Transcript Link to presentation - Illegal Logging Portal

Local government timber procurement
policies
Case studies in North East England and Yorkshire & the Humber
Duncan Brack
Associate Fellow, Energy, Environment and Development Programme, Chatham House
Illegal logging update and stakeholder consultation
Chatham House, 9 July 2007
Public procurement: scale (1)
• Environmental Audit Committee, 2002: central
government 15% GDP; including PFI and local
authorities, 40%
• European Commission, 2002: UK 18.42% GDP
• (OECD 2001 – average EU 9.24% GDP)
• UK public expenditure statistics, 2005–06: total
public procurement £130bn – 10.48% GDP
• UK local authorities’ procurement (estimate): £35bn –
2.82% GDP
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Public procurement: scale (2)
• National Procurement Strategy for Local
Government: local authorities’ procurement, 2003:
£40bn (England) – 4.28% GDP (UK)
• Procuring the Future:
• Total public procurement, 2003–04: £150bn –
13.30% GDP
• Local authorities’ procurement, 2003–04: £39.8bn
(England) – 3.53% GDP
• EAC figures suspect
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Building regulations
• BREEAM promotes use of sustainable and recycled
timber in construction and maintenance
• Based on accumulation of points
• Major school projects must achieve ‘very good’
standard for central government funding
• Voluntary Code for Sustainable Homes (2006) – also
uses points-based system based on CPET
assessment; minimum requirement of legal
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WWF London survey 2005
• 26 of 33 London boroughs responded
• Just over half had policies on timber and paper; only
a quarter fully implementing
• Just under half included purchasing criteria in tender
specifications – strong endorsement of FSC
• A third requested documentary evidence
• Three councils collected data
• Only two assessed as ‘forest-fair’
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Chatham House case studies
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12 authorities in North East / Yorkshire & Humber
7 positive responses to Meacher letter (2002)
2 in contact with CPET
2 recommended by NECE
1 volunteered for workshop
Not representative – but ought to be best
Asked for information on procurement and
specification policies for timber for construction,
furniture for buildings and parks, paper
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Case studies: findings
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General sustainable procurement policy: 10/12
Timber procurement policy (partial): 2/12
Timber procurement policy (full): 3/12
Knowledge of CPET: 1/12
Of 7 positive responses to Meacher letter, 5 have no
timber procurement policy
• FSC (or equivalent) explicitly required by Kirklees,
mentioned as example by Hull, Leeds, Newcastle;
PEFC only mentioned by Newcastle
• Only Kirklees had full monitoring (through EMS)
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Case studies: points to note
• Every local council is different
• Structures will be different: centralised/decentralised
• Responsible officers will be different: procurement,
housing/construction, environment/sustainability –
very difficult to contact
• But general increase in interest in environmental
issues, particularly recycling, climate change
• Often find one enthusiastic officer
• Elected members seem to play minor role
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Possible steps forward
• Compulsion; rewards and incentives; advice and
assistance; education and awareness-raising
• Legislation/targets? – very unlikely
• Financial awards? (note beacon councils)
• Inclusion in CPA? – possible
• Use schools, housing standards
• Networks, e.g. SOPO, RCEs, EMS – not Chief Execs
• Elected councillors, LGA
• Reputational risk – NGOs
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