Ondernemersverhalen

Context

City of Mechelen signed the European Covenant on Circular Cities in 2020, committing to reduce its materials footprint by 30% by 2030. One of the levers to achieve this target is to encourage circularity in the construction and infrastructure sector, more specifically in the design and management of the public domain, as this is largely the city's responsibility. Although reuse of materials is already encouraged at project level, an overarching approach & cooperation is lacking, partly because of the absence of a conclusive working & policy framework and a coordinator as well as the necessary processes, tools, (meta)data, KPIs and metrics (e.g. lifecycle CO2 emissions). 

On the basis of this innovative tender, the city of Mechelen wants to take significant steps to replace the ad hoc initiatives with recycled building materials by a synergetic way of working in the future, whereby the focus of this project is on the development of a platform that allows mapping out the materials used in the territory, including all relevant material properties, and makes the exchange of materials between projects as efficient as possible (e.g. through smart planning of different projects). In doing so, the city of Mechelen also wishes to ensure, via an (external) coordinator and advisor, that the use of the new platform and the transition to more circularity by the sector are well managed.

Purpose and approach

During the market consultation, we want to 'match' the needs of stakeholders such as in particular City of Mechelen with (partial) solutions available on the market. The aim is to find out to what extent companies can provide solutions, and how innovative, feasible (in terms of time, budget, development path, etc.) and scalable these solutions are.

We focus on companies that have relevant experience in one or more of the following foreseen components of the tool: optimisation of project planning, calculation of environmental impact (e.g. LCAs), material degradation estimation and general software development.  In addition, we also focus on parties who can advise on circular material management or provide solutions regarding its logistical component.

No preparation (in the form of presentations, pitches or the like) is expected from participating companies and organisations. 
For a smooth discussion and good result, however, it is advisable to have your company represented by an employee with technological expertise (e.g. R&D or engineering, rather than by a sales or PR person). They can usually assess better and faster what the technological risks & solutions might be for each need or desired functionality.

The outcome of the market consultation should enable City of Mechelen to have one or more suitable (innovative) solutions for the stated need developed and/or procured through a public contract.

Where and when? 

The market consultation will take place physically at Mechelen, Reuzenstraat 1 ('Huis van de Mechelaar') and, depending on the tenders, in English or Dutch on 26 June 2024 from 9 a.m. to noon at the latest.

The results of the market consultation will be made publicly available via this website. To stay informed, please subscribe to the PIO newsletter.

Subscribe

Participation is of course free, but registration is compulsory. You can do so by filling in the registration form at the bottom until 20 June.

You will be sent the necessary information (including agenda) a few days before the market consultation.