UK Government Sustainable Procurement Action Plan

Together with HMT's 'Transforming Government Procurement' (published January 2007), this Action Plan forms the central Government response to 'Procuring the Future'. It presents a package of actions to deliver the step change we need to ensure that Government supply-chains and public services will be increasingly low carbon, low waste, water efficient, respect biodiversity and deliver our wider sustainable development goals.

Government has already launched a set of challenging sustainable operations targets for the Government estate, in June 2006. However, better Government procurement is essential if those targets are to be achieved and deliver around 1 million tonnes of CO₂ savings by 2020.

The science of climate change is now almost universally accepted. Last year's Stern report underlined the pressing need for Governments to do more. This Action Plan will enable the effective use of Government procurement to transform the market for innovative and sustainable solutions, making them more affordable and widely available. It presents Government with a means to implement the conclusion to 'Procuring the Future' – that good procurement is sustainable procurement.

Accepting the challenge
The business-led Sustainable Procurement Task Force challenged the UK Government to "use its immense buying power" to make rapid progress towards our sustainable development goals, as set out in the UK Government Sustainable Development Strategy – "Securing the Future". We accept that challenge. Our plans for ‘Transforming Government Procurement’, published on 23 January 2007, and the measures set out here describe how we will make it happen. This Plan provides the foundations required for the successful delivery of the Government’s Energy Review commitments on Government procurement. It will also help the UK to meet the requirements of the Energy End-Use and Energy Services Directive, by providing a basis for the public sector to fulfil an exemplary role in improving energy efficiency.

What is the goal?
Our goal is for the UK to be among the European Union (EU) leaders in sustainable procurement by 2009, to achieve a low carbon more resource efficient public sector. We want to move towards:

• a sustainably built and managed central Government estate that minimises carbon emissions, waste and water consumption and increases energy efficiency (in line with Departmental sustainable operations targets);
• sustainably built and managed properties and roads throughout the public sector;
• Government supply-chains and public services that are increasingly low carbon, low waste and water efficient, which respect biodiversity and deliver our wider sustainable development goals.

How will we achieve this?
We will take action through policies, performance frameworks and procurement practice, working with the supply-chain to provide the innovative eco-technologies and solutions that will be needed.

Why not read the full article response [1.1MB PDF]

Sustainable Procurement Task Force - Response at a Glance.doc [219 KB]