5 Easy Ways to Make Public Procurement More Sustainable

Public procurement teams play a powerful role in shaping environmentally responsible purchasing behaviors. By integrating sustainable procurement practices and prioritizing diverse vendor management strategies, agencies can significantly reduce their environmental footprint, while also driving cost savings and operational efficiency.

If you’re just beginning your sustainability journey, this guide offers five actionable tips for achieving green procurement you can start using right away. These simple steps are designed to help you meet your environmental goals, improve supplier diversity, and modernize your procurement process with minimal disruption.

1. Start with a Green Procurement Policy

Before anything else, you need a clear, written policy that outlines your agency’s sustainability goals and purchasing standards. This document should specify how sustainability will be factored into procurement decisions, from material sourcing to vendor selection.

• Include environmental requirements in bid specifications and scopes of work. This could include recyclable packaging, energy-efficient products, or eco-friendly installation procedures.
• Reference sustainability certifications (LEED, ENERGY STAR, Green Seal) and specify whether they are desired or required.
• Research and align with broader community sustainability goals and mandates, as well as policies from neighboring or similar agencies.

2. Choose Vendors with Green Credentials

Vendor selection is one of the biggest levers for driving sustainable outcomes. When you partner with vendors who prioritize environmental and social responsibility, your agency benefits from their responsible practices.

• Look for vendors with third-party certifications like ISO 14001 or B Corp status.
• Evaluate suppliers based on their environmental and historical performance, not just price.
• Include sustainability questionnaires in your RFQs, RFIs, RFPs, and solicitations.

This is where sustainable vendor management really comes into play. A well-managed vendor network allows you to track certifications, monitor environmental impact, and hold suppliers accountable.

3. Embrace Digital Procurement Tools

Going paperless is an immediate win for green procurement, and it’s not as hard as it sounds. In fact, modern digital procurement software makes it easy to automate tedious manual tasks and eliminate unnecessary paperwork. Moving your bid creation, solicitation, and management processes online reduces waste, saves time, and gives you better visibility into compliance and risk management.

• Eliminate paper bid submissions, contracts, and evaluations.
• Use digital dashboards to monitor bid lifecycles, vendor performance, and sustainability metrics.
• Automate vendor certifications and pre-qualification tracking, and centralize document collection.

4. Focus on Total Cost of Ownership

Sustainable products might come with higher price tags up front, but they almost always save agencies money in the long term. This is where Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) analysis can shift the conversation from initial price to overall value.

• When making specification and purchasing decisions, factor in maintenance, energy use, and lifespan, in addition to purchase price.
• Prioritize quality goods that will offer lower long-term costs.
• Use TCO analysis as part of bid evaluations to choose more beneficial contracts.

5. Promote Local, Small, and Disadvantaged Business Participation

True sustainability goes beyond the environment. A real sustainable procurement plan should include social and economic equity. Working with local, small, and disadvantaged businesses (including Disadvantaged, Minority, Women-Owned, and Veteran Business Enterprises) supports the community, reduces transportation emissions, and fosters innovation.

• Set targets for contracts awarded to diverse or disadvantaged vendors.
• Simplify the certification and bidding process for small businesses by moving processes online.
• Offer training and outreach to help potential suppliers understand sustainability requirements and expand your vendor pool.

Final Thoughts: Sustainability Starts with Strategy

Implementing green procurement practices doesn’t require a total overhaul. By following these five strategies, from crafting a sustainability policy to leveraging eProcurement platforms and expanding your vendor base, your agency can take immediate and meaningful action toward environmental and social responsibility.

Embedding eco-friendly procurement and sustainable vendor management into your everyday processes will not only allow your agency to reduce its environmental impact but also to improve transparency, compliance, and long-term savings.

Want more direction on going green? Download the white paper, Sustainable Procurement in the Public Sector, here.