The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Mr Phil Hogan, TD and the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Mr Brendan Howlin TD, have today launched Ireland’s first Green Public Procurement Action Plan, entitled Green Tenders.

According to a press release issued this morning, the objective of Green Tenders is to assist public authorities to successfully plan and implement green public procurement (GPP).

This initial action plan has focused on eight priority areas: Construction, Energy, Transport, Food and Catering Services, Cleaning Products and Services, Paper, Uniforms and Textiles, and ICT.

An Implementation Group will be established to oversee and monitor implementation of the Action Plan across the eight areas chosen and to report on progress annually.

In their foreword to the plan, the Ministers said the plan should be viewed: “in the context of the Government’s recently announced Public Service Reform Plan which contains a suite of measures in relation to public procurement. Reform of the public procurement function is, and remains, driven by the need to obtain maximum value for public money in procuring works, supplies and services. This Action Plan is therefore a major milestone, not just in effectively introducing a sustainable development mindset within public procurement practices, but also in ensuring that taxpayers’ money is spent wisely.”

Public Affairs Ireland will host a seminar on Green Public Procurement on 1st March 2012. For more information click here.