The US Government has for some time had in place sustainability procurement requirements, pursuant to Executive Order 13514, which mandates that 95% of new contract actions must be "green," including new task orders. With the same goal of using the business and moral heft of a large governmental organization to support sustainability, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and U.N. Global Compact recently published a "Practitioner's Guide to Sustainable Procurement." The Guide encourages vendors to commit to sustainability principles as set forth in the Global Compact. It includes a 1000-point valuation system for purchasers to use in evaluating RFP bids, as well as practical suggestions on how to work social and environmental impact factors into procurement decisions.
The U.S. and U.N. guides should be required reading for savvy vendors seeking to increase sales to these large buying organizations – and also to use the criteria they highlight for extra credit when dealing with other purchasers, especially those that have made a point of greening their supply chains.
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