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Illawarra Shoalhaven

Regional Framework to Benchmark Social & Sustainable Procurement

Sustainable procurement is best practice procurement that incorporates quadruple bottom line considerations into purchasing decisions. Whereas traditional procurement prioritises resources, price, utility and convenience, sustainable procurement is a purchasing framework that integrates social and environmental criteria to not only support decision making but also ensure value through whole of life.  Sustainable procurement results in goods and services with the comparatively lowest environmental impacts and maximum economic and social returns.

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Joint Organisation (ISJO) conducted a review of leading practice sustainable procurement and consulted with member Council officers to identify eight key social and sustainable principles to benchmark against.  These principles can be aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals and the ISO: 20400 to provide a framework for Councils to measure their activities against.

Our Regional Framework to Benchmark Social & Sustainable Procurement document establishes a benchmarking tool by providing a set of probing questions under each identified core procurement principle.  These questions allow Councils to reflect upon, action and actualise an elevated approach to social and sustainable procurement practices.

A full copy of our Regional Framework to Benchmark Social & Sustainable Procurement may be accessed by clicking on the image above or clicking here ISJO-Regional-framework-to-benchmark-sustainable-procurement.pdf (nsw.gov.au).