Austrian wastewater recycling system wins prize for best European innovation procurement
(From ec.europa.eu)
This year’s prize for the most innovative procurement in Europe was awarded to the Federal Procurement Agency Austria at the Public Procurement of Innovation award ceremony in Paris on 28 October.
The procurement of a machine that recycles waste-water by vaporising it to remove waste particles won the prize, awarded during the first European Assistance for Innovation Procurement (EAFIP) event, organised by EAFIP.
The machine was chosen as winner as it not only involved the application of innovation-friendly procurement procedures, it also ensured increased resource efficiency, improving environmental sustainability.
The award was presented to a delegation from the Federal Procurement Agency Austria by Wouter Stolwijk, Director of PIANOo and member of the jury.
Mr Stolwijk said:
“We felt that the procurement of the vaporising system best showcased the impressive work being carried out, as well as the type of solution that public procurement of innovation can achieve. The procurement brought together the institutional knowledge of public procurers with the ingenuity of the private sector.”
About the winner
The innovative solution ‘Vacuum vaporizer based wastewater recycling system for the Austrian Mint‘ is used by the mint to clean water contaminated during the production of coins and notes. The new system reduces the need for fresh water by 97 percent. The easy to install innovation can be used to filter a wide range of particles such as metal, galvanic, photo, print, pharmaceutical, food, etc., making it suitable for use in a variety of industries.
The procurement process was exemplary in its application of life cycle costing and its effective use of the negotiated procedure where the contracting authorities waive Intellectual Property Rights. A full case study will be published on the Procurement of Innovation Platform in the coming weeks.
About the award
Four other finalists from across Europe were also in competition for the award - more information on each finalist is available on the PPI Platform website.
Now in its second year, the Public Procurement of Innovation Award aims to recognise successful public procurement practices that have been used to purchase innovative, more effective and efficient products or services. The award is part of the Procurement of Innovation Platform, an online space for procurers coordinated by ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability and developed with support from the European Commission, in partnership with PIANOo – the Dutch Public Procurement Expertise Centre, REC – the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe and IWT – the Flemish Agency for Innovation by Science and Technology.
More information