Travel Agency Services

Quality

Price

Justification for the use of climate and environmental requirements in the requirement specifications. Norsk Tipping has assessed how climate and environmental considerations can most effectively be taken care of in the procurement, cf. the Procurement Act § 5b second paragraph. The procurement concerns travel agency services connected to, among other things, booking and administration of business journeys, including flights, hotels, trains and hire cars, as well as services connected to courses and gatherings. Norsk Tipping has made a concrete assessment of where the climate and environmental impact of the procurement occurs and which parts of the delivery the tenderer can influence. Based on this, concrete and binding climate and environmental requirements are chosen as a minimum requirement (A-requirement) in the requirement specification, rather than using climate and the environment as the award criterion. The requirements are directed at climate and sustainability reports, a portal reporting system and access to environmentally friendly hotels. The requirements mean that the tenderer who is awarded the contract must fulfil the stipulated environmental level and the requirements will be binding on the contract in the contract period. Norsk Tipping estimates that this organisation has a better climate and environmental effect than using climate and the environment as the award criterion. An award criteria will involve a relative assessment of differences between the tenders and it does not in itself ensure that the tenderer awarded the contract fulfils a specific minimum level. By setting the requirements as absolute minimum requirements, all tenders that can form the basis for the contract must fulfil the stipulated environmental level. This is considered particularly relevant for this procurement as the climate and environmental impact occurs primarily from the underlying travel and overnight services, whilst the travel agency provider's influence first and foremost lies in how these alternatives are presented, made available and followed-up through the travel agency service. A significant part of the climate and environmental impact of travel occurs when carrying out the underlying transport and overnight services. The travel agency provider is a communicator of these services and does not have direct control over, for example, the airlines ́ means of transport, emissions from each flight or the hotels ́ operation and energy use. However, the travel agency provider has an influence on how available travel and accommodation options are presented and made available to Norsk Tipping's travellers, what climate and environmental information is available at the time of booking, how Norsk Tipping's travel policy is supported in the booking solution, as well as what information and reporting Norsk Tipping receives to monitor the climate and environmental impact of travel. The requirements have a direct connection to the travel agency service and to how the service shall be provided and used throughout the contract period. Requirement specifications can include environmental properties and conditions throughout the delivery's life cycle, but the requirements shall be connected to the delivery and be in relation to the procurement ́s purpose and value. After an overall assessment Norsk Tipping therefore believes that the concrete climate and environmental requirements in the requirement specifications will provide better climate and environmental effect than the use of award criteria alone. The choice is therefore in accordance with the Public Procurement Act § 5b second paragraph.