Publications & Thought Leadership

Local governments are leading the way in adopting and implementing a sustainable purchasing policy and plan. The City of Mississauga, Ontario, adopted a sustainable purchasing policy and plan in 2017 to set it on a course to have best practices in sustainable purchasing among local governments in Canada by 2020. Coro was an advisor to this project which was led by Reeve Consulting.

This sustainable purchasing policy and plan leads the way in a number of areas:

Commits to a visionary long-term ambition:

“Social, economic and environmental sustainability is fully embedded in our procurement practices. We have a diverse, inclusive and fairly paid local supplier base which benefits from our collaborative approach, with new sustainable practices that create value for our suppliers and their customers. Our procurement is a catalyst for social and environmental innovation leading to a low carbon, circular and inclusive economy.”

Adopts a progressive policy stance, including the following provisions:

“Consider all Costs and Impacts: Consider the total cost incurred over the Goods or Service life (“Total Cost of Ownership”), value for money achieved (“Best Value”) and the lifecycle benefits and impacts on society, the environment and economy resulting from procurement activities (“Lifecycle Cost”), and seek to be proactive in preventing potential short and long-term environmental and social risks.”

“Collaborate and Influence: Collaborate with peer organizations to achieve Sustainable Procurement objectives in our shared supply chains. Encourage and support suppliers to continually improve their sustainability practices and outcomes, and the sustainability impacts of their Goods and Services and supply chain […].”

“Consider Procurement Alternatives: Seek to reduce demand through efficient use. Consider possible alternatives to buying new Goods, including reuse, sharing between divisions, refurbishing, appropriate order quantity, leasing rather than buying, and consider dividing large and multiple category contracts to provide greater access to bidding opportunities for suppliers of all sizes […].”