The Cayman Islands Government is committed to promoting sustainable development and environmental considerations in its procurement strategy.
The objective, where feasible, is to integrate environmental performance specifications into the requirement by applying the 4Rs methodology (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, and Recover).
In the context of the procurement, whole life cycle analysis should be applied which takes into considerations all costs associated with the life of the goods or services such as environmental impacts, acquisition, maintenance, repair and disposal. For example, while one good may be cheaper initially than another, taking into consideration its life cycle may prove that the costs associated with the life of the good may be disproportionately higher. rocurement, sign the contract or authorize payment at assigned authority levels.
When planning your procurement, consider:
- reviewing whether the purchase can be satisfied in house rather than initiating a procurement;
- identifying in the specifications where less materials or packaging may be specified or whether more suitable packing materials could be used, i.e. recyclable packaging material over polystyrene;
- specifying eco labeling, a method of environmental performance certification practiced around the world;
- reviewing the needs for consumables, spares and maintenance;
- mapping the delivery distance for use of fuel energy;
- re-usability of the product; and
- the disposal or removal when finished.
Public Officials engaged in procurement are encouraged to buy those goods and services that are better for the environment than other products with similar performance.
When purchasing goods or services, environmental considerations should be integrated to the greatest degree possible with other criteria.
Sustainable procurement is set within the context of achieving value for money. In this context, value for money includes the consideration of many factors such as cost, performance, availability, quality and environmental performance.