Sustainability in Government
Purchasing
The Commonwealth Procurement Guidelines Jan 2005 (CPGs) require that the value for money of a good or service be considered on a basis of whole-of-life costing.
Section 4.1 of the CPGs states:
"Value for money is the core principle underpinning Australian Government procurement. In a procurement process this principle requires a comparative analysis of all relevant costs and benefits of each proposal throughout the whole procurement cycle (whole-of-life costing)."
Value for money in procurement is enhanced by promoting the efficient, effective and ethical use of resources (s44 of the FMA Act, s22 & s23 of the CAC Act).
Purchasing that, for example, does not consider the operating energy consumption of an appliance or the costs of disposal at end-of-life as part of value for money, is purchasing that is inconsistent with the objectives of both Government procurement and environment policies.
The Environmental Purchasing Guide and Checklists have been developed to provide voluntary guidance to purchasers in the Australian Government regarding the consideration of relevant energy and environmental issues in procurement decison making.
The guide and checklists also provide further information on additional energy and environmental policies that impact on procurement. A list of these policies can also be found in the Guidance on Complying with Legislation and Government Policy in Procurement publication available from the web site of the Department of Finance and Administration.
The checklists cover a range of key goods and services procured by the Australian Government. These include: paper and cardboard, packaging, office equipment, office equipment consumables, refrigerators, dishwashers, desk lighting, recycled products, building management services, waste management services, cleaning services and printing services. Each checklist identifies key environmental performance criteria and provides model tender specifications.
The focus of environmental purchasing in the Australian Government is to improve the environmental performance of government operations. This can result in reducing volumes of waste sent to landfill, meeting or exceeding the energy efficiency targets of the Australian Government's energy policy, fulfilling the requirements of the National Packaging Covenant, and reducing the amount of water used in government operations.
If you have comments to make about the guide or checklists, including advice on how they can be improved, please contact us at procurement@environment.gov.au
- Building management services
- Cleaning services
- Dishwashers
- Fax machines
- Miscellaneous office equipment
- Office equipment consumables
- Packaging
- Paper and cardboard
- Personal computers and monitors
- Printers, photocopiers and multi-function devices
- Printing services
- Recycled products
- Refrigerators
- Task lighting/desk lamps
- Waste management services