PUBLIC PROCUREMENT NEWS

  

News

23 July 2012

Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth Case Study

The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). As part of TKN’s work coordinating institutions and individuals with common concerns, strengthening research, communication capacity and knowledge bases, and developing solutions, it has recently published “Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study”.

The Government of the State of Sao Paulo has made significant strides in integrating sustainability into its public procurement processes, and, as such, serves as an important role model on how to use procurement to promote sustainable development. Sao Paulo represents roughly one-third of the GDP and of the exports of Brazil, the 6th largest economy by nominal GDP. Many aspects of their work could relevant and transferable to other public authorities worldwide, as Sao Paulo State has a land area comparable to that of the United Kingdom; a population, to that of Argentina and a Gross Domestic Product (GDP), to that of Poland.

The present case study documents in detail the initiation and expansion of the Sao Paulo SPP program; explains how its promoters overcame legal, institutional, administrative, market and mindset hurdles at each stage; and assesses the legal, administrative and procedural improvements needed to expand the program further. This in-depth account of the Sao Paulo State experience can prove particularly useful to developing countries and sub-national governments implementing or planning to implement SPP policies.

Download the case study here.