Sustainable Procurement

Who should read this page?

This page is primarily provided for Commercial Officers, but is also relevant to all those involved in acquisition across the Ministry of Defence (MOD).

What does this page provide?

This page briefly explains what Sustainable Procurement is, shows you where you can find policy and guidance on Sustainable Procurement, identifies the main commercial regulations impacting on Sustainable Procurement (the Legal Framework) and outlines the general principles underpinning commercial policy on Sustainable Procurement.

It also explains what is mandated, identifies who you can go to for advice, sets out the relevant Commercial training and provides a list of further reading.

What is Sustainable Procurement?

Sustainable Procurement is an acquisition process that delivers value for money for MOD in a way that achieves a balance between social progress, economic stability and caring for the environment both locally and globally.

Where can I find policy and guidance on Sustainable Procurement?

Joint Service Publication (JSP) 418 External link to Ministry of Defence Intranet content : MOD Sustainable Development and Environment Manual - Chapter 17 Sustainable Procurement.

The Sustainable Procurement Commercial Policy Statement (CPS) [148KB PDF] details MOD’s Commercial Policy and Guidance on Sustainable Procurement.

The Guide to Sustainability in Defence Acquisition [169B PDF], dated September 2009, provides guidance on overall MOD policy on Sustainable Procurement and how sustainability should be addressed throughout the acquisition lifecycle.

What is the Legal Framework for Sustainable Procurement?

The Public Contract Regulations 2006 External link to Internet content – for contract specifications, selection criteria, award criteria and contract conditions for Sustainable Procurement.

What is the general principle when dealing with Sustainable Procurement?

Sustainable Procurement must be applied to all MOD contracts. Different contracts will raise different social and environmental issues, which require a case-by-case approach.
Failure to reflect social and environmental characteristics in the contract specification will severely constrain our ability to contract for these issues.
Social and environmental factors used in the contract specification, selection criteria, and award criteria must be:
- Relevant to contract requirement (e.g. accessibility criteria for people with disabilities in building specifications or targets for fuel economy in vehicle specifications); and
- Not discriminate against any potential suppliers or restrict competition.
Suppliers must not be obliged to behave in a way that is not related to the requirement, e.g. a vehicle specification must not require a supplier to serve organic food in its canteen.
Social and environmental terms and conditions will be incorporated into MOD contracts provided they are compatible with the Public Contract Regulations 2006, where applicable.

What is mandated when dealing with Sustainable Procurement?

Commercial officers must follow the usual rules for awarding contracts, as MOD procurement is still based on value for money, having due regard to propriety and regularity.
When acquisition teams are defining the requirement for the contract, they must:
- Consider improving the social or environmental impact of the procurement; and
- Use mandatory Government standards (e.g. Buy Sustainable – Quick Wins),where applicable.
Acquisition teams must consider the sustainable impact of the procurement at all stages of the contracting process within the constraints of the Public Contract Regulations 2006, where applicable.
Acquisition teams must work in accordance with the policy and guidance set out in the Sustainable Procurement CPS [148KB PDF].

Who do I go to for advice?

DGDC Commercial Systems	DGDC CS-2C-Asst-Hd	For advice on this page and the Sustainable Procurement Commercial Policy Statement
The relevant Head of Commercial		For business specific application of the Sustainable Procurement Commercial Policy Statement
Sustainable Procurement Team	DES SustProc-Comrcl-DepHd	For advice on the application of sustainable procurement principles to the procurement of equipment and commodities
Defence Estates Property	DE Prop-Sus Dev2	For advice on the application of sustainable procurement policy for projects that have an estate/construction element
Central Legal Services - Commercial Law Division	CLS-CL Hd Div (DD)	For legal advice on the application of sustainable procurement and narrative terms and conditions

What training is available on Sustainable Procurement?

Training on Sustainable Procurement is available through the online Commercial Awareness and Practitioners Programme (CAPP) training package, which is currently being updated to reflect the Sustainable Procurement CPS.

Defence Estates have a basic online course in relation to estate sustainable procurement. (Estate sustainable procurement – Internal Link External link to Ministry of Defence Intranet content ) (Estate sustainable procurement - External Link External link to Internet content )

What further reading might help?

AOF - Commercial Toolkit content:

Ministry of Defence Intranet content:

Defence Estates Sustainable Development Information Portal External link to Ministry of Defence Intranet content

Internet content:

Change History

1 November 2009: Updated to include a link to the Guide to Sustainability in Defence Acquisition dated September 2009.
1 September 2009: This Topic added to the Toolkit for the first time.