How to embed environmental criteria into your technology purchases – Procurement Essentials

The UK public sector, from local authorities, hospitals and schools to central government, emergency services and universities, spends more than £393 billion on procurement every year. With the right procurement solutions in place, your collective purchasing power can help bring down the cost of the transition to net zero, and deliver real change. Yet, we know from our customers that it is often particularly difficult for commercial teams to know which environmental criteria to embed into tech purchases. 

This is why Crown Commercial Service (CCS), in partnership with PUBLIC, a digital advisory firm for the public sector, and with funding from the Open Contracting Partnership’s LIFT programme, have launched a new Buying Greener Technology in the UK guide, to help public sector customers meet their environmental targets by including greener criteria in their technology procurement. 

The current landscape 

In a survey conducted for the development of the guide, 70% of public sector tech procurement staff indicated that they do not currently consider specific environmental factors in their purchasing decisions. Additionally, over 80% of respondents felt that there is insufficient guidance on how to embed green criteria into tech tenders. This highlights a significant gap in knowledge when it comes to making greener tech procurement choices.

Existing policies relating to Carbon Reduction Plans (PPN 06/21) and Social Value (PPN 06/20) offer useful frameworks for green procurement, but we have found that buyers would value more guidance on applying them effectively for maximum benefit to tech procurement.

How sustainable technology procurement can make a difference

Technology has a significant environmental impact. Currently, the technology sector accounts for an estimated 2% to 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions. It is estimated that by 2040, that number could reach 14%, which is almost as much carbon as that emitted by air, land, and sea transport combined.

Small changes in how we purchase technology and use it can lead to big differences. For example, a single laptop has a carbon footprint of around 331 kg of CO2. Considering that a local authority in the UK typically uses around 2,000 laptops, switching to refurbished devices instead of purchasing new ones could save enough CO2 to power 80 homes for an entire year.

Even software applications have growing environmental consequences. A recent study has shown that training a single AI model (the process of feeding data into algorithms to help them learn and produce accurate responses) powered by non-renewable energy can produce nearly 5 times the lifetime emissions of an average car. The guide advises how tender criteria can specify solutions that are lower in energy consumption and powered by renewables.

Therefore, making greener purchasing choices in tech can have a profound impact on reducing these emissions.

What does the new CCS guide contain?

Our easy-to-use guide aims to help commercial teams integrate environmental factors into their hardware and software procurements. Key elements of the guide include:

• tailored guidance for 4 types of procurement: refurbished hardware, new hardware, end-of-life management, and software applications
• customisable tender language, including specifications and award criteria for hardware and software procurements to simplify the process for procurement teams
• step-by-step instructions for embedding environmental standards in line with existing government policies, including social value and CCS technology frameworks
• clear guidance on what suppliers need to demonstrate to meet the environmental criteria included in the guide 

Download the guide here to find a whole range of solutions. If you need more assistance, our Sustainability and Technology teams are here to help. Contact info@crowncommercial.gov.uk.