The Dutch construction sector has the task in the coming years, to build around 1 million new houses in the Netherlands, most of which will have to be built in urban areas. Together with existing (inter)national crises such as the climate change crisis and biodiversity loss crisis, this means the sector will have to think differently to not jeopardise the liveability of our cities. One way of doing this is to create more Nature-based Solutions in these urban areas, but the perception is that this is an expensive solution. By using the framework from Ecosystem Accounting, the benefits these Nature-based Solutions can give us, are monetised to show that the perception of it being expensive is wrong. The aim for this research was to see how Ecosystem Accounting can be used in procurement procedures to create more Nature-based Solutions.

With the double diamond approach, this study was split into two sections. In the first section of the research, a literature study and stakeholder interviews were used to find the most important themes for clients and contractors to have an ambition for Nature-based Solution. These themes were: biodiversity, climate adaptation, health & wellbeing and aesthetic value. In the second section, a new literature research combined with key informant interviews indicators for these themes were found. A total of four indicators (Vegetation layer score, shadow cover, air quality and soil quality) and five services (rainwater regulation service, local climate regulation service, health service of nature, visual amenity service of nature and visual amenity service of water) were found.

For effective use of the framework, three moments in time are important. In the ambition phase Ecosystem Accounting can be used to formulate the ambition of a project. In the tender phase (depending on the amount of design freedom in the contract) EA can be used as a requirement or as a MEAT-criterium. To assure that the plans are realised, the control phase should not be forgotten either.