Strengthening Sustainable Public Procurement in Eastern Caribbean

The “Strengthening Sustainable Public Procurement in the OECS” project was officially launched on October 30, 2020, in partnership with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Commission. The project objectives were to develop a policy framework and tools for integrating sustainability considerations of construction materials into public tendering, as well as increase awareness and knowledge on sustainable public procurement with a focus on three Eastern Caribbean pilot countries (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada).

The project began with a series of studies that would lay the foundation for the development of an OECS Model Policy on Sustainable Public Procurement of Construction Materials, as well as Procurement Guidelines. A Status Assessment of the legal framework for sustainable public procurement in the three pilot countries was carried out, which included a review of both national and regional sustainable development related policies and strategies, as well as public procurement legislation. In parallel, a Market Readiness Analysis of Sustainable Construction Materials was prepared, identifying key construction products (lumber and concrete blocks) and providing recommendations for the inclusion of sustainability considerations of these products in the public tendering process. Following these preliminary studies, an OECS Model Policy on Sustainable Public Procurement of Construction Materials was drafted. The Model Policy was submitted to stakeholders for their review and feedback and several stakeholder consultations were also held before the Policy was finalized. Stakeholders were also engaged in the development of Sustainable Public Procurement Action Plans for each of the three pilot countries. A Procurement Guidelines for Sustainable Construction Materials was also developed, as a key tool for guiding procurement practitioners in integrating sustainability considerations for lumber and concrete in public tendering.

Knowledge dissemination and capacity building activities included a three-part webinar series focused on the Caribbean region entitled “Shaping the Future through Sustainable Public Procurement” which was launched in December 2020. The first knowledge dissemination webinar was held on Dec. 4, 2020, providing an introduction to sustainable public procurement and an overview of the status of sustainable public procurement in the Latin America and Caribbean region. The second webinar focused on best practices in sustainable public procurement in the Caribbean and was held on February 12^th. Belize, The Bahamas, Grenada and Jamaica shared their respective journeys and advanced in sustainable public procurement. The third and last webinar of the series was held on April 29^th and focused on green building considerations for public procurement practitioners in the Caribbean.

In addition, an 8-week online SPP course was offered through the OAS School of Governance Virtual Classroom in February. Full scholarships were provided to 22 public officials from the Eastern Caribbean. The course ended in April and the closing ceremony was held on April 28^th.

For further information on the project, please contact Farid.Yaker@un.org or Beatriz.Carneiro@un.org 

Outputs

• Status Assessment
• Market Readiness Analysis
• Model Policy
• Procurement Guidelines for Sustainable Construction Materials
• Action Plans
  • Dominica
  • Grenada
  • Antigua and Barbuda

Webinars

1. Shaping the future through sustainable public procurement
2. Shaping the future through sustainable public procurement – actions from the Caribbean
3. Shaping the future through sustainable public procurement – green building considerations

Procurement Training

• Procurement for Sustainable Construction Materials Training