Action: 27 | Our climate action

1. Climate actions at Council / 1.4. Reducing our contractor emissions /

27Sustainable procurement policies, procedures and tools

Progress

On time

Not started
Planning
Implementation
Continuous

OBJECTIVE
Reduce emissions from procurement by prioritising environmental sustainability in Council projects and tenders.
IMPACT
High
In our 2019/20 baseline year, procurement contributed 54% of Council's total emissions (Scope 3, upstream). To achieve Net Zero by 2035 we need to strengthen our sustainable procurement policies, procedures and practices.

Council's Procurement Policy (updated in Dec 2021) includes a mandatory 10% environmental sustainability weighting for tenders over $150,000.

In October 2021, the Sustainable Procurement Working Group was established with the aim of driving sustainability improvements to Council's procurement, through building awareness, knowledge and capacity of staff to integrate sustainable procurement principles into our work.

Tasks

What are we doing?

30/04/2024
Produce a staff 'sustainability checklist' for project scoping
This is a detailed checklist that helps staff take a deeper look at the environmental sustainability implications and opportunities of proposed projects.
The checklist addresses the key themes in Council's Environment Strategy (2019) including:
Climate Change
Biodiversity
Water
Sustainable Development
Waste
30/06/2024
Communicate to suppliers about Council's Sustainable Procurement ambitions
This is an initiative of the Sustainable Procurement Working Group, and will involve targeted communications to our suppliers outlining Council's Net Zero and Halve Waste goals, and what that means for Council's procurement.
Communication will be via Council's various channels, and in particular our eProcure contract management platform.
30/06/2024
Produce a staff 'cheat sheet' to quickly assess the environmental sustainability credentials of tenders
An initiative of the Sustainable Procurement Working Group, this is a quick reference for staff to assess environmental sustainability credentials of tenderers, addressing the key themes from Council's Environment Strategy (2019).
31/12/2025
Review and update Council's Procurement Policy
Review and update of Council's Procurement Policy to further strengthen requirements around environmental sustainability and social elements of our procurement. Includes a 10% weighting for 'Environmental Sustainability', mandated for tenders above $150,000, and encouraged for contracts below that dollar value.
30/06/2035
Conduct monthly Sustainable Procurement Working Group meetings
The Sustainable Procurement Working Group:
Meets on a monthly basis to progress agenda.
Develops and improves Council's procurement processes and tools.
Engages with and educates Council staff, and recruits new staff members to the Working Group.
Engages with and educates suppliers on Council's sustainable procurement goals.
Highlights sustainable procurement successes and identifies areas for improvement.

What has been done?

31/12/2021
Review and update Council's Procurement Policy
Review and update of Council's Procurement Policy to strengthen detail around Environmental Sustainability and Social elements of procurement. This includes a 10% weighting for 'Environmental Sustainability', mandated for tenders above $150,000.
01/10/2021
Establish a Sustainable Procurement Working Group
The Environment & Sustainability team established an informal Sustainable Procurement Working Group with representation across business units, primarily to address the Scope 3 emissions produced by our contracted goods and services, but also discuss broader environmental sustainability implications of our procurement.

Related actions

28
Implementation (On time)
Sustainable procurement education of contractors and staff

Indicators

Emissions from Goods & Services

28. Sustainable procurement education of contractors and staff

Timeline

Continuous → 30/06/2035

Target audience

Responsible organisations

Oversees Council's Procurement Policy.
Leads Council's 'Sustainable Procurement Working Group'.
Supports Indigo's business community.
Major stakeholder in procurement of goods and services.
Major stakeholder in procurement of good and services.

Emissions Scope

Theme

Indicative costs
Cost of wages
Indicative savings
Savings (or reduced costs of environmental price premiums) will occur with increased demand brought about by government purchasing.

Information updated 25/10/2024

Progress

OBJECTIVEDefinition

Reduce emissions from procurement by prioritising environmental sustainability in Council projects and tenders.

IMPACTDefinition

In our 2019/20 baseline year, procurement contributed 54% of Council's total emissions (Scope 3, upstream). To achieve Net Zero by 2035 we need to strengthen our sustainable procurement policies, procedures and practices.

Description

Tasks

What are we doing?

Produce a staff 'sustainability checklist' for project scoping

Communicate to suppliers about Council's Sustainable Procurement ambitions

Produce a staff 'cheat sheet' to quickly assess the environmental sustainability credentials of tenders

Review and update Council's Procurement Policy

Conduct monthly Sustainable Procurement Working Group meetings

What has been done?

Review and update Council's Procurement Policy

Establish a Sustainable Procurement Working Group

Related actions

Indicators

Emissions from Goods & Services

Summary and contacts

Timeline

Target audience

Responsible organisations

Emissions ScopeDefinition

Theme

Indicative costsDefinition

Indicative savingsDefinition

How this action contributes to the outcome

OBJECTIVE

IMPACT

Emissions Scope

Indicative costs

Indicative savings