Consultancy Service for the Development of a Global Knowledge Paper on Mainstreaming Climate Considerations into City-Level Procurement

Request for Proposal (RfP) Consultancy Service for the Development of a Global Knowledge Paper on Mainstreaming Climate Considerations into City-Level Procurement. C40 Cities Climate Leadership Denmark Rådhusstræde 6, 2. sal. 1466 Copenhagen, Denmark Date 19 October 2026 Contents 1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership 1 2. Summary, purpose and background of the project 1 3. Proposal guidelines 4 4. RfP and project timeline 5 5. Proposal evaluation criteria 6 6. Project budget 7 7. C40 policies 7 8. Submissions 7 1. C40 Cities Climate Leadership C40 is a network of nearly 100 mayors of the world’s leading cities working to deliver the urgent action needed right now to confront the climate crisis and create a future where everyone, everywhere, can thrive. Mayors of C40 cities are committed to using a science-based and people-focused approach to limit global heating in line with the Paris Agreement and build healthy, equitable and resilient communities. We work alongside a broad coalition of representatives from labour, business, the youth climate movement and civil society to support mayors to halve emissions by 2030 and help phase out fossil use while increasing urban climate resilience and equity. To learn more about the work of C40 and our cities, please visit our website or follow us on X, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn. 2. Summary, purpose and background of the project Background Tackling the climate crisis requires more than ambitious targets or signature projects. It demands transformation of how cities work: embedding climate action into every decision, every department, and every dollar spent. Public procurement represents 13–20% of global GDP and contributes to ~15% of global GHG emissions1, making it one of the most powerful levers cities have to influence markets and accelerate climate action. Yet, in most cities, the transformational potential of procurement as a tool to accelerate climate action is yet to be fully realised, often due to limited technical resources, capacity, and knowledge sharing on sustainable procurement practices. Procurement governs how cities deploy capital and operating budgets, making it the most potent yet under-utilized tool for scaling climate action and ensuring resilient infrastructure. Climate-aligned procurement can enable cities to direct public spending towards low-carbon and climate-resilient 1 https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/173331642410951798/pdf/Synthesis-Report.pdf Request for Proposals: Consultancy Service for the Development of a Global Knowledge Paper on Mainstreaming Climate 1 Considerations into City-Level Procurement solutions, while also supporting resource efficiency, lifecycle cost savings, improved health, innovation, and market transformation. By embedding climate goals directly into procurement policies and evaluation criteria, cities can move beyond isolated projects to a whole-of-government approach to climate action. While sector-specific examples exist, cities urgently require a practical framework to bridge the gap between climate ambition and operational implementation. To leverage procurement as a key driver for climate action, C40 is engaging a consultant to develop a global knowledge paper on mainstreaming climate considerations into city procurement systems. Serving as a foundational global reference for C40 cities, the paper will compile evidence, data, and leading city practices to establish a compelling business case, highlight practical approaches, and offer actionable insights for widespread replication. This initiative directly supports C40’s Leadership Standard B(b) to mainstream climate within city procurement processes and governance by 2030.2 Drawing on pioneer models like Copenhagen, the paper aims to provide a roadmap as to how cities can turn city procurement from a routine administrative function into a strategic engine for market transformation and measurable emissions reduction. Objectives: The knowledge paper must achieve the following objectives: 1. Establish the case for mainstreaming climate into city procurement: Develop an evidence-based narrative on the role of city procurement as a lever for climate action and leading by example, including key statistics and data on the purchasing power and procurement expenditure of C40 member cities and, where available, its climate-related impacts. 2. Identify and synthesise learnings from leading city approaches: Synthesise key approaches, enabling factors, and challenges from leading cities to inform a global knowledge paper, emphasizing the importance of setting specific climate and circular targets for municipal procurement and mainstreaming. 3. Develop a practical implementation roadmap: a. Translate the research and city-level learnings into a practical implementation roadmap identifying key principles for mainstreaming climate into city procurement systems, including critical steps, entry points (such as the Cities Climate Action Plan and targets) and relevant