From Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform
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The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) led on the development of the GPP Criteria Search which is available at GPPCriteria.gov.ie.
The online search tool allows users to rapidly find, select and download Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria relevant to a specific procurement project.
Welcoming the launch, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath, said:
“Our aim is to embed green criteria in public procurement and the launch of this new search tool will make it significantly easier for public sector bodies to efficiently find and download the relevant green criteria to include in a procurement document, such as a Request for Tender.
“GPP Criteria Search is an excellent example of the public sector harnessing digital technology and innovation. It assists the public sector in ensuring that expenditure supports Ireland's climate goals.”
To support better Green Public Procurement, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published updated GPP Criteria for ten sectors along with Green Public Procurement Guidance for the Public Sector in September 2021. The online search tool will facilitate the use of these criteria in a user-friendly and efficient way.
Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment and for Communications and the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth, officially launched GPP Criteria Search at the Public Procurement Conference 2022 in Dublin Castle today, Tuesday 8 November 2022.
He said:
“GPP Criteria Search is a new website built by the Office of Government Procurement. It makes it easy for anyone to easily click on standard green criteria and then add them into a procurement specification along with objective ways of verifying those criteria. It will save time and reduce errors.”
The search tool was developed in in collaboration with the EPA and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with support from the Public Service Innovation Fund.
Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan, said:
“GPP Criteria Search facilitates the public sector leading by example and ensuring that public money is spent on goods and services that have a reduced environmental impact.
“The Climate Action Plans, the Programme for Government, the Waste Action Plan for a Circular Economy, and the Whole of Government Circular Economy Strategy all show how public procurement can be used strategically to shift the economy towards more sustainable consumption and production.”
Stakeholders in a range of roles in diverse public bodies provided input to ensure that GPP Criteria Search will facilitate green procurement across the public sector.