About the Project
Public procurement can play a critical role in the delivery of local authorities’ pathway to Net Zero as well as supporting suppliers’ alignment to this ambition. However, research by Energy Systems Catapult found that public procurement local government’s processes and local authorities’ culture needed substantial change to be aligned with Net Zero ambition. A Connected Places Catapult’s report points out that much more needs to be done around government policy, stakeholder engagement and capacity building for procurement in the UK to become a key driver of innovation and sustainable growth.
Our project explores how local authorities can embed circular economy principles into procurement of Net Zero solutions. Our focus is on the development of an implementation framework that aids local authorities in the East Midlands region to understand and follow circular economy principles to foster industry innovations in the transportation sector.
The project is funded by the Innovation Launchpad Network+ and hosted by Connected Places Catapult. We a will benefit from a multidisciplinary team from the Business School and the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham.
A Collaborative Approach
Context
A review of academic and grey literature will be undertaken to understand the overall context of local authorities’ green procurement in the UK and beyond. In addition, past and current bids will be collected and analysed considering the expressions of environmental requirements.
Barriers
We are interviewing people involved in public procurement. This includes public procurement officers and equivalents, as well as staff from companies which have been awarded a contract. Interviews will help us to identify the current barriers to green public procurement.
Pathway
The findings from the documentary analysis and interviews and their implications for the future of circular public procurement will be discussed during a stakeholder workshop. The outcome of the workshop will be a pathway for implementation.
Considering full lifecycle emissions
Dr Luis Torres, Associate Professor and Director of Executive Education, is exploring how procurement can be used as a lever for public organisations to adopt sustainable principles in transport, and how a shift in company behaviours may help develop the circular economy.
Get involved
We are interviewing people involved in public procurement. This includes public procurement officers and equivalents, as well as staff from companies which have been awarded a contract in the last couple of years.