Stevenage Borough Council is working to improve the sustainability of their procurement practices.
BU3Implement sustainable procurement for the Council
Progress
On time
- Discussion
- Not started
- Initial scoping
- Planning stage
- Underway
- Continuous
Description
According to Oxygen Finance, up to 96% of Local Authorities (LAs) emissions potentially come from their supply chain, accounting for over 10% of UK carbon emissions by 2020/21.
By recognising the impact of procurement on the environment and community wellbeing, SBC aims to adopt measures that prioritise sustainability.
The Council's co-operative procurement strategy has actions which drive and support the implementation of sustainable procurement.
Sustainable procurement considers the lifecycle of products (from production to disposal), and selecting suppliers based on ethical and eco-friendly criteria. By prioritising sustainable procurement, the Council aims to reduce its carbon footprint and minimise waste. Additionally, this approach fosters the development of the circular economy, promoting resource efficiency and resilience.
Sustainability can be brought into the procurement process is through social value. SBC have adopted the Social Value Portal for the majority of procurements over £75k. It is based on the TOMs national framework that identifies themes, outcomes and measures and bidders can be encouraged to put forward sustainable solutions to add value.
Tasks
What are we doing?
- 31/03/2025
Update and Revise the Co-operative Procurement Strategy for 2025-2028
- 31/03/2025
Participate in the RCCF Sustainable Procurement Sub Group
This subgroup has been setup to focus on supporting one of the EELGA Regional Climate Change Forum priority activities, which is to ‘Act as a regional hub to facilitate exploring of opportunities for joint procurement and support the sharing of sustainable procurement best practice’. This subgroup group is intended to provide peer support and explore opportunities to work together to progress the climate agenda in the eastern region.
- 31/12/2025
Include Social Value considerations in Council's procurement processes
The UK has legal instruments to promote sustainable procurement, including Public Services (Social Value) Act, Climate Change Act, Modern Slavery Act, etc.
Social Value Act requires LAs and their suppliers to aim the commissioned and procured services can improve the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing, while maximising the value for money for the taxpayers.
Social Value criteria can be used in decision-making when awarding contracts. A minimum weight of 10% of the total score should be considered for these criteria.
SBC has dedicated effort to applying Social Value in its procurement processes working with Social Value Portal, an online tool that helps organizations to accurately measure, report and maximise their Social Value at the tender stage and delivery. It is based on the TOMs Framework and provides a standardised framework for organisations to be target-aligned, evidence-based, and impact-driven.
What has been done?
- 31.03.2024
Take part in the EELGA Responsible Procurement Diagnostic project
As part of the EELGA (East of England Local Government Association), the RCCF (Regional Climate Change Forum) has recently launched the Sustainable Procurement Diagnostic and Action Planning project, and SBC took part in it.
The project aimed to complete a diagnostic for Councils to organise, prioritise and deliver their sustainability commitments. The diagnostic consisted of assessing 30 value codes split into 4 sections: economic, social, cultural, and environmental.
- 23.11.2021
Develop a Cooperative Procurement Strategy
SBC's Co-operative Procurement Strategy 2021-2024 has been developed and launched in November 2021. Currently under implementation alongside the Social Value considerations.
Summary and contacts
Timeline
Continuous
Responsible organisations
Portfolio Holder
Strategic Themes
Engagement type
Information updated 18.12.2024
The Co-operative Procurement Strategy for 2025-2028 is being developed ready go to Cabinet in March 2025. The strategy will build on the previous strategy to support the goal of net-zero emissions by 2030 and reduce carbon dioxide emissions from contracted services.