Sustainable Procurement

The UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy, published in March 2005, committed the public sector to leading by example in delivering sustainable development objectives. We as Procurement Lincolnshire have a key role to play in the furthering of sustainable development through the procurement of our goods, services and works. A common misconception is that sustainable procurement is just about ‘buying green’, however, this is not the case. The strategy actually considers sustainable procurement in three broad terms: social, environmental and economic factors. Therefore, for example, sustainable procurement includes supporting the creation of jobs and wealth in regeneration areas, opportunities for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and achieving equality (e.g. in disability, race and gender etc).As such, sustainable procurement is wider than just ‘greening’ the supply chain.

Each aspect of sustainable procurement has its own considerations to keep in mind. The importance of considering environmental issues within procurement is that in today’s society we are all aware of the damage that we are doing to our planet, such as the impacts of globalisation and climate change. Social considerations are equally important. Issues such as poverty eradication, equality of opportunity and working conditions all impact on basic human rights.  Finally we also have to consider the economic situation in our area. The ethos behind this is that the more money that is spent locally the greater the positive impact this will have on our local economy, particularly for small and medium sized businesses (SME’s).Aside from the ethical reasons for choosing to adopt a sustainable procurement strategy, local authorities are now being judged on their approach to sustainable procurement as part of their “Use of Resources” performance assessment.

• The Flexible Framework (a maturity model with five levels). This nationally accepted tool is intended to guide public sector leaders in the actions required to make sustainable procurement happen. The Flexible Framework enables public sector organisations to assess the quality of their procurement activities and provides a route map to better performance. Procurement Lincolnshire  achieved Level 3 of this standard in 2010.
• Prioritisation methodology. As part of moving through the Flexible Framework we are required to assess the sustainability impacts of our procurement contracts. In order to do this Procurement Lincolnshire is developing a risk assessment model which will consider the social, economic and environmental impacts of our procurement activities.
• Toolkits. Embedding all these aspects into our procurement processes isn’t easy as we must comply with complex EU regulations regarding public procurement contracts. Hence, Procurement Lincolnshire is working towards developing tools which will support sustainable procurement whilst working within the confines of these EU regulations.
• Sustainable Procurement Strategy. Procurement Lincolnshire in conjunction, with its local authority partners, has set out its approach to procurement through its Sustainable Procurement Strategy. This document demonstrates the commitment of local authorities in Lincolnshire to sustainable procurement. 

In addition to the above, we are also doing all we can to buy more sustainably, to support local suppliers in competing for public sector contracts, and to encourage a diverse extended workforce in the wider community.

For more detailed information, please view the documentation in the downloads tab.