The Greater London Authority (GLA) has released a report entitled, Delivering Responsible Procurement, which documents the impressive progress made by the Authority in the past three and a half years. Mayor of London Boris Johnson, says, “The GLA group’s responsible approach to procurement has made a significant positive impact on those who work, live in and visit our world-class city. This includes supporting local businesses, providing jobs and skills for Londoners, and improving their quality of life.”
The GLA has had a number of success stories and is keen to share its experience. These include making significant steps in using its procurement activity to open up employment opportunities to Londoners including; more than 1,200 long-term unemployed Londoners into work (2009-2011) and more than 1,900 new apprenticeships (2009-2011). The GLA group has also helped improve the cash flow of small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) through the prompt payment of their invoices and enabled businesses with access to more contract and sub-contract opportunities.
From an environmental point of view the report explains how the Transport for London (TfL), London Fire Brigade and the Metropolitan Police Service have reduced their annual carbon emissions by 7,000 tonnes, saving £1m from their annual energy bills through the RE:FIT programme. While the introduction of five hydrogen fuel cell buses, an electric vehicle procurement framework and structure for the supply of charging points and a five percent increase in TfL’s Head Office energy efficiency initiatives.
To download the report, click here.