Background The most recent European Public Procurement directive emphasises the need for including environmental and social aspects in procurement procedures, while promoting a lifecycle costing approach. However, GPP is still not a common and established practice, underlining the evident gap between policy and its implementation. The lack of effective governance of public procurement processes and of GPP in particular has two main causes: 1. GPP is not recognised as a strategic policy tool and as a result there are no procedures or information systems in place for aiding the inclusion of environmental objectives in procurement practices; and 2. The public administration often does not have the necessary planning tools and skills to actually exploit all opportunities linked to the implementation of GPP. Objectives The LIFE GPPbest project’s overall objective is to contribute to the promotion of new patterns of sustainable consumption and to the development and dissemination of best practices and policy approaches, in order to highlight the benefits of GPP and to favour its wider application. In particular, its aims are to: Improve governance of procurement policies ensuring that they are oriented towards the achievement of sustainable development objectives; Improve skills in the planning and the implementation of GPP policies and plans; Improve information on the economic and environmental benefits of GPP; Transfer the ‘Sardinian model’ for the design, management and implementation of a GPP Plan to other public administrations; Improve skills and tools for the verification of green criteria in the evaluation of offers and in the management and implementation of contracts; Support the diffusion of green procurement processes; Improve methods and practices for GPP accounting; Create GPPbest Activators internal working groups and define Roadmaps for GPPbest implementation in each region and in Romania; and Improve Sardinia’s own plan and define new implementation tools that will then be transferred to other public administrations. Expected results: At least 20 best practices will be identified and transferred via the GPPbest catalogue; Two ‘regional action plans’ for GPP (one in Basilicata and one in Lazio), with at least 50% of regional and local authorities reached in each region; One pilot action for the adoption of a GPP policy in Romania with at least 500 Romanian GPP stakeholders reached (including at least 50 public authorities); GPPbest guidelines for implementation of the project model in large public bodies; Eleven samples of green tenders with verification schemes (seven implemented); A green procurement code (developed and adopted) in three central purchasing agencies; A monitoring system for the uptake of GPP policies and green tenders; A cost-benefit analysis of nine green purchases; At least 30% of regional and local authorities that were reached by GPPBest implementation will realise a green purchase within the project duration; and Project dissemination events in at least three Member States.