Promoting Poverty-Aware Procurement on Campus Jimmy Brannigan ESD Consulting Ltd Dominic Tantram Terra Consult

PPAPC - Agenda What is sustainable procurement? About the project What do we mean by Poverty Aware Procurement? What can be done? Next Steps Questions

What is sustainable procurement?

“Sustainable purchasing is all about taking environmental and social factors into account in purchasing decisions. It’s about looking at what your products are made of, where they come from and who has made them” HEPS Sustainable Purchasing Guidance – Section 1

About the project Intended outcomes of the project are:  Develop understanding of the links between poverty and procurement;  Guidance on procurement processes that will enable poverty implications to be taken into account when procurement decisions are being made;  A review of the best means of enabling institutions to introduce the changes to procurement processes that will be needed;  Increased awareness amongst FHE as a whole and in collaborative procurement organisations of the links between poverty and procurement.

PPAPC - Outputs Information Sheets  14 commodity areas Guidelines Report  Approaching the guidance from a poverty and issue perspective Guidance Report  A guide to ways in which these changes can be introduced in colleges, universities and purchasing consortia Communication and dissemination  Online, workshops and video communication

About the project – Advisory Board Leeds Metropolitan University Blackpool & The Fylde College People and Planet NUS Services Limited EAUC Association of University Procurement Officers Scottish FairTrade Forum University of Manchester SNUPI Ltd The Sustainable Catering Consultancy Advanced Procurement for Universities and Colleges (APUC)

What do we mean by Poverty Aware Procurement?

In August 2008, the World Bank set a new international poverty line defined as $1.25 a day at 2005 prices. The Bank estimated that about 1.4 billion people in the developing world (one in four) live on less than this.

What do we mean by Poverty Aware Procurement? “Poverty is hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not having access to school and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness, lack of representation and freedom”. The World Bank

Commodities – Information Sheets  Banking  Oil & Gas  Beauty  Paper  Beverages  Plastics  Cleaning  Seafood  Clothing  Steel  Electronics  Timber  Fruit  Vegetables

Brief exercise with list - blank sheets IssueFruitVeg.SeafoodBeautyClothingBeveragesCleaning Dams- can displace people, disrupt fishing and water supply and upset catchment ecology Military and arms- support or financing of military activities and materials Human rights - Denial or interference of basic internationally recognised legal and moral rights Indigenous peoples rights - human rights with specific emphasis on historic land rights and resource ownership Labour conditions - employment and labour conditions internationally – hours worked, fair contracts

What can be done? A simplified approach Identifying the need The specification Supplier Selection Tender evaluation Contract management

What can be done? But remember:  They must be relevant to the subject matter of the contract  Actions must be consistent with the EU Treaty and the EU Public Procurement Directive  Most progress can be made if poverty issues are considered at the earliest stages of the procurement cycle

What can be done? Are poverty issues identified in your current purchasing strategy or policy? Are poverty issues identified as a priority by any other part of the business? Have obligations relating to social legislation been considered? Have you considered fair trade?

What can be done? Some of the activities that can be undertaken to enable procurement to make a difference to poverty are as follows:  Pay levels of wages that are sufficient to live off in the country, and ensure that working conditions are not oppressive  Ensure that the company invests in development of the community within which it is operating – e.g. by providing schools, health care, housing etc

What can be done? Some of the activities that can be undertaken to enable procurement to make a difference to poverty are as follows:  Pay a surplus to the community which is available for investment by the producer or by the community i.e. “fair trade” or equivalent  Encourage the processing or manufacturing to take place in a developing country.  Come from resources which are sustainably managed – and hence can support the community in the long term – e.g. good farming, forestry or fishing methods

Summary Poverty is an issue we should be considering – we are not at the moment We need more education and awareness The PPAPC project will deliver guidance in April 2010 We hope it is of use!

Many thanks