Sustainable procurement is the focus for many in the industry right now. It is becoming more apparent than ever that the way procurement processes are done needs to be evaluated not just based on price, but on other contextual factors. Environmental, social and economic impact locally on both procurers and suppliers are now being taken into account to improve the procurement systems and make them more sustainable.

So what factors make a better, more sustainable procurement system?

Transparency

Being transparent about the whole procurement process with everyone involved is a key factor in sustainability.

Every stakeholder should be made aware of their own specific roles within the process. They should also be kept up to date on the general objectives of the overall project, so they can see how everyone else contributes to the bigger picture.

Transparency also demonstrates honesty and builds trust among your stakeholders and beneficiaries. When everyone can clearly see where they and everyone else fits into the process, it allows them to see that there is fairness and equality throughout. And if there are any areas where the process is deemed not to be fair or equal, this issue can be raised and dealt with.

Accountability

It’s one big puzzle and everyone is a vital piece. The more stakeholders are made aware of the whole project and its aims and outcomes, the better. People work better together when they understand what they are contributing towards and what is expected of them.

By engaging stakeholders in the process, they are empowered and able to hold contractors accountable when key objectives aren’t achieved. If there are delays or disruption, the stakeholders now understand how this affects the entire process and are able to exercise judgement in the event of an issue arising – making the whole process sustainable and more effective.

Standards

Implementing standards across the board is contributes towards making the procurement process more sustainable.

All stakeholders need to be aware of the standard that is expected throughout the contract. The awarding of the contract does not end the procurement process, it is really just the beginning.

Performing regular evaluations and monitoring the goods and services that are delivered right from the start to the end of the contract is important to maintaining a standard. This ensures that beneficiaries’ expectations are met.

In order to make the monitoring and improvement of the process as simple as possible, set measurable standards. Don’t just measure what is easy to measure; chose what can be measured that is important to the improvement of the process.

What other factors do you think contribute towards more sustainable procurement processes? Tweet us @Procure_Supply!