Scottish Government - Leading the Way
- Since 2010 SPL has supported the Scottish Public sector develop global leadership in its approach to embedding Sustainable Procurement.
- SPL has undertaken a Policy and Systems review, supported the development and implementation of the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 and supporting guidance, trained over 1,250 procurers and other key stakeholders, developed, tested and updated tools to support the Sustainable Procurement Duty, applied lessons to contracts and frameworks through mentoring public bodies and acted as Technical Adviser to the Procurement and Climate Forum, including the development of the Climate Literacy e-learning module.
- The Scottish approach has attracted interest from around the world.
Aims and Objectives
The Scottish Government’s focus on national well-being beyond GDP, including environmental and socio-economic well-being, was enshrined in the National Performance Framework (NPF) in 2007.
Recognising that procurement of goods, services and works is a major enabling mechanism to achieving National Outcomes, as set out in the NPF, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 was enacted.
SPL has provided extensive support to the Scottish Government and public sector. This aims to ensure that systems, processes, capability, guidance and tools enable procurers and suppliers to focus on relevant, proportionate contract requirements, delivering outcomes aligned with the NPF.
The Scottish Government’s focus on national well-being beyond GDP, including environmental and socio-economic well-being, was enshrined in the National Performance Framework (NPF) in 2007.
Recognising that procurement of goods, services and works is a major enabling mechanism to achieving National Outcomes, as set out in the NPF, the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 was enacted.
SPL has provided extensive support to the Scottish Government and public sector. This aims to ensure that systems, processes, capability, guidance and tools enable procurers and suppliers to focus on relevant, proportionate contract requirements, delivering outcomes aligned with the NPF.
Figure 1: Scotland’s National Performance Framework 2018
Solutions
SPL’s support has been extensive:
SPL’s support has been extensive:
- Climate and Procurement Forum: as Technical Adviser, support to various workstreams including Monitoring and Reporting, People and Capability, to support road map to transition to net zero.
- Policy and Systems Review: to identify whether policy and systems effectively focus on environmental and socio-economic outcomes and what changes were needed. SPL’s Barbara Morton chaired the Sustainable Procurement working group advising on environmental and social aspects of Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014.
- Training: SPL has trained over 1,250 procurers and other stakeholders within the Scottish public sector on sustainable procurement principles and practice. It is the sole provider of sustainable procurement training under the Scottish Government Procurement and Commercial Training Framework, providing courses and mentoring on embedding and delivering sustainable procurement, Life Cycle Costing and Social Issues in procurement. This includes a series of short sustainable procurement sessions in 2024. SPL has also supported training of buyers on the new Procurement Regulations and developed various sustainable procurement e-learning and webinars.
- Flexible Framework, SPL has developed and tested, with working groups from across the public sector, the Scottish version of the Flexible Framework, updated to be relevant for all of the public sector and including an Action Plan. This enables organisations to plan and track their progress in Sustainable Procurement.
- The Prioritisation Methodology, a strategic planning tool developed by SPL, enabling organisations to identify priority categories of procurement where critical environmental and socio-economic risks and opportunities are relevant, reflecting a balance of spend, environmental and socio-economic risk and opportunity, scope to do more to address these and influence over the market.
- The Sustainability Test, and supporting guidance has also been developed to enable a focus on relevant risks and opportunities within contracts and frameworks. These tools are available here.
- Mentoring: through a focus on Circular Economy (supporting Scotland’s Circular Economy Strategy ‘Making Things Last’) and other outcomes SPL has supported the development of a range of contracts for public bodies with an annual procurement value in excess of £500m. This has included specifications and Invitations to Tender documents, evaluation and award criteria, contract management requirements.
- Supporting guidance: SPL has developed on behalf of Scottish Government and Zero Waste Scotland a range of guidance to support the implementation of environmental and socio-economic outcomes. This includes:
|
|
- Supporting the Third sector: SPL has been a partner in Ready for Business, providing support to public bodies on encouraging practical opportunities for the Third sector in public procurement. SPL has also worked with Partnership for Procurement (P4P) to help identify such opportunities within Local Authorities.
- Case studies: SPL has supported the development of a range of case studies as a result of the above support. This includes video clips with senior procurement managers and others. These can be found: here. Many of these have been presented in conferences on procurement and supply, sustainability and circular economy.
- e-learning: SPL developed the Climate Literacy module in conjunction with the Scottish Government Procurement and Climate Forum, launched in March 2021. Over 1,200 public sector and other representatives have taken this (at 2024).
Outcomes
- Public bodies obligated by the Procurement Reform Act are required to produce an Annual Procurement Report demonstrating how they have delivered intended actions within its Procurement Strategy. SPL is pleased to have supported the practical application of relevant and proportionate sustainable procurement outcomes.
- SPL continues to support public bodies; this includes helping those who are developing their approach to sustainable procurement as well as others who are setting good practice example and seeking innovative solutions.
Lessons Learned
SPL is proud to have been associated with Scotland’s leading approach to sustainable procurement and supply.
The application to contracts and frameworks is also applicable to other countries and organisations. Key principles and lessons have been adopted in other parts of the world, in part through SPL’s engagement with governments, public agencies and companies in over 50 countries.
The support provided has demonstrated that progress in sustainable procurement, including a focus on innovation and the Circular Economy, requires alignment with National and/or organisational objectives in Procurement Policy and Strategy commitment supported by effective systems and processes, a focus on key priorities and awareness and capability building through training, tools and guidance. Monitoring and reporting outcomes delivered is essential to show how procurement is delivering against these national or organisational objectives.
SPL is proud to have been associated with Scotland’s leading approach to sustainable procurement and supply.
The application to contracts and frameworks is also applicable to other countries and organisations. Key principles and lessons have been adopted in other parts of the world, in part through SPL’s engagement with governments, public agencies and companies in over 50 countries.
The support provided has demonstrated that progress in sustainable procurement, including a focus on innovation and the Circular Economy, requires alignment with National and/or organisational objectives in Procurement Policy and Strategy commitment supported by effective systems and processes, a focus on key priorities and awareness and capability building through training, tools and guidance. Monitoring and reporting outcomes delivered is essential to show how procurement is delivering against these national or organisational objectives.
More Information
Contact Barbara Morton barbara@sustainableprocurement.eu.com or Philip Duddell philip@sustainableprocurement.eu.com
Contact Barbara Morton barbara@sustainableprocurement.eu.com or Philip Duddell philip@sustainableprocurement.eu.com