Defra policy on awarding contracts: award criteria
Sustainability in procurement
From 1 November 2003, all central government departments must apply the minimum environmental standards when buying certain types of product. These standards include energy efficiency, recycled content and biodegradability.
Environmental purchasing
To help departments achieve this, Defra and the Office of Government Commerce (OGC) have issued a joint note on environmental issues in purchasing, which provides guidance to public sector buyers. The note aims to demystify the complexities of procurement for non-specialists and guide them towards more sustainable purchases. See the joint note on the OGC website:
- Environmental issues in purchasing (on OGC website)
Quick win products
OGCbuying.solutions has published on its website a list of "quick win" products and services. The list will be kept under review and its coverage widened over time. OGCbuying.solutions is the commercial trading arm of the OGC. It is responsible for identifying value-for-money purchasing initiatives, offering measurable cost savings to the taxpayer.
- Quick wins (on OGCbuying.solutions website)
Central civil government spends some £13 billion a year on goods and services, including over 21,000 tonnes of copier paper. A government-wide commitment to buy recycled paper will save some 350,000 trees, enough energy to heat 10,000 average homes and 300 million gallons of water every year.
Examples of Defra's commitment to sustainable procurement are :- the development of the Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative (PSFPI) toolkit for use by all public sector bodies
- the implementation of PSFPI into Defra catering facilities across England
- the development of Timber Procurement Advice.
Defra's Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative
The public sector in England spends £1.8 billion on food and catering services. The Government wants to use this buying power to help deliver the principle aims of the Government's Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food in England. That is, to deliver a world-class sustainable farming and food sector that contributes to a better environment and healthier and prosperous communities.
Defra's Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative's five priority objectives are to:
- Raise production and process standards
- Increase tenders from small and local producers
- Increase consumption of healthy and nutritious food
- Reduce adverse environmental impacts of production and supply
- Increase capacity of small and local suppliers to meet demand
The benefits include:
- More sustainable UK rural local economies
- More competitive small and medium sized suppliers
- Improved animal welfare
- Healthier and better performing students and workforce
- A more sustainable environment
- Savings from minimising waste
- Reduced hospital stays
- A greater choice for ethnic and religious groups.
Page modified: 10 July 2008
Page published: 11 July 2005