To achieve a net-zero public sector in Wales by 2030, we must start changing the way we purchase, use, repair and dispose of our goods and services. Funded by the Welsh Government, WRAP Cymru has been providing free sustainable procurement support to public sector organisations in Wales since 2016.
Strategic support is offered to embed sustainability and low carbon principles into procurement strategies and activities. This can help Welsh public bodies to meet the Well-being Goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 (WFG Act) and will be a critical component of creating a net-zero public sector in Wales by 2030 through the reduction of scope 3 emissions (those related to the purchase of goods and services).
What support is available?
Funded strategic support is available to the public sector in Wales to:
- design and review policies and implement strategies to increase organisational ability to procure in a low carbon and resource efficient manner;
- drive cultural change to embed sustainable procurement across departments and organisations.
The Welsh public sector spends approximately £8billion each year on goods and services. As such, there is significant opportunity for public bodies to use procurement to influence and achieve positive environmental, economic, and social outcomes, as set out in the WFG Act.
This approach aligns with the Welsh Government’s Procurement Policy and Beyond Recycling strategy. The strategy consists of eight ambitious headline objectives to accelerate Wales’ journey towards a circular economy and obligates the Welsh public sector to prioritise the use of recycled, re-used and re-manufactured content in products purchased.
Taking a sustainable approach to procurement also aligns with the ‘Prosperity for All: A Low Carbon Wales’ delivery plan, which sets out a commitment for the public sector to decarbonise by 2030. This will require a fundamental change in the way goods and services are procured. Decisions taken now – in addition to longer-term procurement strategies – will influence the ability of the public sector to meet this commitment.
In collaboration with specialist consultants, WRAP Cymru offers a range of services including:
- The Sustainable Procurement Maturity Review, to benchmark your organisation’s sustainable procurement practices and receive specific recommendations to improve and embed sustainable and low carbon procurement.
- Workshops with procurers and suppliers to raise sustainable awareness, explore best practice and identify solutions to enable low carbon procurement.
- Training for procurement staff on the principles and practice of procuring re-used products and products containing recycled content and life cycle impact assessment.
- Strategic spend reviews to identify opportunities and produce procurement strategies to source more re-used products or products containing recycled content, using a target, measure, act approach.
- Assisting in the production of sustainability specifications, KPIs and criteria for use in procurement exercises.
- Producing bespoke contract management tools, and training procurers and suppliers on how to use them to enable accurate evaluation, monitoring, reporting and management of supplier performance against specific environmental objectives.
- Options modelling to identify opportunities and strategic priorities (such as influencing factors including cost savings, carbon savings, materials reduction, delivery against the Well-being Goals etc.).
- Producing guidance and case studies for ongoing promotion and best practice.
How to request strategic support for your public sector organisation
To request support or to simply find out more, please email the team directly at Resources.Wales@wrap.org.uk
We also encourage you to read the below case studies, which highlight examples of best practice and includes a link to our most recent public sector guidance documents.