Responsible Procurement at Energie Beheer Nederland (EBN)

About EBN

EBN was established fifty years ago by the Dutch state to participate in oil and gas extraction. EBN does this on behalf of the Dutch government, so the proceeds would benefit Dutch society. Today, EBN focuses on developing and managing value chains that are essential for the energy transition in the Netherlands. These value chains include Oil & Gas, Geothermal & Heat Networks, CCS (CO₂ storage) & Transport, Green Gas, and Hydrogen. With this broad focus, EBN aims to safeguard a sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy supply for citizens and businesses.

The Client's Request

During earlier collaborations with EBN, it became clear that there was a need for concrete tools for Responsible Procurement. This meant that we needed to gain more insight into the supply chain, map out the impacts and decide on how to tackle those impacts. In addition, there was a desire to strengthen the knowledge and capacity within the organisation on responsible procurement.

Our Approach 

Responsible procurement is more than ticking off a checklist. It is a conscious choice to purchase goods and services with an eye for ethics, sustainability and long-term impact. It is not only about meeting legal obligations, but also about building a resilient chain that contributes to the goals of tomorrow. For EBN, we translated this vision into a practical approach.

Everything starts with insight. Therefore, we started with mapping out EBN's procurement categories. After that, we did desk research to identify the associated environmental and social risks. We made a clear distinction between direct risks, which lie with EBN's first-tier suppliers, and indirect risks, which occur further along the supply chain.

To set priorities, we applied a saliency assessment. This method helps to bring the most significant risks to the surface, allowing EBN to focus on the areas where it is really needed.

With the most relevant risks mapped out, we developed practical tools to determine ambitions and actions per procurement decision. These tools allow for different ambition levels, ranging from meeting legal obligations to taking bold steps that go beyond current market standards.

To truly anchor this approach in the organization, we developed a guideline and organized a training for internal stakeholders. The central question was: How can we embed responsible procurement in requests for proposals, contracts, and monitoring? This ensured not only knowledge sharing but also fostering of ownership.

The Result

With this approach, EBN has gained not only insight into the supply chain and its associated risks but also a structured method for implementing responsible procurement within the organization.