Green Procurement Policy Public Edition

Green Procurement Policy Public Edition

Background

The Public Procurement Agency’s mandate is derived from the Public Procurement Act (the Act) and includes the purchase of goods and services as the central procurement unit of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and includes the oversight of, and establishment of policies for, the procurement activities for all provincial public bodies.

The legal framework providing the authority for the development of a Green Procurement Policy is contained within the Act, the Public Procurement Regulations, and the Public Procurement Policy. The Act provides the Chief Procurement Officer with the authority to develop and publish general policies for the procurement of commodities for application by some or all provincial public bodies.

Leveraging the purchasing power of public bodies, the goal of a Green Procurement Policy is to protect the environment and encourage job creation and investment in the green economy. Green procurement involves buying goods and services that have fewer negative environmental impacts than those of comparable goods and services.

A Green Procurement Policy will encourage vendors and suppliers to offer options with fewer negative environmental impacts. This approach will provide opportunities for savings by taking the full life-cycle costs of goods and services into account, while helping to foster and support businesses and jobs that develop and use green technology. Green Procurement Policies help position government to address evolving environmental challenges.

The development of a Green Procurement Policy must balance environmental protection with economic costs. Such a policy should encourage environmentally sustainable procurement while minimizing any additional burden to public bodies and vendors/suppliers.