Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable Procurement at the University of Dundee

The University of Dundee buys goods and services ranging from award winning buildings to MRI Scanners right down to pencils and sharpeners.

The spending of this money is delegated by Court to budget controllers and holders to deal with transactions on its behalf in accordance with the University's Financial Regulations.

When spending University money (even if funds are provided by a research sponsor) you have a responsibility to get the best value. This does not always mean buying the cheapest and the suitability of the product or service, its reliability, flexibility of service, environmental impact, health and safety, insurance levels and associated costs are all critical factors in the decision to buy.

Sustainable Procurement has been defined by the Sustainable Procurement Task Force as:

“A process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society and the economy, whilst minimising damage to the environment.”

In alignment with the European Union's Sustainable Development Strategy (EU SDS)1, true sustainable procurement should take into consideration economic, environmental and social factors.

Economic impact of sustainability e.g. Corporate governance, Ethical trading, Timely payment of suppliers

Environmental impact of sustainability e.g. Biodiversity, Climate Change

Social impact of sustainability e.g. Diversity in the workplace, worker's welfare and rights

The Benefits of Sustainable Procurement

• Minimise business risk
• Provide cost savings - through focusing organisations on following a whole life costing methodology when sourcing goods and services. This would include reducing use, reusing and recycling and ultimately reducing the amount of waste going to landfill.
• Enhance corporate image in the marketplace - by demonstrating purchasing and supply management's value to the organisation.
• Create markets for new products and services - by using technology to develop and market sustainable products that will initially attract consumers who are early adopters and command a premium price in the marketplace.
• Secure the supply of goods and services in the light of increasing environmental legislation
• Reduce waste and improve resource efficiency

Sustainable Procurement checklist

• Could I repair or refurbish the old item instead of purchasing a new one?
• Can I loan, lease or buy it from someone else/another department at the University?
• Is the product reusable or durable, have a long economically useful life and/or can be economically repaired or upgraded, compared to alternatives?
• All electrical goods must be A rated.
• Does the product make efficient use of resources? Does the product use energy, fuel or water more efficiently or uses less paper, ink, light or other resources?
• Is the product recyclable (and do local facilities exist that are capable of recycling the product at the end of its useful life)?
• Is the product biodegradable (will it take a long time to decompose in landfill)?
• Does the product contain recycled material? Do we really need to buy a virgin product when the recycled version is of the same quality?
• Does the product have minimal packaging and/or for which there will be take-back by the manufacturer/supplier of packaging?
• Does the product have minimal content and use of toxic substances in production and final product?
• Is the product purchased from local supplier, which minimizes the ecological footprint, such as transportation and packaging cost?
• Can the additional cost accounted for improved quality be reimbursed in lower operating costs over 5 years? If you are unsure about how to calculate the total costs of buying, operating and disposing of a piece of equipment (known more commonly as Whole Life Costing) please contact the Procurement Office who can assist you.
• Does the supplier have ISO 14001, another Environmental Management Standard or other Eco-Label that meets certain standards?
• For disposal, follow the guidance listed in the Procurement Policy, under, 2.7 Disposal of Surplus Equipment.