There have been a number of developments in the area of sustainable and green public procurement:
Irish Green Procurement Action Plan:
In Ireland, the government has recently launched Ireland's first Green Public Procurement Action Plan, Green Tenders, to assist public authorities to plan and implement green public procurement. The action plan is focused on eight priority areas: Construction, Energy, Transport, Food and Catering Services, Cleaning Products and Services, Paper, Uniforms and Textiles, and ICT.
European Commission Green Procurement Consultation:
The European Commission has undertaken a consultation on green public procurement as part of a wider consultation on the possible introduction of EU wide measures for delivering more sustainable consumption and production.
Energy Efficient Regulations for Vehicles/Equipment:
The Energy Efficient Public Procurement Regulations 2011 came into force in 2011. These regulations require public bodies to procure only equipment or vehicles listed on the "Triple E Product Register" published by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland or which satisfy the published SEAI energy efficiency criteria for the equipment or vehicle concerned.
Energy Efficiency Drive
The European Communities (Energy End-use Efficiency and Energy Services) Regulations 2009 (SI No. 542 of 2009) set out obligations on public bodies to fulfil an "exemplary role" in managing energy, including implementing energy efficient procurement practices and considering alternative financing, in particular energy performance contracting. If interested in energy efficient procurement, you should look at the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland's Public Sector Programme at http://www.seai.ie/Your_Building/Public_Sector_Programme/
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