About the Government’s Sustainable Procurement Guide
The Australian Government is committed to sustainable procurement practices. Under the National Waste Policy Action , the Government is determined to significantly increase the amount of recycled content it uses.
The Commonwealth Procurement (CPRs) require entities to consider the Sustainable Procurement when there’s an opportunity for sustainability or the use of recycled content when determining value for money.
Sustainable procurement steps
The Government’s Sustainable Procurement Guide identifies five steps for sustainable procurement:
Plan the procurement
Key takeaways from this step are:
Use demand management strategies to identify the need for the goods or services and determine sustainability outcomes
Conduct a risk assessment for the procurement and identify any potential opportunities
Engage in market research in the planning stages to identify market innovations or potential suppliers
Approach the market
Key takeaways from this step are:
Develop relevant Approach to Market (ATM) documentation. Incorporate sustainability priorities and risk using either physical, descriptive, functional or performance requirements
Develop SMART key performance indicators (KPIs) and targets to measure and track the success of sustainability requirements for the duration of a contract
Assess the sustainability requirements by setting evaluation criteria in the ATM documentation
Evaluate and engage
Key takeaways from this step are:
Assess tender responses following the ATM documentation evaluation criteria
Debrief unsuccessful tenderers, following the CPRs
Report and manage
Key takeaways from this step are:
Monitor a supplier’s performance to ensure sustainability requirements are met
At end-of-life, dispose of goods in a sustainable manner, with landfill being the least preferred option
Review and learn
Key takeaways from this step are:
Find opportunities to measure and improve sustainability outcomes through the contract management process
Collect and report data on the procurement of recycled content
Identify the best channels to share your knowledge about sustainable procurement to encourage positive procurement practices in others
Report achievements and share case studies with the Department of Agriculture, Water and the
Salsa Digital’s take
The Government’s Sustainable Procurement provides important, yet simple measures that are easy to implement and can help entities reduce waste and prioritise sustainable procurements.
It’s our responsibility as individuals and as organisations to reduce the waste we produce and improve our recycling practices. Recycled content in government procurement can provide value for money as well as benefit the environment, economy and communities.
Salsa is committed to sustainable procurement and finding ways to reduce, track and report on our sustainable procurement practices.