Where public procurement meets green innovation
The second Cottbus Procurement Conference (Cottbuser Vergabekonferenz) at the historic Weltspiegel offered „blockbuster-level action for public contracts“ – and, for us at Green City Solutions, a valuable platform to discuss sustainable urban development, better air quality and more liveable neighbourhoods. Around 300 participants, some 200 planned tenders and an estimated total volume of one billion euros created a setting that the Cottbus Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK Cottbus) aptly described as a „procurement blockbuster in Cottbuss“ with a line-up that was „worthy of a Bambi awardr.
Photo: EGC Cottbus / Andreas Franke
Public procurement: A conference for more transparency
The event was organised by EGC Entwicklungsgesellschaft Cottbus mbH, the
Industrie‑ und Handelskammer Cottbus, Handwerkskammer Cottbus, Wirtschaftsförderung Brandenburg with support from CIT – Wirtschaftsförderung Spree‑Neiße and MinGenTec – Mining & Generation Technology.
Their stated goal: „to make procurement processes more transparent and to specifically strengthen regional businesses“.
At the conference, the City of Cottbus, the Spree-Neiße district and municipal companies presented around 200 planned tenders with a total volume of approximately one billion euros.
Procurement decisions of this magnitude play a key role in shaping how we will live in our urban spaces in the future!
- How resilient is the urban and microclimate?
- How clean is the air we breathe?
- How attractive, green and future-proof are our public squares, school outdoor areas, neighbourhoods, shopping destinations, streets and public transport stops for citizens?
Photos: EGC Cottbus / Andreas Franke
The IHK Cottbus sums it up in its recap: the conference brings „entrepreneurs and public contracting authorities together“. For us, this interface is crucial: wherever investment and fresh thinking come together, solutions such as our regenerative bio-air filters can make a real difference – delivering measurably better air quality and noticeably higher quality of stay.
A day in “pitch mode”
Our Sales Manager, Patrick Schülke, was on site and summed up his impressions as follows:
„“The procurement conference offers excellent insights into upcoming projects and a great opportunity to engage with a wide range of procurement partners. My thanks go to the organisers and the wonderful moderation!“
For Green City Solutions, this direct exchange is highly valuable: it gives us a clear view of the challenges that all stakeholders – and municipalities in particular – are currently facing around urban climate, heat stress and air quality, and where our moss-based bio-filters and bio-coolers can serve as key building blocks in a modern fresh-air concept. Our solutions combine high-performance moss cultures with intelligent sensor technology to actively draw in polluted air, clean and cool it, and make their performance traceable in real time through data.
Networking, dialogue, next steps
Beyond the project pitches, the procurement conference was above all a highly effective networking event for everyone involved in driving the structural transformation of the Lausitz region.
Die Wirtschaftsförderung Cottbus draws a clear conclusion:
The date for the next edition has already been set in the calendar: 12 November 2026.
Photo: EGC Cottbus / Andreas Franke
The procurement conference as an opportunity?
The second procurement conference in „Boomtown Cottbus“ impressively demonstrated the potential of strategic public procurement – especially in a region in transition like the Lausitz. When infrastructure investments are tied directly to climate and health objectives, projects emerge that are not only built, but truly experienced: from cooling, air-purifying islands in public spaces to integrated solutions along heavily trafficked corridors and in densely built-up urban districts.
Green City Solutions sees itself as a partner for project initiators who want to pursue this path – creating small urban oases with maximum impact.