Green procurement rules for the public sector

The Public Procurement Notice affecting the public sector is aimed at tackling climate change and reducing waste. It applies to all Central Government Departments, their Executive Agencies and Non Departmental Public Bodies from 30 Sept 21.

The ESFA has now confirmed that this does not include schools and academies.

The PPN 06/21 (Taking into account supplier carbon reduction plans on major government contracts) published in June comes into effect for new procurements launched from 30 September 2021 and impacts on tenders over £5m.

The notice actually catches all those that put in a consortium bid, so is much wider ranging than it might seem at first glance.

As part of the government’s aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, the notice includes guidance on how suppliers’ commitments to this target must be taken into account in the procurement of major government contracts valued at over £5m.

While the notice applies to central government authorities as the contracting authority, it contains model templates for use at the selection stage which all contracting authorities will find helpful.

Suppliers will be asked to demonstrate their carbon reduction plans, and this will be assessed as part of their technical and professional ability.

All the documentation can be found on the .gov website.

Further information

For more guidance and information for academies, please check out our Education Knowledge Hub and our Charity & Not for Profit Knowledge Hub.