Circular procurement: reusing timber in hydraulic engineering
11/07/2026
Client: DIMCO / RijkswaterstaatApplying circular economy principles well scores high in public tenders. In March 2020, New Economy contributed to a tender for the renovation of fender and guide works in the south of the Netherlands. The contract was awarded to the client DIMCO B.V., and partly thanks to this contribution the tender criterion ‘circular economy’ was scored a 10 out of 10.The aim of the project is to renovate the fender and guide works of six bridges and locks in Limburg and North Brabant. Fender and guide works are the (timber) structures at bridges and locks that slow vessels down and where ships and boats moor while waiting for the bridge or lock to open. The request came from Rijkswaterstaat, which aims to work circularly by 2030 and includes that ambition in its tender criteria. DIMCO B.V. asked New Economy to contribute to the ‘circular economy’ criterion. The renovation of the fender and guide works releases a large volume of material. The analysis sets out the potential for high-value reuse of the released materials, with demonstrably sustainable and circular applications inside and outside the renovation. Using a calculation model, business cases were developed for several scenarios, making clear which trade-off between materials, environmental impact and costs is the most promising.
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According to this project, the client was DIMCO B.V., within a tender from Rijkswaterstaat.
What was the tender about?
According to this project, it was about renovating the fender and guide works of six bridges and locks in Limburg and North Brabant.
What are fender and guide works?
According to this project, these are the (timber) structures at bridges and locks that slow vessels down and where ships and boats moor while waiting for the bridge or lock to open.
How did the circular economy criterion score?
According to this project, the ‘circular economy’ criterion was scored a 10 out of 10, partly thanks to New Economy’s contribution.
What was New Economy’s role?
According to this project, New Economy contributed to the ‘circular economy’ criterion for DIMCO.
Why does Rijkswaterstaat set circular requirements?
According to this project, Rijkswaterstaat aims to work circularly by 2030 and includes that ambition in its tender criteria.
What happens to the released timber and material?
According to this project, the analysis sets out the potential for high-value reuse of the released materials, with demonstrably sustainable and circular applications.
What did the calculation model produce?
According to this project, using the calculation model, business cases were developed for several scenarios, showing the most promising trade-off between materials, environmental impact and costs.
