A study of green public procurement from a local authority perspective

Abstract

This dissertation outlined the development of green procurement policy at an international, European and national level. The current culture of green procurement was examined within Irish Public Bodies, particularly Local Authorities. Procurement plans were examined for green procurement policies and tender documents were examined for green criteria. Case studies were presented to give examples of green procurement in practice, to demonstrate the procurement processes used and to summarise the lessons learned. The culture of green procurement across Irish Public Bodies was found to be extremely diverse and was often found to be driven by individuals within these bodies as much as by corporate policy. Many obstacles to Green Public Procurement were found to exist, including a need for national legislative and policy drivers. The level of knowledge and training in this area is limited and this is reflected in the general absence of green criteria in public tenders.