Katrina Aalhola submitted her doctoral thesis on 5 October, considering what role environmental issues play in triangulating the “most economically advantageous tender” in public procurements.
Her research is limited to procurements in the Scandinavian member states but the message is clear – green considerations are very much in the second rank and contracting authorities could and should do more.
Here in the UK the Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012 obliges local authorities to consider economic, social and environmental benefits in relation to all procurements and to conduct resulting procedures with a view to securing those benefits.
This will clearly require a major cultural shift…