“Procurement that has the most positive environmental, social and economic impacts possible over the entire life cycle”.
(ISO 20400 Standard)
Built environment projects with most organisations can pass up to 80% of spending through to their supply chain. Subsequently, sustainable procurement is a critical part of client and contractor policies and strategies, which is often reflected in tendering processes.
So many organisations now identify the procurement practices and actions required throughout the supply chain to allow the built environment to improve value for money through “smarter procurement”, focusing on issues such as:
- Accountability
- Transparency
- Ethical behaviour
- Innovation
- Integration
- Continual improvement
Fundamentals of sustainable procurement
Video of a speech by Shaun McCarthy OBE on the strategic landscape for sustainable procurement. This speech sets the strategic context for the ISO 20400 standard. Recorded in Sydney 2016.
ISO 20400
In April 2017, ISO launched the first global sustainable procurement standard to build on, and replace, BS 8903.
The standard applies to any organisation, regardless of sector, size or location, providing:
- An understanding of sustainable procurement
- Sustainability impacts and considerations across various aspects of procurement activity
- Methods of implementing sustainable procurement
The Supply Chain Sustainability School’s delivery partner, Action Sustainability, led the UK delegation to develop the standard and has created a wealth of resources to help businesses align themselves to it.
Sustainable Procurement
Sustainable supply chain diagnostic tool
Tool
30 minutesSustainable Procurement
What is sustainable procurement?
Web link
Sustainable Procurement
Embedding Sustainable Procurement
E-learning Module
Sustainable Procurement
Heat Mapping: how to prioritise your impacts
E-learning Module
“A robust supply chain is vital to the successful and efficient delivery of any construction and infrastructure project. By engaging with our supply chain partners on the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability, we can ensure that sustainable methods of construction are embedded across every aspect of projects resulting in long-lasting, beneficial projects for all.”Aaron Reid, Balfour Beatty
Sustainability Assessment
Sustainability case studies