Page 43 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

3 How has COVID-19 impacted smart sustainable city procurement?

The COVID-19 global health pandemic has exposed gaps and weaknesses in governments' digital
resilience and exposed inaccessible digital planning of service, further undermining governance
and accountability where systems were already weakened due to corruption and bribery.

Even before the pandemic, the World Economic Forum estimated that USD 455 billion of annual
global healthcare spend was lost to fraud and corruption.

The previously referenced Carbon Disclosure Project report “Cities on the Route to 2030: Building
a zero-emission, resilient planet for all”, states:

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, cities have been on the frontline of two
complex global crises: tackling the pandemic and climate change simultaneously. What began
as a public health crisis has now developed into a social and economic crisis. COVID-19 has
highlighted inequalities and vulnerabilities, showing us that cities can’t go back to business as
usual – we need to build back better…

As the world seeks to recover from COVID-19, recovery funds and stimulus packages need to
focus on a green and just recovery. There is an opportunity here for cities to access funding and
to implement climate projects focused on increasing resilience, protecting the most vulnerable
and building an equitable and fair society. If COVID-19 recovery is not sustainable and equitable,
we risk locking cities into infrastructure that is not aligned with the UN Sustainable Development
Goals and a 1.5°C future.”

Although both crises were combated at the same time; it is essential to note that tackling the
pandemic had positive collateral impacts on the environment, including decreased consumption
and mobility, and decreased transport of goods, which was reflected in lower CO emissions during
2
the period of the pandemic.

Knowing how to buy effectively during an emergency – identifying needs, supporting suppliers
and ensuring standards are met – is critical to ensuring that public funds are directed where they
are most needed for the response effort in fast, smart and open ways.

The Open Contracting Partnership (OCP) has published five recommendations to support
emergency procurement for COVID-19:

• Policy: Make emergency procedures public and open. This includes coordinating and centralizing
procurement, setting a clear test and a written justification for emergency procedures, publishing
open data, targeting price gouging, creating standard tender documents, and requiring timely
reporting.

• Coordination: Set clear goals & priorities and consolidate emergency committees for quick
decision making. Create strategies for capacity building and increasing participation.

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