local authority
biodiversity, carbon construction, public procurement
From August 22, 2026, your public procurement contracts must include an environmental award criterion. IRICE provides certified tools to formulate this criterion, measure the biodiversity and carbon footprint of your projects, and produce defensible decisions.
What will change for local authorities in 2026
Three deadlines converge in 2026-2027 and profoundly alter public procurement by local authorities:
Article 35 of the Climate Law
August 22, 2026
Every public contract must include at least one environmental award criterion. Price alone is prohibited.
Directive 2024/825
September 27, 2026
Unverified environmental claims become illegal. Assessments and certifications must be traceable.
ZAN — SCoT integration
February 22, 2027
The SCoTs (Regional Planning Schemes) must integrate the objectives of Zero Net Artificialisation. The biodiversity of operations becomes a territorial issue.
For the communities concerned by the SPASER (threshold lowered to €50 million, i.e. approximately 280 communities), these obligations are combined with the requirement of a scheme to promote socially and environmentally responsible public procurement.
Three IRICE tools for your markets
Effinature Certification
Accredited certification of biodiversity performance in real estate and development projects. Three standards: NCO (new construction), EVO (renovation), HOR (exterior development).
For public authorities: certification should be required in the technical specifications or the consultation rules. The HOR standard is particularly suited to development projects (urban development zones, public spaces, redevelopment).
See the Effinature certification →Efficarbone — carbon measurement for construction sites
Tool for measuring the construction site's Ic (items A4-A9) from the project owner's perspective. Preliminary assessment to calibrate the DCE criterion, benchmarking of received bids, auditable report with ADEME factors.
Use by the community: formulate the construction site carbon criterion in your calls for tenders (art. 35), compare offers on an objective basis, document the award decision.
See Efficarbone →BPS — Biodiversity Performance Diagnosis
Biodiversity score based on 70+ criteria covering the three phases of the project (design, construction, operation). Produces a quantitative indicator that can be integrated into ESG reports and regulatory documents.
Community use: to assess the biodiversity performance of a heritage site, to monitor changes over time, to contribute to the biodiversity section of the territorial development report.
See the BPS →Use cases by type of operation
| Typical operation | Relevant tool(s) | DCE criteria |
|---|---|---|
| New school complex | Effinature NCO + Efficarbone | Biodiversity certification + construction site carbon criteria |
| Nursing Home Rehabilitation | Effinature EVO + Efficarbone | Biodiversity performance renovation + Ic site measurement |
| ZAC development | Effinature HOR + BPS + Efficarbone | Development certification + plot scoring + carbon |
| Redevelopment of public space | Effinature HOR + BPS | Biodiversity certification for outdoor landscaping |
| Existing assets (audit) | BPS | Initial diagnosis, multi-year follow-up |
SPASER and responsible purchasing scheme
Local authorities whose annual procurement spend exceeds €50 million must adopt a SPASER (Plan for the Promotion of Socially and Environmentally Responsible Public Procurement). This plan sets quantified objectives for responsible procurement — including the environmental aspect.
Integrating IRICE tools into SPASER makes it possible to transform an administrative obligation into an operational lever : each contract awarded with an Effinature or Efficarbone criterion automatically feeds into the indicators of the scheme.
What SPASER can integrate
- — Number of markets incorporating a certified biodiversity criterion (Effinature)
- — Number of contracts incorporating a measured construction carbon criterion (Efficarbone)
- — Average BPS score of the community's real estate assets
- — Improvement trajectory over the mandate
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The HOR 25.05 reference framework (ZAC development) is specifically designed for development operations at the scale of the district or business park. It assesses biodiversity at the scale of the master plan and public spaces.
The cost of certification can be included in the preliminary study budget for the operation. Certain funding mechanisms (green funds, ADEME, regional authorities) support local authorities' environmental certification efforts.
Yes. The BPS measures net artificialization and the ecological quality of soils, indicators directly linked to the ZAN objectives. The Effinature certification documents the consideration of biodiversity in the design, which contributes to the community's ZAN trajectory.
Prepare your public procurement for 2026
Biodiversity certification, construction site carbon measurement, ESG scoring — certified and traceable tools for your environmental criteria.