Written question WQ84673

We recognise the importance of sustainable procurement, as around 60% of a typical organisation’s emissions are related to the purchase of goods and service. The Net Zero Wales plan sets out a range of actions and commitments to reduce emissions from the purchase of goods and services in the public sector. These include:

· Wales Procurement Policy Statement, and specifically principle 6, which states: “We will act to prevent climate change by prioritising carbon reduction and zero emissions through more responsible and sustainable procurement to deliver our ambition for a net zero public sector Wales by 2030”.

· Wales Procurement Policy Note (WPPN) 06/21: Decarbonisation through procurement - Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans, published in September 2021. This commits to the mandatory use of Carbon Reduction Plans for Welsh Government procurement contracts over £5m from April 2022.

· Welsh Government tenders over £25,000 include carbon reduction requirements which are planned for in the tender documentation, the evaluation process and contract management.

· WPPN 12/21, published in December 2021, advises the Welsh public sector on the actions that can be taken to address CO2e emissions in supply chains for purchased goods and services to help them meet the 2030 target for a net zero public sector.

Assessment of progress is made through procurement expenditure analysis tools and guidance, for example the Decarbonisation Dashboard, made available in 2020. The Welsh Public Sector Net Zero Carbon Reporting Guide, published in May 2021, includes guidance relating to emissions from the delivery of purchased goods and services. In line with the guide, public bodies in Wales are reporting their emissions annually on a voluntary basis with the first consolidated reports expected to be available later this year.

While these existing actions will enable Welsh Government to assess progress, the proposed Social Partnership and Public Procurement (Wales) Bill is expected to place further duties on public bodies to undertake sustainable procurement and is likely to include reporting on carbon reduction. The UKG Public Procurement Bill, which will also apply to Welsh Contracting Authorities, will embed the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) by default throughout the commercial lifecycle. The intention of both Bills is to increase transparency and provide a stable, structured and high-quality data from across all stages of the procurement process to inform decision making, develop realistic and meaningful targets, and improve reporting and accountability.