The municipality of Nijkerk embeds sustainability in network procurement | Customer Story

In 2024, the municipality of Nijkerk moved into a new, sustainable city hall. The building is gas-free, equipped with LED lighting and solar panels, and replaces the old city hall, which will be repurposed. This step underscores how important sustainability is to the municipality of Nijkerk. In line with this, the municipality continued this approach in its request for proposals for a future-proof network: a Network as a Service (NaaS) solution centered on reliability, scalability, and sustainability.

Sustainability put into practice

The Statement of Requirements (SOR) incorporated factors such as reliability and scalability to create a robust network capable of growing alongside the organisation. In addition, sustainability was explicitly included. By incorporating sustainability into the RFP, suppliers were able to tailor their proposals to specific sustainability criteria, such as energy-efficient Wi-Fi, hardware with a green label, and sustainable disposal of existing equipment.

The advisor computerisation said: “Sustainability is a top priority for us. Explicitly including this in the RFP for this tender really made a difference. It became a verifiable component, and suppliers came forward with comprehensive sustainability plans, ranging from circular hardware to energy-efficient designs.”

Added value for the municipality

Thanks to this approach, suppliers presented strong, sustainable solutions, ranging from circular hardware to energy-efficient designs. This allowed the municipality to choose a solution that is not only future-proof but also aligns with societal trends surrounding sustainability.

Lotte de Bruijn, CEO of Strict: “Although Strict is frequently involved in tenders, this project was unique because a sustainability aspect was deliberately incorporated. By proactively integrating sustainability explicitly into the Statement of Requirements, it became a concrete, measurable component. This not only makes a difference for this tender but also serves as an inspiring example for other organizations seeking to embed sustainability in their IT and network projects.”