Sustainable public procurement

The Dutch government is itself a major customer, consumer and buyer, and as such, has considerable purchasing power over companies. The national government should therefore make a full commitment to adopt sustainable public procurement practices and encourage local government authorities to do the same.

Government procurement in the Netherlands accounts for almost €60 billion per year. The Dutch national government has opted for a sustainable public procurement approach. Although a number of steps have been taken in this regard, the implementation of sustainable procurement practices remains problematic. Some aspects of sustainability – specifically social impact in international supply chains (e.g. working conditions) – are rarely considered in the purchasing process.

The Dutch government should be more ambitious in its approach and should ensure greater social responsibility. The OECD Guidelines should be the starting point for this and should be leading in all procurement practices. The Dutch government should also focus more effort on encouraging local government authorities – including cities, provinces and district water boards – to adopt sustainable public procurement practices.