Public Procurement and Property

NHS National Services Scotland Case Study –  Carbon Reduction Evolution in a Complex Commodity – Sustainable Procurement Tools

November 21, 2024 by Teigan Kelly No Comments | Category Procurement news, Scottish Procurement

The latest addition to the Sustainable Procurement Tools website is a case study from NHS National Services Scotland (NHSS). NHSS is aiming to accelerate sustainability within its frameworks in collaboration with suppliers. Describing the approach to the procurement of Haemodialysis Machines and Consumables, this case study provides a range of useful lessons learned for NHSS and others to help with this evolution.

National Procurement is the Centre of Procurement Expertise for NHS Scotland (NHSS), providing expert advice and support to Health Boards on procurement matters. National Procurement manages over £1.5 billion in national contracts, for medicines, medical services consumables, non-medical supplies and services, food, and equipment used within our hospitals and health services.

Audience

The intended audience for this case study comprises:

• senior NHSS stakeholders including service managers
• medical directors and clinicians
• climate and Circular Economy specialists
• procurement practitioners in public bodies
• the general public

Lessons learned

Recognising that every journey starts with a single step, lessons learned focus on:

• the approach to the availability of carbon emissions data for products, consumables and packaging and how this may evolve over time
• the importance of early market engagement in setting out the organisation’s climate ambitions and understanding the market’s capability
• the value of contract and supplier management in monitoring compliance and identifying opportunities for improvement
• the importance of prioritising climate outcomes in areas where the most positive results are achievable and how the Sustainable Procurement Tools will help to determine that focus
• the merit of applying lessons learned to future iterations of the framework as well as to other frameworks

The case study recognises the importance of sharing lessons learned with colleagues and describes the critical initial steps taken, working collaboratively with key suppliers, in the journey towards meaningful progress to net zero, the circular economy and social improvement.

You can read more about NHS National Services Scotland’s approach on the Case Studies Section of the Sustainable Procurement Tools website, which can be accessed by registered and unregistered users of the Tools.

If you are a public body and would like to share an example of how your organisation addressed sustainability matters in a procurement exercise, please contact scottishprocurement@gov.scot.

Further sources of support

Our Sustainable Procurement Tools have been designed to help public sector organisations identify and address how they can optimise the economic, social and environmental outcomes of their procurement activity. This new product complements the existing materials already available on the Sustainable Procurement Tools:

• eLearning
• ‘How to’ videos
• completed sustainability test examples
• Supporting guidance

For further information on public procurement in Scotland please visit www.gov.scot/procurement

Please email enquiries to scottishprocurement@gov.scot

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Tags: case study, Scottish Procurement, sustainable procurement tools

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