Denis Naughten
Question:65. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way he plans to promote green public procurement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45397/21]
View answerThursday, 23 September 2021
Questions (65)
Written answers
In 2019, my Department published Circular 20/2019: Promoting the use of Environmental and Social Considerations in Public Procurement which instructs Departments to consider including green procurement criteria where:
- Clearly defined, quantifiable, verifiable, and measurable criteria have been developed by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and are relevant to the specific procurement process, and
- The cost can be met within a Department’s existing budget, without impacting on service delivery
Circular 20/2019 also requires public bodies to incorporate relevant green procurement measures into their planning and reporting cycles as an appendix within each Annual Report which serves to further promote its uptake. Additionally, departments provide detailed reports to the Environmental Protection Agency annually which will assist in understanding where further guidance is needed or where promotion should focus.
In September 2021, my colleague Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment, Ossian Smyth launched the updated 'Green Public Procurement - Guidance for the Public Sector'. The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) supported the EPA in the development of this guidance. It incorporates guidance for 10 priority categories on:
- Opportunities to consider green issues throughout the procurement process
- Defined, quantifiable, and measurable criteria and
- Methods of verification.
The EPA funded training for public procurement officers on the guidance throughout 2021 and will extend training to suppliers this year.
My Officials in the OGP will engage with the EPA and DECC in further promoting the use of the updated guidance through the inter-departmental Strategic Procurement Advisory Group (SPAG) and its Environmental subgroup. The SPAG facilitates incorporation of social and environmental considerations into public procurement bringing together officials from policy departments with public procurement practitioners to share best practice. The Environmental subgroup, chaired jointly by the OGP and DECC, facilitates detailed, technical discussion on approaches to incorporate environmental considerations into procurement. Also, OGP engages bilaterally with public bodies promoting GPP, and presents at many events aimed at the public sector, including the EPA Circular Economy Conference 2021.
My Department is committed to promoting GPP in line with international and national policy and best practice and continues to work effectively with partners to build upon the current interest in GPP arising from recent developments including the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, Climate Action (Amendment) Act, and Climate Action Plans.