Let’s start at the very beginning

Driving behavioural change is most effective when it is considered during the earliest stages of the tender process. By including minimum requirements and requests for good practice, significant progress can be made towards improving the environmental impact of building projects. Sustainability aside, the same early approach will open up more opportunities to achieve the cost savings that are intrinsically linked to greater materials resource efficiency.

Take the London Area Procurement Network (LAPN) as an example. This consortium of housing associations and arm’s-length management organisations, charged with the delivery of improvements to 150,000 homes across London, worked with the Waste & Resources Action Programme (Wrap) to develop a procurement approach that prioritised sustainability through the reduction of waste and efficient use of materials.

This process will make a significant contribution to the overall saving of about £200m that the LAPN is seeking.

Wrap provides both public and private sector organisations with access to guidance and model wording that can be incorporated into procurement policies and processes. Interested parties shouldn’t hesitate to contact us for help and support in this critical area.