| Sustainable Procurement |
Page 2 of 2 What cost sustainability? With all this focus and effort being placed on sustainability there has to be some degree of time spent on dispelling some of the myths about it. Most people will lay claim that it is achievable – but at a higher price or at a lower quality. Some will cite the example of recycled paper – for small consumer quantities the prices still tend to be higher, but when dealing with the high volume amounts the costs are not that dissimilar. Even if recycled paper isn’t an option, many organisations, including CIPS, are now sourcing paper from sustainable forests. The fact is, some sustainable products will have an initial higher premium – but this will often be recovered through their lower energy usage, water consumption and disposal costs. Given the rising fuel and water costs, this can often help strengthen the argument. Sustainable strategy But sustainable procurement shouldn’t and can’t stand alone – it has to fit in with an organisation’s overall strategic procurement approach and there must be a strong placed team to be able to deliver such a strategy. Many procurement teams who don’t have ‘buy-in’ form the Board will find it difficult to bring in a sustainable approach to purchasing as there will be a lack of understanding about what it can achieve and often the organisation as a whole must be able to embrace sustainability across all of its business practices. Leaders and staff in the public sector are still dealing with the concept that sustainable procurement is a form of effective procurement. The government must ensure that this message is clear and persuasive. It also needs to ensure that all procurement is carried out by professional procurement people, who are experienced, qualified and up to date with current techniques – and they are supported by committed leaders, effective information systems and ongoing professional development. All this is part of laying the foundation for effective procurement. Ensuring that everyone understands what level of priority to give sustainable goals within the whole range of other priorities – especially when there will often be conflict is key – this is about complete sign-up. The future In the Foreword to the report, Sir Neville Simms says; “Future generations will neither excuse us or forgive us for ignoring the signals that we can see today. They will not accept that it was too difficult or too costly to keep or economic aspirations in balance with our impact on the environment and the effects our decisions would inevitably have on society. They will wonder why we delayed and took such tentative first steps and why our government was so reluctant to act with conviction and leadership even if the, so called, hard evidence was only slowly being assembled.” These are very humbling words and as a society we have to take notice on both a personal and commercial level. As a profession, procurement now has a duty to adapt its practices and start playing its part in making a difference. Further information: Tel: 01780 756777 Fax: 01780 751610 www.cips.org |
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