Sustainable Public Procurement in Uganda

Prior to 2018, Uganda did not have a public procurement policy that promoted sustainable development. Sustainable public procurement, also known as Green Public Procurement, uses the government’s purchasing power to choose goods, services and infrastructure that are environmentally friendly based on the value of their entire lifecycle. The policy’s goal is to create a paradigm shift in the public sector so that it facilitates socioeconomic development, reduces harmful impacts to the environment, and supports achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Ugandan Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, along with the SWITCH Africa Green Programme in collaboration with the One Planet Network, organized a workshop to educate and help integrate sustainable public procurement into government practice. The workshop on greening the public sector procurement policy of Uganda took place in August 2018 in Entebbe, Uganda, bringing together participants representing officials from UN Agencies, government, private sector and civil society organizations, though the majority were heads of procurement and disposal units in their organizations. 

During the meeting, stakeholders incorporated sustainability and greening elements into the draft national public sector procurement policy with technical guidance from UNEP and the One Planet Network. The Government of Uganda then updated the draft national policy and subsequently the amended Public Procurement and Disposal Act was submitted and the bill passed by Parliament. 

Policy Brief