Sustainable procurement duty - impact and value analysis: main report

Community One local authority commissioned a contractor to refurbish and replace external lighting at local play area to allow children to use the play area 50 weeks per year (survey response)

Safe “The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service continues to seek new ways of supporting service delivery through the introduction of new technology. One example of this was the Rapid Response Unit procurement exercise which involved the introduction of innovative firefighting vehicles and equipment, including new technologies, into our fleet which was successfully delivered working in partnership with the supplier, Emergency One. This approach will continue with future projects linked to Service Transformation, to enhance service delivery and increase firefighter safety.” (The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Creative NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde’s interpreting, communications support and translation services contracts include various community benefit requirements such as the provision of free interpretation support for public art and community projects (NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Creative A contract for educational materials included a requirement related to the donation of A4 packs of paper, card and board to local schools (Dumfries & Galloway Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Innovative "Emerging technological developments in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Blockchain will be at the centre of new objectives laid out in the Procurement Strategy 2019" (NHS Tayside, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Inclusive “The involvement of supported businesses is considered in the council's sourcing strategy for new tenders. Although the council has not reserved any open or restricted tenders to SB, it has in place a number of contracts with organisations defined as supported by the ready for business website and the British Association of Supported Employment.” (South Lanarkshire Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Entrepreneurial Scottish Government has launched the CivTech Programme, a project that fosters innovation by funding SMEs to deliver creative solutions to challenges set by different public sector bodies. Some challenges in CivTech 3.0 included “How can tech help stop illicit trading?” and “How can we use data to drive up standards in social rented housing?” (Scottish Government, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Inclusive "The Hillcrest Group is committed to exercising 'open' tendering. There is a strong drive to provide support and guidance to organisations who ask for assistance. The Group actively promotes training and information sharing with various organisations to support businesses enabling them to effectively participate in a tendering process." (Hillcrest Group, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Innovative "[Public body] delivers innovation in all our research, in teaching and service excellence operations or community engagements;  we are a key partner in the major Data Driven Innovation for the City Region Deal. We have won awards for innovation in competitive dialogue procurements and community benefits as seen in the examples given in 2018-19 annual procurement report" (survey response)

Skilled + Educated 21 School educational visits with over 600 pupils involved, support for 26 school career events, 10 visits to support universities, delivery of 24 work experience placements of unemployed people, employment of 14 traditional apprentices (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Skilled + Educated One public body supports school employability programmes helping school leavers to achieve positive destinations through education, employment and training (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Skilled + Educated “SPS works with the British Association for Supported Employment to identify contract opportunities for supported businesses. SPS Procurement, and Enterprise and Employability teams also host a stand at the Procurex National Conference with BASE. They make use of reserved contracts and support use of supported businesses internally. BASE and its members are supportive in providing work placements or employment opportunities for people in or leaving custody.” (Scottish Prison Service, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Skilled + Educated "Officers within Hillcrest, involved in procurement and tendering, have undergone training with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and attended various conferences and sessions to increase their knowledge. Hillcrest is currently investigating a range of formal qualifications that could be undertaken by staff to further support the procurement function.” (Hillcrest Group, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Skilled + Educated A construction contract at the University of Aberdeen resulted in, among other requirements, five apprenticeships, 24 work experience placements and nine site visits by school groups (University of Aberdeen, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Protecting Environment NHS Scotland has been recognised internationally by the UN Conference on Sustainable Production for its new plastic measures, where the replacement of 60ml pots with 30ml pots resulted in reduction of virgin plastic consumption by approximately 12 tonnes across NHS Scotland (NHS National Procurement, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18) 

Protecting Environment Notable examples from Fife Council include eliminating the purchase of plastic teaspoons for council offices and schools, plastic straws for council offices and plastic cups (and trial of paper cups as an alternative) at larger council offices (Fife Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19) 

Protecting Environment The contractor on Transport Scotland’s A737 Dalry Bypass project used electric and low emission vehicles - “this is the first time these have been used on a major road construction contract in Scotland”. In addition, the contractor re-used around 84% of the materials it excavated to construct the road and embankments. (Transport Scotland, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Protecting Environment "Our design brief for all new build and major repair and improvement works include the requirement to design homes which optimise the use of finite natural resources, consumption and the production of waste and emissions" (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Protecting Environment "Sustainable Procurement is actively promoted within every Framework Agreement led by APUC but this has also been addressed within APUC Offices. There is a ban on single use plastic bottles and coffee cups in all APUC offices and at corporate events. Furthermore, milk is delivered to each of the core APUC offices in constantly returned glass bottles and all working lunches held by APUC are vegetarian/pescatarian only." (APUC, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18) 

Fair Work One public body "included corporate and social responsibility factors in the tender evaluation criteria in order to recognise employers who pay the real living wage, employ local people through apprenticeship schemes and/or are involved with local charities.” (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Thriving Businesses Glasgow City Council provided 132 hours of Business Mentoring for an SME (Glasgow City Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19) 

Quality Jobs The community benefits delivered by Transport Scotland’s live contracts in 2018-19 included 739 new entrants positions, 312 apprenticeships, 219 graduate positions and 142 work placements (Transport Scotland, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Fair Work "[Public body] insists that those working on their contracts must, as a minimum, be paid the Real Living Wage:- The following is an extract from the guidance provided to each Quality Response document on Fair Work Principles.  Question:  Demonstration of a positive approach to rewarding staff at a level that helps tackle inequality (e.g. through a commitment to paying at least the Living Wage:- Demonstration of wider diversity of your staff; Demonstration of skills, training, and opportunities to use skills; Demonstration of non-exploitative employment practices (e.g. inappropriate use of zero-hours contracts)" (survey response)

Fair Work “The University of Glasgow is proud to be an Accredited Living Wage employer.  This means: We are committed to paying all employees at least the Living Wage.
We ensure that all casual workers engaged directly by the University are paid at least the Living Wage. We have set up our procurement procedures to ensure that we engage with contractors and potential contractors to encourage them, as far as possible, to also pay the Living Wage to people regularly working on our premises." (University of Glasgow, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18) 

Healthy + Active The development of Garden Pathways at Ayrshire Central Hospital enhances access to green spaces and opportunities to increase exercise for patients, staff and visitors. Local community groups are involved with the maintenance and use of the green space developed.  (NHS Ayrshire & Arran, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Healthy + Active One public body encouraged children to be active by sponsoring local activities e.g. local football team (survey response)

Healthy + Active Glasgow Kelvin College’s procurement report detailed the opening of Glasgow Kelvin Velocity, an innovative cycling hub based at the College’s Springburn campus. This has contributed to the college’s sustainability objectives through the delivery of drop-in bike fix sessions, promotion of active travel and bike breakfasts events. (Glasgow Kelvin College, Annual Procurement Report, 2017-18)

Human Rights “Ensure that supply chain conditions and the potential for worker exploitation are taken into account where appropriate and mitigate risk through rigorous contract management” (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Human Rights “Where appropriate, we include social and environmental criteria in our tender processes. We use the APUC Supply Chain Code of Conduct where suppliers are required to confirm that they, and their supply chains, do not use forced, involuntary or underage labour, that they do provide suitable working conditions and terms and treat employees fairly.” (Public body annual procurement report, 2017-18)

Opportunities A contract for the provision of school and local transport services in Oban and Lorn led to the creation an apprenticeship opportunity, the recruitment of a Human Resources graduate to support the business, PCV driver licence training for new recruits who had either been out of work or were changing career (Argyll & Bute Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Tackling Poverty The Scottish Social Services Council framework for catering services include various community benefit requirements related to charitable donations and fundraising including food donations to a local homeless charity and fundraising activities for  Roxburgh House (an NHS Palliative Care Unit) and Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) (Scottish Social Services Council, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Opportunities Cassiltoun Housing Association’s contract to build 42 new housing units created three jobs for local residents between October 2018 and March 2019 (Cassiltoun Housing Association, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)

Tackling Poverty Robert Gordon University’s nursery services contract includes a requirement for the contractor to support a local refuge or homeless shelter and create a space where disadvantaged children can play and learn. (Robert Gordon University, Annual Procurement Report, 2018-19)