The University of Edinburgh
Sustainability and Environmental Advisory Group
9th October 2006
Response to McClelland Report and Recommendations
Brief description of the paper
This paper reflects on the possibilities and limitations of the McClelland report for sustainable procurement. It suggests that this is an opportunity to not just display social and environmental responsibility, but social and environmental leadership.
Action Required
SEAG is invited to recommend –
That Edinburgh University uses any influence it has over the process to encourage not only social and environmental responsibility, but social and environmental leadership.
That Edinburgh University uses any influence it has over the process to ensure that principles of environmental sustainability and social responsibility are included in the founding charter of each Centre of Expertise. Especially the Tertiary Education CoE.
That Edinburgh University uses any influence over the process to ensure that every centre of Procurement Expertise employs an Ethics and Environment (E and E) advisor. For an example of best practice on this front we can look to the NUS buying consortium NUS services.
That the university uses any influence over the process to ensure that there is a full co-operation and consultation with students in the process and student space on the board of the CoE for Tertiary Education, nominated by the Executive Committee of NUS Scotland.
Resource Implications N/A
Risk N/A
Equality and Diversity
This paper does not have equality and diversity implications.
Freedom of information
This paper can be included in open business
Originator of the paper
Tim Gee, EUSA Vice President Services
1 October 2006
Response to McClelland Report and Recommendations
Introduction
Edinburgh Students are rightly proud of their university’s choice to source recycled paper, serve Fairtrade Tea and Coffee and use a level of renewable electricity. Such procurement choice is applaudable and necessary in the context of unfair trade rules and environmental degradation. It is also very good for the university’s image.
This short paper intends to begin discussion as to the implications of the McClelland Report for these policies, but sees the report as an opportunity to influence other institutions to procure ethically.
The Report
During 2006 the Scottish Executive has been investigating strategies to increase efficiency in the Scottish public sector through collaborative procurement. This has been done through the report ‘Review of Public Procurement in Scotland Report and Recommendations’ prepared by John F McClelland (the McClelland Report).
John McClelland – who has since been appointed as Chair of the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and effectively overseeing University and College funding – suggests that some things should be bought with national contracts, and some things on a sector specific basis.
He recommends four ‘Centres of Procurement Expertise’ to buy these sector specific commodities (B category items). These are
· Scottish Health Service,
· Local Authorities,
· Scottish Tertiary Education System and
· Scottish Executive departments and NDPBs.
I particularly note the sentence that reads ‘Once contracts are developed and established for the B category items their use should be mandatory across that sector’.
Concerns
The report is unclear as to exactly what will and will not be procured collaboratively, and in what category different things would fall.
While the report recommends that universities ‘adopt principles of efficient government and best value’ there is very little mention of socially and environmentally responsible procurement.
We believe that ‘Best Value’ must take in social and environmental concerns. For example, while Fairtrade and renewable energy are fast becoming cheaper, thanks to economies of scale, they can still be slightly more expensive than their socially and environmentally irresponsible counterparts. This must not be used as a reason to exclude their procurement.
In the large part, consumers of procured items will be students, and we are concerned that under these new plans, students may have less of a say in what they are required to use – especially in terms of ethical issues.
The Students’ Association would like to be assured that this scheme will not require the university to go back on its progressive policies on Fairtrade and the Environment.
Opportunities
This year EUSA used its membership of NUS buying consortium NUS Services Ltd (NUSSL) to persuade them to supply Fairtrade coffee and tea as default. This success will positively affect thousands, and possibly hundreds of thousands of third world farmers over time.
As Edinburgh University now similarly joins a collaborative procurement group, we have the opportunity to get every university in the country to serve Fairtrade Tea and Coffee. Potentially this is even an opportunity to ensure that every public sector institution that sources tea and coffee would be Fairtrade.
This is fully in line with the Scottish Executive’s stated aim of Scotland becoming a ‘Fairtrade nation’. The positive effect this would have on the developing world is vast.
Beyond this, by collaboratively procuring other ethical products such as recycled paper and renewable electricity we could make a real and significant step in Scotland’s fight against climate change.
Recommendations
That the University uses any influence it has over the process to encourage not only social and environmental responsibility, but social and environmental leadership.
That the University uses any influence it has over the process to ensure that principles of environmental sustainability and social responsibility are included in the founding charter of each Centre of Expertise – especially the Tertiary Education CoE.
That the University uses any influence over the process to ensure that every centre of Procurement Expertise, employs an Ethics and Environment (E and E) advisor. For an example of best practice on this front we can look to the NUS buying consortium NUS Services Ltd.
That the University uses any influence over the process to ensure that there is a full co-operation and consultation with students in the process and a student space on the board of the CoE for Tertiary Education, nominated by NUS Scotland.
Tim Gee – EUSA Vice President Services
1 October 2006
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