This document discusses sustainable public procurement. It defines sustainable public procurement as meeting organizational needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money over the whole life cycle while minimizing environmental damage and generating benefits for society and the economy. Public procurement represents a significant portion of government spending and can be used as a tool to achieve social and environmental policy goals. Potential benefits of sustainable public procurement include stimulating markets for sustainable products, cost savings, job creation, improved environmental performance, and poverty reduction. The document also outlines some challenges, such as constraints in developing country contexts.

1. What is Sustainable
Public Procurement?
“Sustainable Public Procurement is 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 in terms of generating benefits not
only to the organisation, but also to
society and the economy, whilst minimizing
damage to the environment.” Procuring the
Future – the report of the UK Sustainable
Procurement Task Force, June 2006. This
definition has been adopted by the Swiss-
led Marrakesh Task Force on Sustainable
Public Procurement.

2. What is Sustainable
Public Procurement?
Environment
Economic
Social

3. PESTLE
 The Environment, Economic and
Social must be within the framework
of PESTLE-Political, Economic,
Social, Technological, Legal and
Environmental

4. 4
1. Public Sector
influences own
market share
2. Example motivates
consumers and
companies
3. Overall market
adapts through
price effects
or standards
ICLEI 2003
POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF SPP

5. Why implement
Sustainable Public
Procurement?
 Governments are major consumers of goods and
services, with their purchasing power representing
15 to 25 % of GDP in most nations;
 SPP is a tool like social or environmental
legislation and regulation or fiscal policy (i.e.
fines/penalties/ecotaxes);

6. Benefits of Sustainable Public
Procurement
 Contributes to social justice/inclusion and
environmental sustainability:
 Promotes compliance with social and
environmental law, enforcement of
international/national legal commitments.
 Demonstrates socially/environmentally
responsive and responsible governance –
leading by example:
 conformity with community norms and values;
 compliance with international donors
expectations.

7. Benefits of Sustainable Public
Procurement
 Stimulates (socially/environmentally conscious)
markets:
 increased demand/supply of products that
contribute to achieve social and
environmental objectives;
 development of standards and information
for use by other consumers (role model);
 increased strategic co-operation and
dialogue with the supplier base.

8. Outcomes delivered through
Sustainable Public Procurement
 Cost savings including recognition of non-tangible
benefits (on health, water quality, positive impact on
global warming);
 Job creation (including SMEs, environmental goods
and services);
 Improved environmental performance, including
reduced CO2 emissions;
 Minority empowerment;
 Poverty reduction;
 Transfer of skills/technology.

9. Sustainability impacts &
challenges
Sources of pollution
of air, land and water.
Health and safety.

10. Biodiversity
loss. Oil
palm
(monoculture
plantation)-
Ssese Is in
Uganda
Sustainability impacts &
challenges

11. Child labour
Sustainability impacts &
challenges

12. Job creation.
Health &
Safety
Sustainability impacts &
challenges

13. Sustainable
Consumption and
Production
 Under Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
(JPOI (2002) governments agreed to:
“Encourage and promote the development of a
10-year framework of programmes in support of
regional and national initiatives to accelerate the
shift towards sustainable consumption and
production to promote social and economic
development within the carrying capacity of
ecosystems.”

14. Sustainable Consumption &
Production and Sustainable Public
Procurement
 2003 – launch of Marrakesh Process
 Global, multi-stakeholder process aimed at
supporting the development of a 10YFP
 Marrakesh Task Forces
 Swiss-led Task Force on Sustainable Public
Procurement

15. Priorities identified at regional /
local Sustainable Cities Planning
meetings

16. Marrakesh Task Force on Sustainable
Public Procurement (MTF on SPP)
Task Force led by Switzerland
Members: China, Argentina, Mexico, Ghana,
Philippines, UK, Norway, Czech
Republic, USA, State of São Paolo,
Switzerland, UNEP, ILO, European
Commission Services
The objective of the MTF
on SPP is that 14
countries distributed in
all regions will have
tested the SPP approach
by 2010/11

17. 17
MTF Approach on SPP
Country Implementation

18. 18
MTF on SPP target was to roll out the Approach to up
to14 countries by 2011
The Swiss government and UNEP established a
partnership to apply - in up to 14 countries worldwide -
the MTF on SPP Approach
Funding:
 EU funding for Costa Rica, Mexico, Mauritius,
Tunisia
 Switzerland for Uruguay , Chile, Argentina and
Ghana
 Francophone for Lebanon
Rollout and Implimentation

19. Specific constraints linked to SPP
implementation in Africa
 tight procurement budgets, availability of trained
procurers
 limited use of life cycle costing assessments
 manufactured products generally imported, even
more so when it comes to green products
 recycling and green products industry not
profitable in small developing countries. For these
countries, solutions can only be found at the
regional level.
 Concens about exclusion of SMEs, cost of
certifications, etc.
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