The Sustainable Procurement Task Force was established in May 2005, charged with drawing up an action plan to bring about a step-change in sustainable public procurement so that the UK is among the leaders in the EU by 2009.
The National Action Plan, launched on 12 June 2006, summarises the views and position of the members of the Sustainable Procurement Task Force. It gives recommendations on how the UK Government can successfully meet its target of being recognised as amongst the leaders in sustainable procurement across EU Member States by 2009.
The Task Force was chaired of Sir Neville Simms, who is a leading private sector exponent of sustainable development. In addition to the action plan, Task Force members joined specialist working groups. The reports from these working groups can be downloaded from the links below.
A substantial body of research was commissioned to supplement Task Force members' own experience and provide a robust evidence base for the recommendations. The full Task Force met five times during the year to consider the output from the working groups and the research, and to help shape the National Action Plan.
The UK Government's Sustainable Procurement Action Plan was published in March 2007 and incorporates the Government's response to the report of the Sustainable Procurement Task Force.
It sets out the strategy for how government will achieve its goal for the UK to be among the EU leaders in sustainable procurement by 2009, through policies, performance frameworks and procurement practice.
The local government strategy was drawn up in response to the recommendations of the Sustainable Procurement Taskforce and in the light of the Government response and national action plan.
It sets out local government's strategic intent, outlining local government's commitment to make its spending decisions in a way that achieves both value for money on a whole life cycle basis, and the wider economic, social and environmental benefits.
Published in June 2008, this is the final report of the Westminster Sustainable Business Forum's inquiry into sustainability in public procurement.
It examines the Government's progress towards embedding sustainability into the public procurement process across central and local government. It analyses challenges and barriers faced by policy makers, procurers and contractors throughout the public procurement process and makes recommendations for improvement.
In particular the report focuses on the potential for whole-life costing to drive more sustainable public procurement and deliver environmental, economic and social benefits.
Download Costing the future: Securing Value for Money through Sustainable Procurement here.
In response to the findings of the National Procurement Task Force, in June 2006, the Prime Minister launched new targets for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE). The cumulative effect of achieving these targets is estimated to deliver savings of approximately a million tonnes of carbon emissions by 2020.
Individual Government department progress on sustainable procurement and operations will be judged against their delivery of the sustainable operations targets and on the process improvement measures set out in the Sustainable Procurement Action Plan.
The latest Sustainable Development in Government (SDiG) assessment, examining central government's performance against the operations and procurement targets and commitments of the Framework for Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE).
Download the SDiG here.
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