Green procurement plan

A green procurement plan is a plan that identifies the key environmental impacts associated with a good or service, specifies the procurement actions that will reduce those impacts, and tracks progress in implementing green procurement policy for that good or service. The term is used across the Government of Canada.

Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) states that these plans support the inclusion of environmental considerations and criteria in procurement decision-making for federal purchases. For suppliers, the plan is the document behind the environmental requirements that can appear in a solicitation. Details are on the PSPC green procurement planning page.

What a green procurement plan contains

Each plan has three working parts. It names the main environmental impacts tied to a specific commodity. It lists the procurement actions that address those impacts. It records progress against the green procurement policy for that commodity.

Because a plan is tied to a good or service, it is more specific than a general commitment to buy greener. It turns the policy into criteria that buyers can apply and that suppliers can answer.

The Treasury Board policy behind the plans

Green procurement plans sit within the Treasury Board Policy on Green Procurement. The policy requires departments to issue guidance for planning and reporting green procurement performance. That reporting appears in annual Departmental Plans and Departmental Results Reports. The full text is published in the Treasury Board policy instrument.

PSPC supports departments by publishing commodity-specific planning resources and scorecards. Departments then use these when they plan purchases and report on results.

PSPC scorecards by commodity

PSPC publishes Green Procurement Plan scorecards, labelled Part B, for specific categories of goods. Published examples include:

• IT hardware: a scorecard for IT hardware.
• Vehicles: a scorecard for vehicles.
• Office furniture: a scorecard for general office and executive furniture.
• Photocopy paper: a scorecard for photocopy paper.

The photocopy paper scorecard shows how specific the criteria can be. It covers recycled content, certified forestry sources, low or no chlorine bleaching, environmental certification and packaging.

Departmental plans and action plans

Departments can also develop their own plans for the categories where their purchasing has the most environmental effect. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, for example, describes an action plan that identifies high-impact procurement categories and develops criteria intended to reduce their environmental impact. See its sustainable development strategy progress report.

What a green procurement plan means for a supplier

When a solicitation incorporates a green procurement plan or scorecard, you need to meet the stated environmental criteria and supply supporting information or certifications. The photocopy paper scorecard, for example, treats environmental management systems, recycled content, certified fibre, bleaching methods and environmental certification as procurement criteria.

• Check whether the commodity you sell has a published PSPC scorecard before you bid.
• Gather certifications and product data that match the scorecard criteria.
• Read the solicitation closely for environmental requirements and the evidence needed to show compliance.
• Watch for departments that set their own criteria for high-impact categories.

Bid teams that hold this evidence ready can respond to environmental requirements without delay.