Lessons from GPP Use in Czechia: The Importance of External and Peer Collaboration in Building GPP Capacities
摘要
This chapter examines the state and dynamics of Green Public Procurement (GPP) implementation in Czechia, with a particular focus on the factors enabling or hindering its uptake. Despite increasing EU-level ambitions and national policy developments, GPP remains underutilized in Czechia, especially among smaller contracting authorities. The chapter aims to fill a gap in the literature on GPP in post-communist EU countries, where qualitative evidence has so far been limited. To address this, we employed a mixed-methods approach, combining a review of existing academic and policy literature with findings from 13 semi-structured interviews conducted in May 2025. Interviewees included 14 procurement professionals and experts from ministries, universities, regional and municipal governments, and national-level initiatives. The interviews explored institutional practices, perceived barriers, enabling factors, and the influence of recent legislative changes on GPP application. Our findings indicate that while legal reforms and strategic frameworks have helped to legitimize GPP, implementation remains inconsistent. Larger organizations with internal capacity, expertise, and external partnerships are more likely to adopt GPP practices meaningfully. Key enablers include peer learning, collaboration with technical experts and suppliers, and strategic leadership support. Conversely, barriers include limited expertise, insufficient man-capacities, and time to properly define additional environmental requirements and evaluating criteria, lack of motivation from organizational leadership, common reluctance to go beyond minimum process requirements, and the perceived administrative burden of GPP. The importance of informal networks and practical guidance also emerged as central themes. Overall, the chapter contributes to a better understanding of how policy, capacity, and collaboration intersect to shape GPP practice in a transitional administrative context.