Sustainable Procurement and Green Public Procurement

Sustainable Procurement

Greenville is Ireland’s leading consultancy advising and training the public sector in procurement. We have worked with over 70 public sector bodies in Ireland on green and sustainable procurement – providing training, advice and assistance with implementing this important policy. We understand the challenges involved and draw on deep experience both in Ireland and abroad to help deliver successful outcomes. Our Green Public Procurement training collaboration with Local Authority Services National Training Group (LASNTG) and Climate Action Regional Offices (CAROs) has been shortlisted for a Learning & Development Institute’s Excellence in Learning award. Contact us for more information on our training and consultancy work in Sustainable and Green Public Procurement (GPP).

“Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a process by which public authorities seek to achieve the appropriate balance between the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – when procuring goods, services or works.”

Source: European Commission

Some examples of sustainable procurement across the three pillars include:
1. In a cleaning services contract, the use of eco-labelled cleaning products and low-impact methods is specified. In addition, the award criteria address staff training and fair employment practices.
2. In a contract for fit-out of a building, energy-efficient lighting and appliances are specified. Refurbished furniture is sourced from a social enterprise employing disadvantaged workers.
3. In a framework for ICT consultancy, bidders are required to demonstrate how they calculate the carbon footprint of their activities, and targets are set for reduction. Supply-chain transparency is required to ensure all subcontractors respect minimum environmental and labour standards.

Pillar 1: Environmental – Green Public Procurement (GPP)

“GPP is a process whereby public authorities seek to procure goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact throughout their life cycle when compared to goods, services and works with the same primary function that would otherwise be bought.”

Source: European Commission

To this end, GPP is a key tool in climate action which can harness our significant public buying power to foster sustainable development, climate resilience and reduce carbon emissions.
GPP has a key role to play in delivering on ambitious climate goals and national targets and there is an obligation on every public body to play its part. Under the Climate Action Plan, all procurement using public funds will have to include green criteria by 2023.
GPP training forms a central part of our sustainable procurement offering. We have developed large-scale climate action training programmes across beginner, intermediate and advanced levels, combining live sessions with Abby Semple and self-directed online modules to reinforce key learnings. We are also adept at delivering GPP training at a smaller and more focused level. Our training team will assess your requirements and prepare a training proposal to meet your specific GPP needs.

Open Courses: Intermediate/Specialist Level Green Selection and Award Criteria
In-House Courses: Greenville have developed and delivered GPP training at introductory, to intermediate and advanced levels, including short online webinars, blended courses on implementing GPP across the procurement cycle and short course for those involved in developing a GPP Strategy for their organisation. Contact training@greenville.ie to find out what we can do for you, your team or wider organisation.

What our Participants are saying: Green Selection & Award Criteria Course

“I found the course well-structured and the information provided comprehensive. The course deliverer was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer questions in great detail. I was particularly impressed when I asked her a question not directly linked to the course and she was able to even tell me the govt. circular that she was referring to. I would definitely recommend this course to others and I will be looking at other courses that Greenville provides”

85% Participants from our introductory GPP course have rated their understanding after the course as being either excellent or very good.

Pillar 2: Social

office workers sitting around open aptop talking The power of public contracts to achieve better social outcomes has been recognised for a long time – however, this approach is still under used in Ireland. We offer training and consultancy that focuses on how procurement can be used to tackle everything from low wages and skills shortages through to human rights issues, equality and diversity. Organisations can identify the approaches most relevant to them, and draw upon our examples from a wide range of products and services.

Open courses:
Intermediate/Specialist Level: The Social Side of Sustainable Procurement (read more and book)

What our Participants are saying: Green Selection & Award Criteria Course

85% Participants from our introductory GPP course have rated their understanding after the course as being either excellent or very good.

Pillar 3: Economic

“Our current linear system of taking, making, using and then throwing away products and resources is wasteful. In a circular economy, we use less raw material, design products for long-life and recyclability, share products, use them for longer and reuse and repair products. We recycle as much material and products as possible and only dispose what can’t be recycled.”

Source: EPA

The economic dimensions of sustainable procurement include the following:

Considering life-cycle costs/total cost of ownership, rather than just the initial purchase price
Balancing cost, quality and sustainability in the evaluation criteria
Considering the durability/longevity of solutions, and end-of-life costs
Considering the impacts of public contracts on jobs and skills – this is particularly relevant for Ireland’s transition to a green economy
Considering wages in the supply chain, particularly in low-wage sectors
Ensuring that a wide range of operators, including social enterprises and SMEs, can compete for contracts

Greenville incorporates economic sustainability into our procurement training and consultancy services. We also devise bespoke course offerings in this area for clients for in-house delivery. If you are interested in reducing operating costs, and supporting local enterprise, while promoting the circular economy in Ireland, we would be delighted to help make this a reality for your organisation.

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Contact Us

For any queries on sustainable procurement, or to arrange bespoke training, please email training@greenville.ie

For sustainable procurement consultancy services, including assistance with the development and implementation of a SPP Strategy or advice on individual categories/tenders, please email info@greenville.ie

Useful Resources

Further reading: a list of relevant links and resources can be found here.

Sustainable Procurement Training

Our range of specialist training options are designed to support public sector staff to meet rapidly developing professional demands in this area. All courses can be delivered as in-house programmes and adapted to suit the needs of internal teams. We are also offering the following as open courses and places can be booked directly on an individual basis.

Sustainable Procurement Publications

In conjunction with the EPA we also developed a suite of industry-specific Green Public Procurement criteria guides.

Sustainable Procurement

“Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is a process by which public authorities seek to achieve the appropriate balance between the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental – when procuring goods, services or works.”