The United States and the European Union (EU) illustrated how governments can contribute to green public procurement (GPP) by publishing an extensive list of initiatives, policies, and actions that they have implemented. With their Joint EU-U.S. Catalogue of Best Practices for Green Public Procurement, they aim to inspire policymakers and government entities to increase their use of GPP and thereby “accelerate the wide deployment of green goods, services and technologies in the public sector.” The Joint Catalogue includes examples from both the EU and US procurement markets. It was issued at the 6th (and perhaps final) meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in early April. This post looks at the key elements of the Catalogue and its potential impetus for climate change work in Geneva.
The US and the EU developed the Catalogue under the TTC’s Working Group on Climate and Clean Tech. The 34-page document presents a broad range of key policies, actions, and best practices relating to GPP that have implemented on both sides of the Atlantic.
With their joint action, the US and EU recognize the role for public procurement in addressing environmental challenges and GPP as “a powerful leverage point for the public sector” to address climate change challenges and help achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Both also acknowledge that they can use their large procurement budgets to provide sustainable public services and in a manner that addresses the broader environmental challenges.
The Catalogue provides best practices across all stages of the procurement process, from strategic planning to pre-procurement, the procurement itself, and finally the post-contract award stage. For each stage, it presents existing initiatives, policies, and actions that have been implemented in the EU and US and illustrates them with examples.
The examples from the EU are more numerous than those of the US because they are drawn from a broader base. They include the 27 member states, as well as subcentral entities such as cities in the EU. In contrast, the US best practices are limited to actions of the federal government. Adding US state actions and practices could provide a fuller picture of public sector actions in the US.
The US and EU stress the importance of preparing, adopting, and applying GPP measures in a manner consistent with their international procurement obligations, including under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
As leading GPA parties, the EU and US should present their Joint Catalogue to the WTO Committee on Government Procurement for consideration under its work program on sustainable procurement. As discussed in an earlier post, the GPP actions taken in the US and EU could provide an impetus for that work program, which was initiated a decade ago but has not yet published any reports. Expanding the Joint Catalogue to incorporate best practices undertaken by the other 20 GPA parties could provide a beneficial resource for non-GPA parties and emphasize the important role GPP measures in addressing environmental issues and climate change.
The United States and the European Union (EU) illustrated how governments can contribute to green public procurement (GPP) by publishing an extensive list of initiatives, policies, and actions that they have implemented. With their Joint EU-U.S. Catalogue of Best Practices for Green Public Procurement, they aim to inspire policymakers and government entities to increase their use of GPP and thereby “accelerate the wide deployment of green goods, services and technologies in the public sector.” The Joint Catalogue includes examples from both the EU and US procurement markets. It was issued at the 6th (and perhaps final) meeting of the EU-US Trade and Technology Council (TTC) in early April. This post looks at the key elements of the Catalogue and its potential impetus for climate change work in Geneva.
The US and the EU developed the Catalogue under the TTC’s Working Group on Climate and Clean Tech. The 34-page document presents a broad range of key policies, actions, and best practices relating to GPP that have implemented on both sides of the Atlantic.
With their joint action, the US and EU recognize the role for public procurement in addressing environmental challenges and GPP as “a powerful leverage point for the public sector” to address climate change challenges and help achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Both also acknowledge that they can use their large procurement budgets to provide sustainable public services and in a manner that addresses the broader environmental challenges.
The Catalogue provides best practices across all stages of the procurement process, from strategic planning to pre-procurement, the procurement itself, and finally the post-contract award stage. For each stage, it presents existing initiatives, policies, and actions that have been implemented in the EU and US and illustrates them with examples.
The examples from the EU are more numerous than those of the US because they are drawn from a broader base. They include the 27 member states, as well as subcentral entities such as cities in the EU. In contrast, the US best practices are limited to actions of the federal government. Adding US state actions and practices could provide a fuller picture of public sector actions in the US.
The US and EU stress the importance of preparing, adopting, and applying GPP measures in a manner consistent with their international procurement obligations, including under the WTO Government Procurement Agreement (GPA).
As leading GPA parties, the EU and US should present their Joint Catalogue to the WTO Committee on Government Procurement for consideration under its work program on sustainable procurement. As discussed in an earlier post, the GPP actions taken in the US and EU could provide an impetus for that work program, which was initiated a decade ago but has not yet published any reports. Expanding the Joint Catalogue to incorporate best practices undertaken by the other 20 GPA parties could provide a beneficial resource for non-GPA parties and emphasize the important role GPP measures in addressing environmental issues and climate change.
