International Goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12 provides a wide platform for linking public procurement practices with sustainable development outcomes, aligning public spend with national development objectives of governments and the wider international community. Target 12.7 highlights the global commitment to further “promote public procurement practices that are sustainable, in accordance with national policies and priorities.”
National Goals
The Scottish approach to sustainable public procurement is derived from a UNEP methodology that links to the UN SDGs and has been tailored to reflect the National Performance Framework. Section 12 in the Scotland and the sustainable development goals: a national review to drive action report details Scotland’s progress regarding responsible consumption and production. The Scottish Government is committed to leveraging the £13 billion of public sector procurement spend to contribute towards the transition to a more resource efficient, low carbon economy.
National Governance and Procurement Strategies
An overview of the governance structure of public procurement for Scotland can be found here.
Scottish Government Procurement Strategy
The Scottish Government published its own Procurement Strategy for 2022-2024 reflecting on its performance as a contracting authority and the broader activities they undertake in leading and delivering strategic governance, procurement policy, capability, and eCommerce solutions across the Scottish public sector. See here the latest Scottish Government Annual Procurement Report 2021 to 2022 (February 2023).
Plan for the Future programme
The Plan for the Future programme has created a Scottish Public Procurement Strategy (due April 2023) to provide a future high-level vision and roadmap for public procurement in the longer term which all public sector bodies can align and deliver against. The strategy supersedes the Public Procurement Priorities (2021-2024) that details priorities for all public procurement leaders which include sustainable economic recovery, supply chain resilience and maximising impact of the sustainable procurement duty.
In addition to cutting its own emissions, the public sector has a key role to play in creating economies of scale, leading new markets for climate-friendly goods and services and delivering against principles of a just transition (e.g., Fair Work conditions & strengthening local supply chains).