LGP Sustainable Choice Newsletter
March 2018

" Incorporate economic, environmental and social considerations in your procurement process."

Sustainable Procurement Forums

Sustainable Choice forums are back! Kicking off with the first at Manly Town Hall on Wednesday 2nd May.

These forums are a great opportunity to learn more about sustainable procurement, network with other councils, meet sustainable suppliers and share ideas, including cases studies and presentations.

The 2018 forums are an opportunity to discover ways to implement sustainable procurement effectively within your organisation; with a focus on case studies, resources and tools, electric vehicles and charging stations, sustainability in tenders and social enterprise.

There will also be a number of suppliers at the forums to showcase technology and innovation in sustainable products.

The following forums are scheduled for 2018:

2 May – Sydney, Manly Town Hall

8 May – Shellharbour, Council Auditorium

27 June – Byron bay, Byron Bay Services Club

For further information and to register click here.

Sustainable Procurement Scorecards

Included in Sustainable Choice membership is an annual sustainable procurement survey. The survey is sent out in September each year and the resulting Sustainable Procurement Scorecards and performance reports are delivered to participating councils in December.

The feedback we have had from our members who completed the 2017 survey is very positive. The recommendations have facilitated discussions between different areas within Council and enabled them to identify priorities and projects that will be focused on for the coming year.

In 2017 the survey was re-written to be in line with the new international guidance standard for sustainable procurement, namely ISO 20400:2017 – Sustainable Procurement Guidance.

The resulting Scorecard presented respondents with a health check against the standard. Accompanying performance reports outlined performance against the individual elements of the standard and clear recommendations on how to make progress in each area.

Members who did not participate can access a generic example of the Scorecard and performance report on the Sustainable Choice Member Resources web-page here.

Non-members who would like to find out more please contact us.

Sustainable Choice

ISO 20400 Training

Sustainable Choice has now launched its newly developed ISO 20400 Sustainable Procurement training package. The package includes interactive, hands on one-day training courses for both management and operational staff in understanding and integrating sustainability into the procurement process, based on the new ISO 20400: 2017 standard on Sustainable Procurement.

Below is some feedback from a recent pilot of the training:

‘Well-presented and easy to understand.’

‘Good discussion and engagement. Good real case studies.’

‘Very interactive and thinking outside of the box.’

Participants who attended gave it an overall evaluation score of 21 out of 25.

To find out more you can watch the video and read the brochure.

Contact us for further information and to book a session.

ISO 20400 Training for Senior Management – Public Course on 17 May

We are offering a public course, ISO 20400 Training for Senior Management, which will be held in the LGP offices (55 Clarence St, Sydney) on 17 May 2018. This course is targeted at: procurement management; management staff in charge of environmental, social and economic issues; and management in finance, legal, HR, engineering and operations. Find out more here.

Sustainability and LGP Contracts

Sustainable Choice has been involved in the preparation of sustainability questions for inclusion in the LGP Contracts and RFTs outlined below. The sustainability criteria is mandatory and weighted. Each supplier's responses to sustainability criteria will be included in the 'Buyer's Guide' associated with each of the contracts, thereby enabling councils to make better informed decisions and purchase more sustainable products and services.

Playgrounds, Open Spaces, Modular Structures, Exterior Lighting, Recreational and Associated Infrastructure (LGP308-3)
RFT 2.13-2 Bitumen, Emulsions and Asphalt Materials and Services
RFT 1.13-2 Traffic Management Services
RFT 1.18 Waste Audit Management Services

New Online Resources

Sustainable Choice has a comprehensive range of online resources for Sustainable Choice members. These resources include guides, factsheets, case studies and example documents. Recently added online resources for Sustainable Choice members include:

Example Tender Sustainability Questions for the Procurement of Services

Example Tender Sustainability Questions for the Procurement of Construction Related Products

Example Tender Sustainability Questions – Sustainable Choice Database

Example Scorecard_2017

Example Scorecard Summary Report_2017

Sustainable Choice – Draft resolution

Sustainable Choice – Draft media release

Sustainable Choice Database

The Sustainable Choice Database makes the search for sustainable products and services easier for you. The expansive online database lists sustainable products and services, from energy-efficient lighting to recycled furniture and infrastructure products, paper and printing, road base, catering and events supplies. Sustainability indicators have been incorporated into the database to help you identify why a product is considered to be more sustainable than another in order for you to choose the most appropriate for your needs and budget. You can access the database at www.sustainablechoice.lgp.org.au

If you know of a sustainable supplier that isn’t listed on the database please let us know and we will contact them. Similarly if there is a particular product you are looking for and cannot find it on the database please let us know.

Suppliers new to the database:

Abco Products Cleaning products; multi-purpose, toilet cleaning, truck/machinery wash

Boral Asphalt; reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP)

You're Invited!

Launch of GECA's new Waste Collection Services Standard

Good Environmental Choice Australia (GECA) have developed a Waste Collection Services standard in partnership with the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage, NSW EPA and City of Sydney, to promote and advocate best practice in waste management and recycling services. The goal is to help waste collection services provide transparent and accurate data and costs for their clients, and ultimately to reduce the impact of waste on our environment.

The standard will be officially launched on Tuesday 27th March 2018 and you're invited! Go along to learn more about the standard, hear from an expert panel of speakers and see how you can get involved.

When: 2.00pm - 5.00pm, Tuesday 27th March 2018

Where: ASB Lounge, Level 6, West Lobby, UNSW Business School Building, Kensington

RSVP: By 12th March

Register here.