PUBLIC PROCUREMENT NEWS

  

News

23 January 2012

Irish government launches first green procurement plan

The Irish government has launched Ireland’s first action plan on green procurement, entitled Green Tenders, with the overall objective to assist public authorities in aiming for green public procurement (GPP). Public authorities are major consumers, spending some €14 billion annually. Ireland’s public sector has considerable leverage to stimulate the marketplace in favour of the provision of more resource-efficient, less polluting, goods, services and works.

The plan would see public authorities give priority to environmentally friendly projects and make purchases that stimulate the green market. According to the plan, "By using their purchasing power to choose, goods, services and works with a reduced environmental impact, public authorities can make an important contribution towards local, national and international sustainability goals.”

The action plan focuses on eight priority areas: Construction, Energy, Transport, Food and Catering Services, Cleaning Products and Services, Paper, Uniforms and Textiles, and ICT. The government officials behind the plan describe it as, "a major milestone, not just in effectively introducing a sustainable development mindset within public procurement practices, but also in ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely."

For more information, click here.