Urban regeneration and public procurement, discussion on decarbonisation strategies at Forum PA

The fulcrum of the interconnection between industrial policies and administrative action was analyzed by Fabrizio Capaccioli, President of Green Building Council Italia, who examined the regulatory function of the Public Administration in the qualification of tenders and in the management of long-term investments. A decisive role in this transition is played by the updating of the Minimum Environmental Criteria (CAM) for the construction sector, a regulatory tool developed through technical comparison between institutions and sector observatories, which imposes binding standards for the efficiency of resources and the reduction of carbon emissions in public procurement. Added to this national regulatory framework are the obligations deriving from the transposition of the European Directive on energy performance in buildings (EPBD), known as the Green Homes Directive, which requires the adoption of an organic national operational plan for the progressive elimination of issues of civil real estate within the community deadlines.

From an operational point of view, the management of funds and the implementation of urban regeneration plans cannot ignore a scientific measurement of the environmental impacts assessed along the entire life cycle of the works, going beyond the logic of the mere execution of the individual building contract. Regarding this integrated vision of territorial development, Fabrizio Capaccioli said: “The transformation of territories is one of the decisive challenges for the country and cannot be addressed as a simple sum of building or infrastructure works. Regeneration means building processes capable of generating environmental, social and economic value for communities, measuring the impacts along the entire life cycle of the interventions. For this reason, the Public Administration has a strategic role, not only in the planning of resources, but in the ability to direct investments towards lasting and verifiable results. The new Minimum Environmental Criteria for construction, to which GBC Italia contributed through dialogue with institutions and stakeholders, are a fundamental lever for qualifying public demand. At the same time, the implementation of the EPBD Directive requires the country to accelerate the decarbonisation of real estate with coordinated policies, technical skills and effective operational tools. The real challenge is not just creating works or spending resources, but generating measurable public value, building more sustainable, resilient and attractive territories for future generations”.

The alignment of public spending with the parameters of the EPBD Directive and the Minimum Environmental Criteria is therefore an obligatory step to ensure that structural financing translates into permanent benefits for the national socio-economic fabric. The effectiveness of the ecological transition will depend on the ability of local and central administrations to implement technically advanced tender specifications, suitable for qualifying suppliers based on the sustainability of materials and the energy efficiency of construction systems.