The Task

To support City of London with the development of a Low Carbon Procurement Guidance document. The purpose of the guidance is to enable the inclusion of low carbon, waste management, circular economy and related environmental considerations in the procurement and commissioning cycle to stimulate lower carbon outcomes from their purchasing power and actions towards City’s targets for net zero carbon.

The Action

During late 2022 and early 2023, we helped to develop a low carbon procurement guidance document for City of London.

Working collaboratively, Action Sustainability and City of London Corporation aimed to:

  • Link to, and offer an extension of City’s Responsible Procurement Policy, supporting it’s vision of; air quality, climate action, waste and single-use plastics reduction and supporting biodiversity, overview of sustainable procurement topics and how they align with the buying team and the UN SDGs.
  • Produce a document containing specific guidance for procurement officer in the stages of procurement: pre-procurement, supplier evaluation and selection, mobilisation, and contract awarding.
  • Provide takeaways and procurement calls-to action with a procurement checklist for low carbon considerations.
  • Value for Money vs Traditional buying/costing procurement routes.

The Outcome, Benefits, and Lessons Learnt

This in-depth guide provides procurement officers with precise knowledge, resources for categories, services and materials being procured with links to further guides and assistance to embed low carbon considerations into the procurement process.