Strategic Procurement Management as a Prerequisite for Impactful Green Public Procurement

Abstract

Across the Baltic Sea region, municipalities are sending the same alarming message. At national level, there are signs of abandoning or at least watering down the existing environmental commitments such as climate targets. At the same time, there are critical voices that frame green public procurement as an expensive burden. These kinds of perspectives are worryingly short-sighted and risk, at their worst, reducing the resources allocated to green public procurement. Green Public Procurement (GPP) refers to the procurement of goods, services, and works with a reduced environmental impact. When done correctly, GPP can help lessen the negative environmental effects of public sector consumption while bringing long-term savings and positive impacts on public health, and the economy. When economic conditions are difficult, it is essential to make the most of limited resources. GPP is a powerful instrument for this, not despite scarcity, but because of it.