Procurement for Sustainability
Overview
"Sustainable Procurement means: Using procurement to support wider social, economic and environmental objectives, in ways that offer real long-term benefits".
- UK Sustainable Procurement Task Force
"Sustainable procurement can be defined as: A process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis and generates benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society, the economy and the environment."
- Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan
The latest estimates suggest that the public sector in Scotland spends some £9bn on goods and services each year; this equates to 25% of public sector spend and 7% of Scottish economy spend. SSN supports local authorities to spend this money, and relate to suppliers, in a way which supports Councils' climate change targets and sustainable development objectives.
SSN: Working With Key Partners
In 2008, SSN worked with key national organisations to establish the Sustainable Procurement Working Group. The group aims to "develop a Scotland-wide programme for local government on sustainable procurement, improving opportunities, supporting uptake and increasing the benefits for Scottish Councils".
The group is chaired by Janice Pauwels, Sustainable Development Manager at the City of Edinburgh Council. It comprises of Procurement Officers and Sustainable Development Officers from local government in Scotland and has representatives from: Scotland Excel, the Scottish Government, COSLA, the NHS, the Sustainable Development Commission Scotland and SSN.
The Sustainable Procurement Working Group meets quarterly and has an agreed work programme focused on 3 key issues: awareness raising and information; sustainability & procurement training; Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan and the Flexible Framework.
For further information on the Sustainable Procurement Working Group, please contact us.
Best Value & Sustainable Procurement
Sustainable Procurement is key to local delivery of the Best Value regime. The Local Government in Scotland Act (2003) makes clear that delivery of the Duty of Sustainable Development should ensure "...That sustainable development requirements are taken into account in the procurement strategy".
SSN's Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit provides advice for Sustainable Development and Procurement Officers on how to make the requirements of Best Value a reality. To download the Toolkit, visit the Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit Website.
Resources: Sustainable Procurement
The Scottish Government
- The Scottish Procurement Directorate is the first place to look for information on sustainable procurement in Scotland.
- The Scottish Sustainable Procurement Action Plan sets out how public bodies can demonstrate they are delivering sustainable procurement. It was published by Scottish Government in October 2009 and sets out the actions to be taken by December 2010. The SSPAP is only mandatory for Scottish Government at this time.
- The 10 Steps to Sustainable Procurement sit at the heart of the SSPAP. They are: commitment within the organisation, making the commitment public, organisational buy-in, benchmarking and progression, prioritising, specifying sustainability, sustainability in the procurement process, working with suppliers, measuring performance and publicising your success.
- The Government Procurement Standards are a set of sustainable specifications for a range of commonly purchased products such as paper. They used to be known as Buy Sustainable - Quick wins.
- The Flexible Framework has been around for some time and helps organisation to understand and take the steps needed at an organisational and process level to improve procurement practice and to make sustainable procurement happen. To view the Flexible Framework, scroll down to Action 4.3 of the SSPAP.
- Centres of Expertise (COEs) have been established to support better collaboration and increased efficiency across the public sector. Scotland Excel is responsible for Category B commodities in Local Authorities. It aims to raise procurement standards across local authorities and related organisations through a collaborative approach.
- The public procurement of goods and services in Scotland has been organised into four categories, A (national), B (sectoral), and C (local), depending on the nature of the goods being bought and the procurement agency.
- The Public Procurement Reform Board is an influential body chaired by John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. The purpose of the Board is to provide strategic direction, support and monitor progress on the procurement reform agenda. Three local authority Chief Executives are members of this Board.
- The Review of Public Procurement in Scotland was published in 2006 and is often referred to as the McLelland report. This report underpins Scottish Government thinking on public sector procurement reform and was undertaken within the agenda of efficient government.
The Scottish Parliament
- It is Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) policy that all purchasing is undertaken in a responsible manner that builds on the Parliament's strategic priorities and contributes to Sustainable Development. The Scottish Parliament's approach to procurement is profiled here: Scottish Parliament Responsible Purchasing webpages
Local Authorities
- In 2009 Fife Council have worked with Forum for the Future to develop an award-winning whole-life costing and C02 tool that enables procurement professionals to understand the total cost of a product from its purchase through to, and including, its end of life.
- SSN's Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit provides advice for Sustainable Development and Procurement Officers on how to make the requirements of Best Value a reality. To download the Toolkit, visit the Best Value & Sustainable Development Toolkit Website.
- A number of local authorities have developed a sustainable procurement strategy/policy. See Aberdeen City Council: Sustainable Purchasing Policy and Canny Buyer initiative.
- The Scottish Fair Trade Forum encourages Scottish local authorities to achieve Fairtrade Zone status. Ten local authorities have been designated Fairtrade Zones, including Renfrewshire (see: Renfrewshire Council Fairtrade webpages) and East Dunbartonshire (see: East Dunbartonshire Fairtrade webpage).
- The East Ayrshire Council School Meals Initiative focusses on providing fresh food and utilises a range of procurement strategies to support local producers to bid for contracts, without contravening competitive tendering regulations. See also this Scottish Government Evaluation of East Ayrshire School Meals Initiative, and this Presentation on East Ayrshire School Meals Initiative from the 2008 SSN Conference.