buses in Baia Mare,
Romania
• First EEV (Enhanced environmentally friendly) buses
ordered in Romania.
• Emissions of NOx
, NMHC and PM considerably lower
than current diesel Solaris buses.
Contract tendered
• 5-year contract concluded in 2012 for the leasing of 30 new
EEV solo (standard) buses and 8 trolleybuses to be delivered
between 2013 – 2016.
• Contract awarded by SC URBIS SA Baia Mare, the main public
transport operator for Baia Mare City.
Background policy/targets – The City Council of Baia Mare has
a stated policy to ensure new public transport vehicles should be
as environmentally friendly as possible, taking into account the
local market offer.
Technology choice – Following market consultation, it was felt
realistic to require new buses to be equipped with EEV1
engines,
which was the least polluting engine available on the Romanian
market in 2012. Both buses and trolleybuses were also required
to have a low floor along the length of the vehicle, a platform
and a suspension system permitting the vehicles to bend at
kerbs, in order to improve accessibility for disabled people to the
public transport system.
Infrastructure – The modernisation of a residential area with the
assistance of European funds, additionally required the purchase
of several trolleybuses. New overhead cables were also using
European funds.
SC URBIS SA Baia Mare is operating both buses and trolleybuses
as each technology has a distinct advantage:
• Buses offer greater mobility than trolleybuses, demonstrated
by an average speed of 20kmph for buses compared with
15kmph for trolleybuses.
• The lifetime fuel consumption costs are lower for trolleybuses
than for buses.
The process started with a pre acquisition and market consultation
phase. An open tender was then published, in accordance with
Baia Mare Council’s competition rules. The tender was public at
www.e-licitatie.ro and www.urbisbaiamare.ro.
All tender and contract documents were developed by experts
from SC URBIS SA Baia Mare.
Copyright:JuriBizgajmer|Dreamstime.com
1 EEV = Enhanced Environmental Friendly Vehicles. This is an official voluntary EU
emissions standard, which lies between the Euro V and Euro VI standards.
The tender used a combination of technical specifications and
award criteria to take the environmental impacts listed in the
CVD into account:
1) Technical specifications – Minimum standard: EEV for
diesel buses.
2) Award criteria – points awarded for lower fuel
consumption, based on the SORT test cycle.
3) Approach for evaluating cost – life cycle costing model
used, including acquisition price, fuel consumption,
maintenance and operational costs.
The contract with the supplier included several requirements
related to environmental performance, specifically:
• Training drivers in eco-driving techniques
• Training technical staff on maintenance and repair works after
the guarantee period.
New EEV buses were guaranteed for 48 months or 240,000
km and new trolleybuses for 39 months or 195,000 km. Spare
parts availability is guaranteed for 12 years from the date of
manufacture.
Results
The response from the Romanian market was quite limited,
registering two compliant bids from Ager Leasing (SOLARIS)
EVO BUS (Mercedes) for buses and Ager Leasing (SOLARIS) for
trolleybuses. The final cost of the tender was lower than foreseen.
The policy of environmentally friendly vehicles purchase was
communicated to those concerned internally and also to other
stakeholders, through workshops, roundtables, posters, and on
the Internet.
The new acquired buses were very much appreciated by the end
users mainly due to their design and comfort but also thanks to
their on board information system about the bus stop name and
real time arrival.
Costs
The total cost of the procurement (leasing costs, maintenance
and spare parts) was EUR 11.6 million for the 5 years. This is
considerably higher than previous purchases but this is expected
to be partly compensated by lower lifetime costs of the new

vehicles. The buses will be owned by SC URBIS SA however Baia
Mare City will cover the full leasing costs.
The new buses are representing 41% of the current fleet. The
20 new EEV buses delivered in 2013 replaced 15 non-Euro and 5
Euro II buses. The new trolleybuses represent 70% of the existing
fleet which has been in operation since 1996.
Based on the technical specifications of the bus provider the level
of the emissions is:
Engine
type
CO2
(g/
kwh)
NOx
(g/
kwh)
NMHC
(g/
kwh)
PM (g/
kwh)
EUR
O 1
– 8 .00 1 .10 0 .36
EEV 973 1 .27 0 .06 0 .018
SC URBIS SA Baia Mare will measure these emissions in order to
see the real values in operation.
Lessons learnt
No problems in operation or maintenance with this technology
have been identified. The new vehicles are also insured for 12
years, including spare parts.
However a one-month trial phase should have been considered,
in order to check the performance of the new buses in real traffic
conditions of Baia Mare.
Contact information
Mr. Dipl. Eng. Ioan Firte
Manager of Operational Department
S.C.URBIS S.A. Baia Mare
Email: exploatare@urbisbaiamare.ro

Reforming the public fleet -
Electric and CNG vehicles in
Ghent
• 4 year framework contracts for electric and CNG cars
and light delivery vehicles
• 100% of Ghent’s electricity comes from renewable
sources
• Estimated volume over the duration of the contract:
94 electric vehicles and 36 CNG vehicles
• Close involvement of end users in market
consultation and testing phases
Contract tendered
• Two four-year framework contracts for passenger and freight
vehicles tendered in September 2012, one for electric and one
for CNG driven vehicles.
• Tenders published by the Department of Facility Management,
Services and Logistics Division, of the City of Ghent on behalf
of various city and other local public entities.
The City of Ghent administration has a stated policy to be
CO2
-neutral by 2050, with the promotion of sustainable urban
mobility a key focus. Within this framework the city is committed
to introducing environmentally friendly vehicles into the public
fleet to help drive market development, and to encourage the
uptake of these vehicles amongst the general public.
An extensive market research and testing phase was undertaken
within the CIVITAS ELAN project – for electric vehicles this
testing phase covered almost all the vehicles then available
on the market. Eventually it was decided to publish framework
tenders for electric and CNG passenger and freight vehicles. Both
technologies are commercially available and allow for different
transport needs within the organisation to be covered. The city
did not opt for too many different technologies to avoid problems
related to infrastructure needs, fuel availability and organisational
hurdles.
The framework contracts were awarded through an open
tendering procedure by the Facilities Management Department
of Ghent’s Services and Logistics division. The contract was
also opened up to other public entities in and around Ghent
to offer the advantages of such a large contract, and further
encourage the spread of the new vehicle technologies.
One of the most challenging factors in introducing new
technologies is resistance to change by users. To overcome
this, Services and Logistics involved other city departments
Copyright:Aprescindere|Dreamstime.com
1 Images copyright City of Ghent
and drivers in the market research and test drives. After
awarding the contracts, driver lessons, information days and
follow-up feedback sessions with drivers were also organised
to illustrate the advantages of the new technologies.
When a Ghent city department orders new vehicles, it must
indicate the purpose of the vehicle (e.g. transport of goods,
passenger transport or a mix of both). The Services and
Logistics Department then identifies and recommends the
most suitable vehicle from the framework contracts. Suitability
is determined through factors such as general usage pattern,
number of passengers, mileage, budget availability etc. This
may also include purchasing through other existing vehicle
contracts if required. To ensure that the departments which
order electric vehicles will be able to charge them, the
Services and Logistics department of Ghent also ordered a
charging station (slow) or a simple plug (normal wall socket)
with every electric vehicle. For CNG, Ghent also needed to
build new infrastructure. Since there was no fuel station
offering CNG, the Services and Logistics department opted to
install a slow fill station at one of the new vehicle depots for
the infrastructure and road construction department. In the
future, the city wants to further encourage the introduction
of CNG within its own fleet and other public organisations as
well as the private sector. Therefore filling infrastructure will
be needed in the region and will need to also be open to the
private sector and citizens.
In awarding both tenders, methodologies 1 and 2 of the Clean
Vehicle Directive, technical specifications and award criteria,
were used.
1) Technical specifications included (full specifications
available on request):
Electric vehicles
• Maximum charging time: 12 hours.
• Suppliers are asked to provide the latest model offered on
the market.
• Battery life is at least 120 km in eco mode.
• Possibility of interim recharging with a duration of 1 hour.
• Electric motor of at least 40 kW that is able to independently
run the vehicle/engine.

2 ‘Actual expenses’ refers to any possible additional costs for extras, e.g. extra
device, a tool on the vehicle that is not standard etc. Taking into account
‘actual expenses’ assures budget availability during the lifecycle of the vehicle.
3 For more detailed information about how to calculate the Ecoscore, please
visit: http://www.ecoscore.be/en/book/export/html/182
• Warranty on the battery pack for at least four years or 1500
cycles.
CNG driven vehicles
• Main fuel is natural gas, with possible conversion to biogas.
• Minimum Euro V emissions standard.
• Gas tank capacity of at least 190 litres.
• Reserve fuel tank (minimum 12 litres), which can take over
(automatically or manually) when the gas tank is empty.
• Silent and energy efficient radial tyres with a normal road
profile.
• Warranty of at least 4 years.
2) Award criteria:
Electric vehicles
Award criteria were price (60%) and quality (40%) for electric
vehicles. Extensive market research indicated that there are
still very big issues about the batteries. Therefore quality was
given a high weighting in the evaluation.
• 60% price – calculation:
• Purchase price of a base vehicle equipped with all required
options
+ Average cost of maintenance and repair contract
- Value of a spare battery
- Average redemption amount after eight years at 5,000
km, 10,000 km and 15,000 km per year for a base vehicle
equipped with all required options
+ Actual expenses2
.
• 40% quality – sub criteria:
• 25% technology (including battery type and charging time).
• 5% safety.
• 5% comfort.
• 5% guarantee and maintenance.
CNG driven vehicles
Award criteria were price (50%), quality (40%) and
environment (10%) for CNG driven vehicles.
• 50% price – calculation:
• Purchase price of a base vehicle equipped with all required
options
+ Average cost of maintenance and repair contract
+ Actual expenses
• 40% quality – sub criteria:
• 20% technology
• 10% safety
• 5% guarantee and maintenance
• 10% environment – sub criteria:
• 5% environmental performance - assessed through the
Ecoscore methodology (see text box 1)
• 5% description of the vehicle’s impact on the environment
and of the features the vehicle has to minimise these impacts
Text Box 1 – Ecoscore Methodology
Ecoscore3
is a methodology developed by VITO, the Flemish Institute for
Technological Research to measure a vehicles’ impact on the environment .
It gives different weightings to different impacts: 50% greenhouse effect,
40% air quality (20% effects on health and 20% effects on ecosystems)
and 10% noise . To calculate the Ecoscore, the following formula is used .
In responding to tenders bidders must provide all the data necessary for
the calculation:
100*exp[-0.00357*(A*CO2
+ B*HC + C*NOX
+ D*CO + E*PM + F*FU + G*dB(A) + H)]
CO2
CO2
emissions in g/km
HC Hydrocarbon emissions
NOX
NOX
emissions
CO CO emissions
PM PM emissions
FU Fuel use dB(A) Noise level (driving) in dB(A)
The coefficients A, B, C, D, E, F, G and the constant H
vary according to the fuel used and the Euro standard
of the vehicle . They can be looked up in a table on
the Ecoscore website

The contract included the following contract performance
clauses:
• Driver training on proper use of the vehicles and for all
technology upgrades.
• Technical maintenance of the vehicle.
Every time the Services and Logistics Department places an
order, it thoroughly checks if the delivered models comply
with the contract requirements (e.g.: Minimum Euro V,
average fuel use based on combined use) or if they already
offer an updated version.
Results
• Only three car companies were able to fulfil the
requirements with fully commercialised electric and CNG
vehicles. However this was a sufficient number to ensure
competition.
• So far 30 electric and 11 CNG vehicles have been purchased
within the contract in question, out of a total fleet of 900
vehicles. 6 hybrid vehicles have also been purchased
through a separate contract.
• All fleet optimisation activities have and will be widely
publicised - targeting private citizens, as well as companies
and public organisations wanting to make the shift. A
number of communication channels are being used:
website, press releases, info on cars, networking events,
presentations etc.
• The City’s activities have been successful in stimulating the
private vehicle market. Recently this has resulted in a public
CNG-station being constructed on the outskirts of Ghent.
Costs
The purchase price for electric vehicles was approximately
three times the purchase price of comparable previous
purchases. The CNG driven vehicles cost approximately
EUR 5000 more per vehicle + the costs for the slow fill station.
Electric vehicles have no localised harmful emissions (NOx
,
particulates etc.). In comparison to traditional diesel or petrol
engines, CNG vehicles also offer substantial reductions in local
emissions.
As the City of Ghent only purchases green electricity
generated from renewable sources, the electric vehicles also
offer a major reduction in CO2
emissions generated by the city
fleets. CO2
emissions from CNG vehicles are dependent on the
source of the gas used – emissions from natural gas typically
lie between diesel and petrol, and do not offer a significant
benefit. The use of biogas however, can generate substantial
CO2
savings. Biogas will be purchased for the CNG vehicles,
if available on the market, but currently there is no biogas
provider in Ghent.
In the electric vehicles, electricity consumption is being
monitored and the average per mile being calculated. Current
electricity consumption is being displayed in every vehicle.
Lessons learned
• Electric vehicles: Mileage with full battery has proved lower
than expected. Cold weather has a significant impact on
mileage with full battery.
• Involving end-users in market research, test drives, and
consultation rounds has proved very helpful in raising
acceptance and convincing users to shift to alternative fuels.
Written: July 2015
Contact information
Lies Helsloot
Services and Logistics (Facility Management)
City of Ghent,
Email: Lies.Helsloot@gent.be

New Bus – Diesel/electric
hybrid in London
• First bus specifically designed for London in over 50
years.
• Iconic design combined with modern hybrid technology
and expectations.
• Emits less than half the CO2
and NOx
than a current
London diesel bus in service
• Largest order of hybrid buses ever placed in Europe.
Contract tendered
• Contract to design, manufacture and supply 600 diesel
electric hybrid buses to Transport for London between 2012
and 2016.
• Tender specification based on initial public design
competition.
• Highly publicised project due to political and design factors.
A Mayoral priority project in 2008, who wanted an updated
version of the classic Routemaster double-decker bus, with
very high environmental credentials. The Mayor set the target
to reduce London’s CO2
emissions from its 1990 level by 60%
in 2025. As of 2008, transportation accounted for 22% of
London’s CO2
emissions with road based modes comprising
81% of this total. The Mayor targeted the sector for not only
reducing its CO2
emissions but also improving air quality and
quality of life for Londoners.
It was planned that the new buses would operate on Central
London routes. The bus began service in February 2012 on
route 38 and by July seven buses were in operation on the
route. In June 2013 32 buses began operating on the 24 hour
route 24. It is aimed that by May 2016 there will be a full role
out of 600 vehicles.
Transport for London, who runs the buses in London, have
made it a big policy to introduce and operate green buses
throughout its vast bus network. Overall London has Europe’s
largest fleet of green buses and is looking to increase its green
fleet. As of 2012 all new buses entering the fleet are expected
to be hybrid. A number of hydrogen buses are currently in the
fleet, with electric buses also being purchased and will be
trialled. By 2016 there will be more than 1,700 hybrid buses
in service in London of which 600 will be the New Buses for
London (NBfL). Overall hybrid buses will represent 20 per cent
of the total bus fleet (8,500 buses).
There was a public competition launch in July 2008 with the
objective to harvest ideas and concepts for the new bus. The
competition was open to design studios, colleges and the
general public. There were over 700 entries from all over
the world. Some of ideas and concepts the competition produced
allowed TfL to further develop its tender specification for the NBfL.
Once the performance specification had been created a
European procurement exercise started in February 2009.
There were six initial expressions of interest and on the 23rd
December 2013, Wrightbus of Ballymena, Northern Ireland
were awarded the contract.
The contract was a competitive, fixed price deal. The fixed
price was chosen as it removes the risk and uncertainty of
higher production and material costs and inflation over the
next four years. The fixed price not only included the 600
buses, but also the design development of the bus, a mock-
up, development test vehicle testing and an initial batch of
6 prototypes vehicles.
To help create the overall concept design of the bus,
Heatherwick Studio a renowned design team worked
alongside TfL and Wrightbus. Heatherwick Studio created the
unique shape and design of the bus with the final design
being announced in May 2010.
For this contract TfL used CVD Methodology Option 1, with
contractual targets for emissions set at the tender stage.
These targets were based on the Millbrook London Transport
Bus (MLTB) test cycle. This test cycle recreates the conditions
of a Route 159 bus which travels from Brixton (South
London) to Baker Street (North Central London) with all the
accompanying gear changes, calls at bus stops, acceleration,
braking and waiting time at traffic lights. The MLTB is a chassis
dynamometer test.
The MLTB produced a number of aspirational emission targets,
TfL wanted the New Bus for London to meet. These were
Carbon Dioxide (CO2
), Nitrogen Oxide (NOx
), Particulate Matter
(PM) and Hydrocarbons (HC). The target levels for these
emissions are set out in the table below:
Emission
CO2
g/km
NOx
g/km
PM
g/km
HC
g/km
Target 750 5 .00 0 .030 0 .015
Copyright:TransportforLondon

The NBfL contract included a number of deliverables that had
to be met. There are strict dates to meet in terms of rolling
out the buses into operation. The route 24 had to be served by
NBfLs on the 22nd June 2013. The route 11 is next with rollout
date being the 22nd September 2013. Two further routes will
be served by NBfL by the end of 2013.
The contract states that approximately 200 vehicles will be
delivered to TfL in 2014, 250 in 2015 with the remainder in
2016.
To meet legal requirements the contract states that from 2014
all the new NBfLs manufactured must be fitted with Euro 6
engines. The contract provides that TfL will have sufficient
intellectual property rights to enable other manufacturers
to supply vehicles of this style in the event that their usage
represents a material proportion of the London bus fleet. The
contract also allows for Wrightbus to supply NBfL to the bus
operators at capped prices.
Results
There were six initial expressions of interest, with Wrightbus
of Ballymena, Northern Ireland being awarded the contract on
the 23rd December 2013.
The cost was slightly higher than foreseen at the beginning.
This is mainly due to the higher specification of the NBfL.
Over the lifetime of the buses TfL expect them to produce a
substantial saving.
When the NBfL was announced, a lot of work was done to
let the public know that the new bus would be much more
environmentally friendly than a conventional bus. At events
and throughout the press both the Mayor and TfL highlighted
how the new bus would produce substantially fewer emissions
of carbon dioxide, oxides of nitrogen and particulate matter.
The previously mentioned public competition for initial ideas
and concepts greatly helped create interest in the project
and a buzz around it. The 700 entries from the competition
came from a wide range of people and the London Transport
Museum held an exhibition showcasing the submissions.
TfL also organised a public consultation on the new buses
to gather public feedback and answer questions from the
general public.
Customer research carried out in summer 2012 confirms the
NBfL is well liked by customers, scoring very high satisfaction
among passengers who particularly rate its smooth ride,
comfort and quietness. The NBfL also won the prestigious
Viva Shield by the Worshipful Company of Carmen. The
award founded in 1956, it honours transport innovation,
improvement or development in Europe.
Technology
The NBfL uses the latest green diesel-electric hybrid
technology and it is deemed by TfL to be the best performing
bus of its kind in the World. It works by having a battery pack
which powers the electric motor which drives the wheels on
the bus. The battery is charged by a generator and through
regenerative braking (where the system recycles the energy
lost during the braking motion). Stop-start technology means
the engine only runs when it needs to charge the battery. The
bus is a series diesel-electric hybrid with a Cummins ISBe4, 4.5l
turbo diesel (currently EuroV certified). The bus has valance
lithium phosphate battery energy storage and a Siemens/ZF
drive train with permanent magnet electric motor.
The performance specification created for the NBfL was
completely unique.
Costs
The TfL board decided to buy the 600 buses outright, which
allowed it to get a lower unit price.
The overall cost for all 600 buses will be £212 million
(EUR 250 million).
At today‘s prices the buses cost around £326,000. Whilst
being more expensive than a standard diesel double-decker
bus, this is broadly comparable with a standard hybrid
double-decker bus. The price difference is accounted for by
the much higher specification of the new bus compared to a
standard hybrid bus, for example the innovative three-door,
two-staircase design. The unique and iconic design of the
NBfL also resulted in it being more expensive than a standard
looking double-decker model.
The average price of a new bus over the life of the contract will
be £354,500. This cost includes inflation, technical upgrades
and any mandatory changes.
Even taking into account the marginally higher initial cost
of the buses, a multi-million pound saving will be delivered
over the 14 years of operation the buses will have. One of
the reasons behind this is that it is more fuel efficient than a
comparable average hybrid. Over their 14-year lifetime each
NBfL is estimated to roughly save £127,000 (EUR 148,000)
in fuel compared to the average hybrid. This estimate uses
August 2013 fuel prices and that each bus will travel roughly
90,000km per year over each 14 years.
In 2016 when all 600 buses are in operation, they will roughly
account for 7% of the total TfL Bus fleet.
The NBfL helps reduce the CO2
emissions in London by around
20,000 tonnes a year. In test conditions the NBfL produced
around half the carbon dioxide and a quarter of the particulate

matter and nitrogen oxides of conventional diesel buses
and is more fuel efficient. The CO2
emissions from the NBfL
are tailpipe emissions only, as the vehicle is not charged
externally. The battery power that the bus uses comes from
the vehicle’s regenerative braking system.
MLTB
CO2
g/km
Eco-
nomy
Mpg
NOx
g/km
PM
g/km
HC
g/km
New
Bus for
London
target
750 10 .3 5 .00 0 .030 0 .015
New
Bus for
London
certified
result
(EuroV)
690 10 .8 2 .048 0 .012 0 .000
Average
Hybrid
(EuroV)
864 8 .6 7 .70 0 .048 –
Average
Diesel
(EuroV)
1295 5 .8 9 .3 0 .048 –
ventilation and air chill systems tested before being placed on
operation.
Eight NBfL’s are operating on Route 38 alongside another
model without the hop-on-/off back. Although both models
serve the same route some customers are confused by the
two different models so to mitigate this, the NBfL’s back doors
are now to be closed on the route 38.
There has been work on reducing the weight of the buses, as
the prototypes operating on the route 38 have a kerb weight
of 12.650 tonnes. The NBfL’s that were put into service on
route 24 have a kerb weight of 12.460 tonnes and more work
is being done to reduce the weight.
Contact information
Andrew Robb
Senior Procurement Manager
Transport for London.
Email: andrewrobb@tfl.gov.uk
In recent emissions tests a prototype bus, that had been in
passenger service for eight months and that had driven more
than 15,000 miles, was found to emit a quarter of the NOx
and PM of a fleet average hybrid bus and 20 per cent less CO2
.
Below is a table of results from a recent emission test based
on the MLTB test.The Euro 6 engine that will be fitted to
the buses from 2014 will deliver even lower PM and NOx
emissions. The exact levels of the Euro 6 aren’t currently
known as an NBfL with a Euro 6 engine hasn’t been tested
on the MLTB yet.
Lessons learned
When the NBfL was introduced there were some slight
problems and issues. In the summer of 2013 London
experienced a heat wave with a number of high temperatures.
This led to some slight issues with the ventilation and air chill
systems within the NBfL. Customers were complaining due to
the high temperatures within the bus, especially on the top
deck. The high temperatures were a result of a manufacturing
and operating failure, which were quickly fixed by Wrightbus.
Therefore all the new NBfL being manufactured will have their

Joint Procurement of Cars and
Vans in Slovenia
• Technology-neutral joint procurement
• Operational lifetime costs used as award criteria
• A decrease of up to 45 g/km CO2 per vehicle
Contract tendered
• Tender for 57 vehicles published in 2011, broken down into
11 lots covering a variety of vehicle types from small cars
to larger vans.
• Contract for 18 public authorities (national ministries and
agencies).
The Public Procurement Agency in Slovenia was responsible for
carrying out joint procurement for Slovenian public authorities
for a number of product and service groups and currently
purchases on behalf of about 130 authorities across the public
sector. As part of its mandate, the Agency implements GPP
criteria in its procurement of electricity, paper and office IT
equipment as well as vehicles. Joint public procurement
procedures for vehicles that were carried out in 2010 and
2011 included recommendations from Directive 2009/33/EC
which was adopted in Decree on Green Public Procurement at
the end of 2011.
Tendering
This was a technology neutral tender run through the
open procedure. Technical specifications were based on
comprehensive market research (using catalogues, web and
pricelists).
The tender included minimum environmental specifications,
and also used the operational lifetime cost methodology
from the Clean Vehicles Directive (CVD), to monetise energy
efficiency and emissions in the overall cost calculation. This
ensured sufficient competition in the tender, whilst also
encouraging better environmental performance.
Technical specifications:
• All vehicles must meet the Euro 5 emissions standard or
equivalent.
• Maximum CO2
emissions range from 115 g/km for small
cars to 180 g/km for mini-buses.
Award criteria:
The contract was awarded to the most economically
advantageous tender, evaluated in terms of:
• Overall cost (see below) - 81 points.
• Service network – 5 points.
• Safety and environmental equipment: 4 points.
• Gear shift indicator: 1 point.
• Warranty period: 4 points.
Copyright:123elis,dreamstime.com
• Delivery time: 3 points.
• Tyre pressure monitor: 2 points.
Overall cost calculation:
To determine the cost of each offer, the “operational lifetime
cost” (OLC) of the vehicles was added to the bid price. OLC is
calculated according to a methodology defined under the CVD,
and allows the procurer to monetises energy use based on
fuel consumption and emissions of CO2
, NOx
NMHC and PM
according to values specified by the CVD.
A full description of the OLC methodology can be found in a
separate Clean Fleets factsheet
Results
• There were fewer bidders than expected, but all bidders
were well able to meet the CO2
emission limits. Only diesel
vehicles were offered.
• The cost was lower than foreseen.
Applying operational Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) as a part of award
criteria on one hand, and setting requirements for maximum
levels of CO2
released on the other, has led contractors
to submit offers for vehicles with lower CO2
emissions. In
comparison to previous tenders emissions were from 3g/km
to 45 g/km lower per vehicle, depending on the lot.
Lessons learned
• When administering contracts, it is necessary to foster
competitiveness among contractors to deliver good
economic and environmental performance. High priority
should be given to surveying the market and ensuring that
the procurer has up-to-date information in order to set and
achieve appropriate standards.
Written: June 2015
Contact information
Matjaž Uhan
Slovenian Ministry of Finance
Email: Matjaz.Uhan@mf-rs.si

A Fleet of Biomethane Buses
in Reading
• 34 certified biomethane EEV buses
• Lower life cycle costs
• 30-50% less NOx emissions than comparable
Euro V diesel buses
Contract tendered
• Purchase of CNG buses by Reading Transport (public transport
operator).
• Initial supply of 14 buses, with 20 further buses purchased
following successful introduction. 34 CNG buses now in
operation, biggest fleet in the UK.
Reading Borough Council’s local transportation plan includes the
goal of addressing air quality issues. A tender was announced for
a 10bus service contract, with a minimum requirement to meet
the Euro IV emission standard, but additional points awarded for
even better performance. In future, environmental requirements
are also likely to become stricter.
In consideration of longer term sustainability requirements,
Reading Transport was already considering the use of alternative
fuelled vehicles. They had previously had the opportunity to trial
a new MAN CNG bus for 8 weeks. Despite reservations based on
earlier poor performance of CNG buses from 20 years previously,
the MAN bus trial proved a very positive experience – with high
reliability and low fuel costs. It was decided to bid for the service
contract based on the use of CNG buses.
A tender was published for CNG buses, specifying minimum
Euro V, together with standard technical elements, which apply to
all new buses.
Award was based on both life cycle cost and quality, including
technical compatibility with a diesel fleet.
In addition to the buses, it was necessary to convert the vehicle
depot to cater for CNG buses, and the refuelling infrastructure.
A considerable amount of work was done on health and safety,
which required some rebuilding work (a new extraction canopy,
together with ventilation system, and an alarm system).
Results
• There were two bids received: from MAN and Scania.
The Scania bid was accepted, in part due to the technical
similarity with the existing diesel fleet
• Both bids offered EEV standard – better than required
• 34 CNG buses now in operation (since May 2013), biggest
fleet in the UK
• The buses run on biogas (biomethane), which was brought
Copyright:ReadingBoroughCouncil
in by tanker daily until the refuelling infrastructure was up
and running. Now they use gas from the national grid and
pay for the amount of biomethane they use to be injected
into the national grid.
• Reading Transport decided to brand the new bus service
with the name ‘greenwave’ to highlight their environmental
credentials to passengers. The buses carry the message:
‘gas power... quieter, cleaner, greener’.
• Passenger numbers have increased by 20% per year so an
additional 2 CNG buses have been added to the greenwave
contract, other routes converted to gas operation and
frequencies further improved.
Costs
The CNG buses cost just under 20% more than a conventional
diesel bus, but over a 10 year lifetime, this is more than
compensated by lower fuel costs, even with the new
infrastructure investments required.
The company already had 31 diesel-electric hybrid buses on
the road when the gas buses were tendered for but it was
calculated that, without the previous government subsidy, the
reduced fuel costs did not make up for a 50% higher purchase
price.
NOx
had been identified by the Borough Council as a local
pollution problem. The CNG buses have a 30% to 50% reduction
in NOx
emissions. Particulate emissions are negligible.
Natural gas-driven CNG buses do not give a significant benefit
in terms of CO2
reductions (can even lead to a small increase).
Therefore, Reading Transport decided to run the buses on
certified bio-methane from agricultural products, under the
Green Gas certification scheme. This allows biogas producers
to feed the gas directly into the gas mains, for which it
receives a certain number of certificates which can then in
turn be sold to customers such as Reading Transport.
CNG buses are also smoother and quieter than their diesel
counterparts – particularly important for early morning routes.

Lessons learned
• CNG has proven to be the commercially best solution, aside
from any of the environmental benefits achieved, and can
be considered a win-win for the operator, the council and
the local population
Written: December 2014
Contact information
Martijn Gilbert
CEO
Reading Transport Limited
Email: mgilbert@reading-buses.co.uk
More information on this case study from the perspective of
Reading Borough Council can be found here :
http://ec.Europa.eu/environment/gpp/pdf/news_
alert/Issue40_Case_Study85_Reading_biomethane_
buses.pdf

Retrofitting buses in Freiburg
• Buses retrofitted to meet stricter emissions standards
• The entire fleet now meets a minimum Euro 5
standard. CO and NMHC emissions reduced by 92.5%,
NOx by 81.5% and PM (particulates) by 78%.
Summary of initiative
In 2010 Freiburger Verkehrs AG (VAG) decided to retrofit buses
with particulate- filters. 5 buses were retrofitted, going from a
Euro 3 standard to Euro 5.
Business Case for retrofitting
Achieving high exhaust emission standards is a very important
strategic goal for VAG. New buses are required to meet
Euro 6 emission standards, and the existing fleet is expected
to meet at least Euro 5 standard. In 2010, there were still five
buses in the VAG fleet that only met the Euro 3 standard. The
buses were Mercedes Benz Citaro G models with OM 457 Euro
3 engine. At 7 years old, they were only halfway through their
expected 12-14 year lifecycle.
Two options were available to ensure that the whole bus fleet
met its obligatory Euro 5 standard: either sell the buses and
buy new ones, or retrofit the existing stock. The decision to
retrofit the buses instead of replacing them was the more cost
effective option for achieving the set emission goals.
VAG used this project as a pilot to gain experience, as this type
of retrofitting was not well established in the market at the
time and few other companies had experience in this area.
Technology choice
VAGhadalreadyboughtseveralbusesthatincludedparticulate-
filters, with positive results. It was therefore decided to use
the same system for retrofitting. The main advantage to this
decision was that only one system of particulate- filters would
need to be maintained, meaning just one type of spare parts
would be required.
The system which was bought for retrofitting is called SCRT.
This means Continuously Regenerating Trap and Selective
Catalytic Reduction (SCR+CRT=SCRT). It reduces the toxic
element particles, NOx
, HC and CO.
VAG decided to retrofit its buses with a complete system
that was offered on the market rather than buying individual
components.
In a first step a market analysis was carried out to learn about
the available suppliers and systems. The decision to buy the
same system that was already being used in newer buses
reduced the range of systems to choose from.
As the estimated project costs were well below the EU
limit for European-wide tenders, VAG requested offers only
from possible suppliers of the SCRT system. The offers were
analysed and the supplier with the best offer was chosen.
Assembly
VAG mechanics worked with the supplier to learn how to
install the SCRT system. The supplier assembled the first two
systems, giving the VAG mechanics a chance to learn the
installation process. The last three systems were installed by
VAG mechanics as the retrofitting process turned out to be
fairly uncomplicated. It took about 3 days with 2 assemblers
to install one retrofitting system.
Results
As VAG chose to buy the same system already installed in
some of the buses the range of possible suppliers was limited
to two companies. The bidder offering the cheapest service
was chosen. The initial investment was lower than foreseen
because the installation could be carried out in-house.
Maintenance costs, on the other hand, were higher than
estimated because the filters need to be cleaned more often
than was foreseen.
The requirement that the existing VAG bus fleet meet at least
Euro 5 standard forms part of the company’s environmental
strategy. Other elements of this strategy include using 100%
green energy in tram operation and a tram washing system
which collects and reuses rainwater.
VAG is convinced that the population of Freiburg chooses
the public transport instead of cars not just for convenience
reasons but also as a positive commitment to protecting the
environment. Therefore there are many marketing initiatives
to communicate the climate protection impacts of using public
transport. These include using the commercial space on buses
and trams to communicate this message, distribution of a
flyer on the climate protection initiative and an educational
program for school children called “VAG KlimaKlasse” that is
attended by several thousand pupils every year.
The public response to initiatives like the retrofitting system
is very positive, as seen the results of market research. VAG
Copyright:VAGFreiburg

takes part in the annual “ÖPNV Kundenbarometer” carried
out by TNS infratest, covering 33 German public transport
companies. When asked to rate initiatives for climate
protection, VAG is regularly voted into the top three transport
companies. This shows that initiatives like retrofitting to
reduce the environmental impact of the fleet are understood
and appreciated by customers.
Costs
The cost of each SCRT system was 15.000EUR. The total
investment in upgrading five buses from Euro 3 to Euro 5
standard was 75.000EUR without assembly cost.
Following the decision that three of the systems should be
installed by VAG mechanics, it was possible to renegotiate
prices with the supplier.
As the alternative for the retrofitting would have been to
buy five new buses, the retrofitting was a much more cost
effective choice.
No data is available on the impact of the retrofitting on vehicle
maintenance costs.
The supplier of the SCRT system commissioned TÜV Nord
(a German testing institute) to measure the gaseous and
particulate pollutants. Different measurements on an engine
test bed were carried out. The engine was measured with and
without the retrofitting system. The test results showed that
the retrofitting system reduced CO emissions by 92.5%, NMHC
by 92.25%, NOx
by 81.5% and PM (particulates) by 78%.
Lessons learned
The maintenance volume and costs were underestimated,
although the overall saving was still significant when
compared to buying a new bus. When buying a retrofitting
system this should be discussed in detail with the supplier.
Written: January 2015
Contact information
Freiburger Verkehrs AG
Christine Kury
Commercial Manager
Email: christine.kury@vagfr.de

Sustainability criteria as
minimum treshold for student
transport in Rotterdam
• Contract broken down into 7 lots
• Use of MEAT criteria
• Inclusion of social clause
• Contract value of 7 million per year
• Minimum sustainability threshold included
Contract tendered
In their 2011 tender for student transportation services,
the municipality of Rotterdam for the first time used most
economically advantageous tender criteria when awarding
the contract rather than relying on lowest price. This included
award criteria for sustainability and quality.
Although the tender was carried out as a single procedure,
seven separate lots were awarded. Suppliers were able to bid
for all of the lots individually or register for any combination of
lots. The contract runs from August 1, 2011 until July 31, 2015,
with two possibilities for a one year extension.
The lots were grouped as follows:
Lot 1: Taxi transport
Lot 2: Bus transport
Lot 3: Wheelchair transport
Lot 4: Swimming class and gym class transport
Lot 5: Invalid transport
Lot 6: Taxi transport Hoek van Holland
Lot 7: Taxi transport Rozenburg
Background policy/targets
Environmental and social sustainability are high priorities for
the municipality of Rotterdam, with ambitious goals such as
those of the Rotterdam Climate Initiative which aims to halve
CO2
emissions by 2025 against 1990 levels. Other goals include
improving air quality, reducing noise pollution and creating a
healthy, fair working environment. Rotterdam’s sustainable
purchasing policy prioritises suppliers who provide social and
environmental benefits as well as creating financial-economic
value. It was one of the first cities in the Netherlands to
implement the Dutch government’s sustainability criteria for
student transport.
Infrastructure
No infrastructure changes were required for this tender. If
electric vehicles were offered, the public loading infrastructure
- facilitated by the municipality – could be used.
Copyright:CityofRotterdam
Assessment of award criteria
The tender was awarded to the most economically
advantageous tender, with a maximum of 1000 points allotted
to Quality and Sustainability criteria. In order to be assessed
on cost, tenders had to meet a minimum threshold of 600
points on these criteria (see Fig 2).
Breakdown of award criteria
Per criterion the tenderer has to give an answer in succession
to the items asked, without further reference . The information
given will be assessed by criterion in mutual coherence by an
assessment team . The assessment will take place in a way as
described in paragraph 4 .3 .6 .
Nr. Criteria Points
1 . Quality 810
KG-1 Capacity 325
KG-2 Plan of transport 325
KG-3 Plan of approach 160
2 . Sustainability 190
DG-1 Euro standard 125
DG-2 Silent tyres 25
DG-3 Fuel 40
Total 1.000

Awarding method
Sustainability (see Fig 1):
1. Euro standard
Bidders were asked to provide the weight (kg) and Euro
standard for each vehicle. A maximum of 125 points was
awarded to vehicles which met Euro-6 standard (3,500 kg or
less) or EEV standard (over 3,500kg).
2. Silent tyres
Bidders were asked to disclose the type of tyres used on each
vehicle, with a maximum of 25 points available for vehicles
with silent tyres (EU Guideline 92/23/EEG – see Fig 2).
3. Fuel
Bidders were asked to indicate whether vehicles were
hybrid or run on alternative fuels such as natural gas or
bioethanol. A survey of alternative fuel can be found at:
www.fuelswitch.nl
Quality
Assessments for “KG-1 Capacity”, “KG-2 Plan of transport” and
“KG-3 Plan of approach” were carried out by an assessment
team of at least three experts. Each assessor gave individual
marks from 0 to 10 (10 being the highest) per (sub) criterion
and per bidder. These marks were then discussed in an
assessment meeting and a final ‘report mark’ was given
for each section based on consensus. Once the final report
mark was decided, each criteria was awarded a mark by
multiplying the maximum number of points by the report
mark and dividing the total by 10.
Price
Only tenders scoring over 600 points in quality and
sustainability criteria (Fig. 1) qualified for an assessment of
price. Each lot was evaluated separately.
Calculation
In order to find the most economically advantageous tender
for each lot, the total number of points awarded per lot for
quality and sustainability criteria was divided by the cost
quoted for the relevant lot to give a “cost/points ratio”. The
offer with the highest cost/points ratio per lot was awarded
the contract. See Fig. 3 for a worked example.
If two bids received the same score based on this calculation,
the contract was awarded to the bidder scoring most highly
on quality.
Other contract obligations: Social Return
The city of Rotterdam requires contractors to contribute
to the creation of trainee posts as well as employment fo
the long-term unemployed, by spending 5% of a contract’s
value on job creation for these groups. How this obligation is
implemented is discussed with each successful bidder on a
case by case basis.
For more information on the 5% arrangement,
visit: 5procentregelingrotterdam.nl.
Amendments
Over the course of the tender, it became clear that suppliers
were not able to meet the required sustainability standards.
The requirements were therefore amended slightly, in order
to make the tender more reflective of market availability.
1. The requirement for vehicles to meet Euro 6 standards in
criteria 1 was removed for lots 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 and the EEV
requirement for lots 2 and 4 was reduced, with a minimum
of 50% of the fleet now having to meet this standard to
receive maximum points (see fig 5).
2. The number of points awarded for silent tyres and
alternative fuels in lots 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 was increased to
make up for the number of points no longer being awarded
for meeting Euro 6 norms (see Fig 5).
Suppliers were expected to provide proof of compliance both
at the tender stage and over the course of the contract. In
reality, this means that:
• DG-1 Euro standard - suppliers have to provide a reference,
registration number and matching Euro standard for all
vehicles.
• DG-2 Silent tyres - suppliers have to provide information on
the kind and type of tyres belonging to each vehicle.
• DG-3 alternative fuel – suppliers have to provide an extra
document of evidence from the car dealer as well as
evidence of refuelling during the contract.
Results
The number of tenders received per lot is as follows:
Lot 1: Taxi transport: 2 tenders
Lot 2: Bus transport: 5 tenders
Lot 3: Wheelchair transport: 4 tenders
Lot 4: Swimming class and gym class transport: 5 tenders
Lot 5: Invalid transport: 1 tender
Lot 6: Taxi transport Hoek van Holland: 5 tenders
Lot 7: Taxi transport Rozenburg: 4 tenders.
Seven bidders met the minimum standard and three offered
alternative fuels (two offered natural gas and one proposed
natural gas and hybrid options)
Four suppliers were chosen to carry out the contract. Lots
1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 were divided between two suppliers, who
had gained points within the sustainability assessment for
silent tyres and fuel (requirements 2 and 3). The two winners
for lots 2 and 4 gained points for all 3 sustainability criteria
(Euro-norm, silent tyres and fuel).
Communication
A fact sheet was produced and distributed to publicise the
tender and there was also coverage on the municipal

intranet and on external sites such as PIANOo (pianoo.nl/
duurzaamheid-social-return-in-leerlingenvervoer-rotterdam).
Suppliers were also asked to provide publicity. Some of them
did this by advertising the type of fuel they were using on
the vehicles.
Costs
The total savings per school-year (excluding lot 7) are
EUR 792.744,62 (for a more detailed breakdown, see Fig
5). Costs were lower than expected but different calculation
methods were used occasionally, such as costs per student
versus costs per kilometre, meaning it wasn’t always possible
to make a comparison.
The 190 points awarded for sustainability played a small
but significant role in the choice of supplier. This type of
assessment was important for two key reasons: firstly, it
sent a signal to the market that cleaner vehicles would be
required going forward. Secondly, it provided a good basis for
the department to begin including sustainability criteria within
procurements and forced them to assess their own needs.
For example, charging infrastructure has now been introduced
for electric vehicles in the Rotterdam area and bidders in
upcoming contracts are expected to provide electric vehicle
options.
Lessons learned
The tender process wasn’t always easy and much was learned
from it. Its complexity stemmed from the number of lots,
the different kinds of transport involved, the different target
groups and the complex geographical area. In order to make
assessment of the bids easier, it is important to provide a
uniform format for suppliers to use when bidding (instead of
using their own).
When the tender was published it became evident that only a
limited number of vehicles were able to meet the demands.
It was therefore decided to make a number of changes
with regard to the tender criterion ‘sustainability’ and the
assessment method ‘sustainability’. This allowed more parties
to tender. For detailed information on the changes, see Fig
5. The importance of communication with the traffic and
transport department cannot be under-estimated here, as
they are more aware of the market and can help with defining
realistic criteria.
Infrastructural issues were also important. In The Hague, CNG
vehicle use was facilitated by the installation of appropriate
infrastructure, with a clear impact on the number of CNG
vehicles offered. The City of Rotterdam has now tried to do
something similar. Since this tender, electric charging points
have been installed in Rotterdam to make electric vehicles a
more viable option.
Contact information
Ingrid Veenstra
Senior purchaser
City of Rotterdam
Email: i.veenstra@rotterdam.nl
Wynanda Babb
Advisor sustainable mobility
City of Rotterdam
Email: we.babb@rotterdam.nl
Email: info@rotterdamelektrisch.nl

Annex: Further information
on tender definitions and
calculations
Fig 1: Breakdown of points for sustainability
assessment
Sustainability
With assessing the criteria of sustainability the tables below
count
The criterion DG-2 Silent tyres uses the following division of points.
The table below shows the division of points for criterion
DG-3 Fuel.
A tyre is a more silent tyre when the rolling sound emission (dB(A))
of the tyre does not exceed the ultimate values indicated in the
table below. The ‘rolling sound emission’ is measured according
the VN/ECE Regulations 117.
% number of vehicles which
meet the Euro standard
requirements
Score
= 100% 125
80% - 100% 100
60% - 80% 75
40% - 60% 50
20% - 40% 25
20% 0
meet the requirements of
silent tyres
Score
= 100% 25
80% - 100% 20
60% - 80% 15
40% - 60% 10
20% - 40% 5
20% 0
meet the requirements of
hybrid or alternative fuels
Score
= 40% 40
30% - 40% 30
20% - 30% 20
10% - 20% 10
10% 0
20% 0
Class of tyres
Nominal
section width
(mm)
Ultimate va-
lues in dB(A)
C1A ≤ 185 70
C1B 185 - ≤ 215 71
C1C 215 - ≤ 245 71
C1D 245 - ≤ 275 72
C1E 275 74
Fig 2: Table of European ultimate values for
rolling sound for tyres of classes C1, C2 and C3
(Regulation (EG) Nr. 661/2009)

For winter tyres the ultimate values mentioned above are
increased with 1dB(A)
For winter tyres of category C2-tractive power tyres, 2dB(A) has
been allowed additionally. For all the other tyres of the classes
C2 and C3, 1dB(A) has been additionally allowed for winter tyres.
For more detailed information, please read the case study
online at www.clean-fleets.eu/casestudies
Class of tyres
Category of
usage
Ultimate va-
lues in dB(A)
C2 Regular tyres 72
C2 Tractive power
tyres
73
C3 Regular tyres 73
C3 Tractive power
tyres
75
Tender A Tender B Tender C
Points awarding criteria 650 700 740
Quotation EUR 500 .000,- EUR 550 .000,- EUR 560 .000
Cost points ratio 130 127 132
Fig 3 Example of tender calculation
In this example the assignment is tendered to tenderer C as this is the tenderer with the highest number of points per Euro and so from
an economic point of view it is the most profitable tender .

The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors . It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the
European Union . Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information
contained therein .
www .clean-fleets .eu
www .clean-fleets .eu | info@clean-fleets .eu
Clean Fleets
Clean Fleets project partners
The Clean Fleets project (www.clean-fleets.eu) assists public
authorities and fleet operators with the implementation of the
Clean Vehicles Directive and the procurement or leasing of clean
and energy-efficient vehicles

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