In 2011, Gloucestershire County Council (GCC) signed a contract under a central government framework agreement for the supply of office stationery. Products supplied under the “Government Office Supplies Contract” are compliant with the UK Government’s Government Buying Standards , which are similar to the EU GPP criteria. The contract not only offers GCC a wider range of green products, but provisions made under the contract and by GCC’s Procurement Department make it more difficult for devolved purchasers to buy more costly and potentially non-compliant products from outside the Government Catalogue. Before entering into the contract, GCC undertook a series of measures to reduce unnecessary demand for stationery and reuse existing items. After collecting unused stock from around the Council, a month-long moratorium on buying stationery was imposed. This saved GCC around £29,000 (€34,000).