The Council has a long-established and clear focus on environmental and social improvement through procurement. Given the scale, nature and importance of the Regeneration Programme, the Council recognised the opportunity to ensure that this would effectively support intended climate and other objectives through the procurement mechanism.
The following lessons are highlighted:
Some projects will represent a call-off from, for example, a Scotland Excel framework, where a range of requirements for suppliers to the framework have been established, including on climate.
Understanding the suitability of the framework and what has been incorporated within it, and whether there is an option and need to go further to, for example, reflect Renfrewshire Council’s net zero ambitions, or focus on specific issues within the call-off requirement, is an important consideration.
The scope of individual Regeneration projects must be reflected in relevant and proportionate tender requirements.
There is inevitably some overlap between, for example, climate requirements that may be relevant for new-build and upgrading works, such as the approach to applying the waste hierarchy and the need to minimise emissions from use of vehicles to transport materials, equipment, plant and people. Consistency in these requirements where there is sufficient overlap will avoid duplication of effort.
Similarly, it is important to ensure that climate requirements reflect the scope of the project and the market for this. For example, there is a clear distinction between a project for consultancy, where there may be some limited travel and use of ICT, and a retrofitting project involving use of materials, equipment, energy, vehicles and potential generation of waste and a demolition project as described above.
Technical specifications establish a specific requirement, which suppliers must meet. This may include climate and other sustainability requirements, such as:
Reliance on technical specifications only makes the process of evaluating tenders easier (and bidders may be rewarded for going beyond some of these).
However, the inclusion of relevant outcome-based specifications and tender requirements enables differentiation of bidders according to their sustainability commitments and practices. This can encourage innovative solutions and support the transition to net zero and a circular economy.
When establishing the appropriate balance between technical and outcome-based requirements it is important to establish what a good response to outcome-based tender questions is. This must reflect the market for the requirement. Tenders may then be evaluated objectively, and this ensures a clear line of sight from the Council or public body objectives to relevant and proportionate requirements and appropriate evaluation of submissions.
Guidance can help with this, including that within Scottish Government Sustainable Procurement Tools guidance, Procuring resource efficient construction projects, Procuring for a Circular Economy Category Guidance.
Progress has been made by the Council in embedding climate and other sustainability requirements within the Regeneration Programme, although it is understood that there remain further opportunities to improve.
Collaboration between corporate procurement, those responsible for procurement of Regeneration projects and climate change is important. This includes transferable lessons from Regeneration projects to others, avoiding some duplication of effort. For example, the workshop provided an opportunity to improve the confidence of key stakeholders to apply sustainability requirements in future procurements.
