Office of Government Procurement (OGP) launches online search tool to support green public procurement

The Office of Government Procurement (OGP) led on the development of the GPP Criteria Search which is available on the gov.ie website at GPPCriteria.gov.ie 

The online search tool allows users to rapidly find, select and download Green Public Procurement (GPP) criteria relevant to a specific procurement project.

Minister of State with responsibility for Public Procurement and eGovernment and for Communications and the Circular Economy, Ossian Smyth, TD, officially launched GPP Criteria Search at the Public Procurement Conference 2022 in Dublin Castle today, Tuesday, 8 November 2022. He said:

“GPP Criteria Search is a new website built by the Office of Government Procurement. It makes it easy for anyone to easily click on standard green criteria and then add them into a procurement specification along with objective ways of verifying those criteria. It will save time and reduce errors.”

The search tool was developed in collaboration with the EPA and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, with support from the Public Service Innovation Fund. 

Welcoming the launch, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Michael McGrath, TD, said:

“Our aim is to embed green criteria in public procurement and the launch of this new search tool will make it significantly easier for public sector bodies to efficiently find and download the relevant green criteria to include in a procurement document, such as a Request for Tender.

“GPP Criteria Search is an excellent example of the public sector harnessing digital technology and innovation. It assists the public sector in ensuring that expenditure supports Ireland’s climate goals.”

To support better Green Public Procurement, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published updated GPP Criteria for ten sectors along with Green Public Procurement Guidance for the Public Sector in September 2021. The online search tool will facilitate the use of these criteria in a user-friendly and efficient way.

Maria Owens | Procurement Category Manager – Education Strategic

Maria Owens, sits on the Environmental subgroup of the Strategic Procurement Advisory Group, representing EPS and the Education Sector.

The Strategic Procurement Advisory Group is an advisory forum at which representatives of the OGP (both Policy and Sourcing) and its partner Central Purchasing Bodies and public procurement practitioners from across government meet with policy-makers from a range of government departments. The group shares information, knowledge and understanding and collaborates on promoting the incorporation of social, innovative, and sustainable considerations in public procurement. The group is chaired by the Head of OGP Policy.