Procurement Bill 2022 Petition

Imagine a world where every procurement strategy, plan and process and every procurement team across the public and private sectors had acquired and managed in a sustainable and socially responsible manner.  We wouldn’t have climate change, modern slavery or exploitative behaviour within our supply chains. Idealistic as that may seem.

Every product and service that either consumers or public and private sector organisations acquire, and use, has been and will be subject to some form of procurement activity.

Like it or not the procurement and supply chain profession is at the forefront of climate change.  Moving forward the profession and every person in procurement has a choice, we are either striving to have a net positive impact on the environment or we are facilitating and enabling climate change to the detriment of all.  There really is no middle ground.

Public Sector expenditure is huge, within the UK £300B per annum, 14% of GDP and approximately 12% within the broader OECD.  The trickle-down impact of placing sustainability at the heart of procurement decision making, designing in net positive environmental legal obligations into every Public Sector procurement and for every supplier would fundamentally shift both the buy-side and supply-side behaviours and have an influence far beyond the tier one suppliers to the Public Sector.  The current Procurement Bill 2022 provides a unique opportunity to place sustainability at the heart of procurement, redefine ‘Value’ incorporate the true ‘Total Cost of Ownership’, drive innovation and change. 

We should take this opportunity to reshape the profession and save the planet.