SWITCH-Asia

The Challenge

At the beginning of the project, the Bhutanese public sector had not yet had a cross-cutting strategy for resource efficiency,cleaner production, energy efficiency, decent work and human rights, nor for the integration of the 10th FYP targets on ‘vita-lising industry’, ‘SME strengthening’ or ‘youth employment’. The project met these needs with an overarching strategy, building on the international momentum for using public procurement as a driver of sustainable development, as specified under Sustainable Development Goal 12 on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). Bhutan will embark on a long-term pathway to utilise green public procurement (GPP) as a lever to ‘switch’ towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns.

The Objectives

The project aims to leverage GPP as a powerful up-scaling tool to 1) lower the direct impact of state-consumption, 2) incentivise sustainable production among suppliers, 3) build demandside and supply-side capacity, and 4) trigger private sustainable consumption and green economic transformation.

The Way Forward

• Establishing ‘soft law’ on GPP in Bhutan;
• Developing dedicated GPP guidance material for public procurers;
• Designing preferential programmes for SMEs and disadvantaged suppliers;
• Designing and facilitating GPP training sessions for public procurers and suppliers;
• Mentoring real-time GPP pilot tenders in selected industrial sectors;
• Providing for long-term GPP implementation by establishing a GPP knowledge platform and curricula.