Ethical criteria in public sector procurement
The guide "Ethical Criteria in Public Sector Procurement" was drawn up by the Ethical Trading Initiative Norway (IEH) at the request of the Norwegian government. It shows which criteria may be set and how compliance with the criteria can be monitored when purchasing goods. The aim is to counter child labour and forced labour, and promote decent working conditions where goods for public sector procurement are produced in China, India and Bangladesh, for example.
The guide (in Norwegian only) has been drawn up as part of the work to follow up the 2007-2010 Government Action Plan: Environmental and Social Responsibility in Public Procurement and is intended to make it easier to include ethical criteria in procurement processes.
For more information on ethical trading go to Ethical Trading Initiative Norway's web pages for the public sector.
Ethical Trading Guide
Letter from FAD (Ministry of Government Administration, Reform and Church Affairs) re Ethical Trading Guide
Environmentally conscious procurement
In accordance with Section 6 of the Public Procurement Act (and Section 17-3 of the Public Procurement Regulations (FOA)) public sector entities shall take environmental consequences of procurement into consideration when planning individual purchases.
Fundamental requirements concerning proportionality set out in Section 3-1 fifth para. of the FOA mean that the environmental requirements and criteria set must be in proportion to the contract being entered into.
The government has adopted a dedicated environmental policy for public procurement effective from 1 January 2008. Individual public enterprises must ensure compliance with the environmental policy.
To minimise the total environmental impact of public procurement of goods and services Efficient use of public resources
To contribute to a competitive business sector by being instrumental in a market that promotes innovation and development of green technology and environmentally friendly products
General principles
1. Goods and services are chosen on the basis of life cycle costs, quality and environmental characteristics
2. Priority shall be given to goods and services that are energy efficient, contain low levels of chemicals dangerous to health and the environment, produce low emissions of pollutants and consume low levels of resources
3. In the case of goods for which ecolabelling criteria have been developed under the auspices of the Nordic Swan mark or the EU flower, procurement decisions should be based on these criteria wherever possible
4. In the case of services, priority shall be given to suppliers with routines and expertise that guarantee a low environmental impact, e.g. suppliers who can document this by having introduced ISO 14001 or the Norwegian Miljøfyrtårn 'eco-lighthouse' scheme