Where the protection or enhancement of heritage is a key issue within the contract, performance indicators need to be developed to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved. These may include a link to the National Indicators shown above or others relevant to the contract, such as evidence of the origin of materials used for historic buildings.
The benefits of the contractual requirement must be quantifiable and measurable; otherwise there is a risk that it may be unenforceable. The buyer must also consider whether this requirement is core to the contract or a secondary issue, as any remedy for breach of performance may be difficult to quantify. In this case a pre-agreed service credit or maintenance rebate would enable recompense for non-performance where termination of the contract would not be an option.
Embedding sustainability into procurement is easily achieved as long as the requirements of an individual procurement reflect the objectives of the organisation as set out in relevant policies and / or strategies. Supplier engagement is essential to allow the market to understand and prepare for developing requirements and this must be undertaken before the procurement process begins. Many sustainability benefits can be achieved through the effective evaluation and selection of a sustainable supplier and further requirements will be detailed in the specification and evaluated as part of the tender process. This must include any ‘end of life’ requirements. It is also essential that a weighted scoring mechanism is designed reflecting the criteria to evaluate the responses against and that this is shared with potential suppliers as part of the tender documentation.
Finally, on-going improvement and innovation can be built into the management of the contract to further develop the products and services required by the contracting organisation. Also do not forget that at the point of potential award there is always scope to reach a voluntary agreement with the supplier that they will work with you to deliver identified (and agreed) sustainable outcomes that can be captured as a contract commitment.
