SUSTAINABLE PUBLIC PROCUREMENT : Senegal takes the lead on Sustainable Public Procurement

While the concept of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) is relatively new and not yet firmly established in many African countries, this is far from being the case in Senegal. In addition to the introduction of social and environmental clauses in public procurement documents, Senegal has developed a prioritization guide for the inclusion of sustainability criteria. The nnouncement was made by the Director General of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Arcop) Senegal, at the opening of a training seminar on this approach organized by the World Bank from 22 to 26 April in Dakar.

L’AS – In addition to the introduction of social and environmental clauses in public procurement documents, Senegal has adopted a prioritization guide for the inclusion of sustainability criteria. The announcement was made by the Director General of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (Arcop).

Saër Niang was speaking yesterday on the fringes of a training course on sustainable public procurement, the aim of which is to “deepen” and “improve skills” in integrating sustainability into public procurement. The training session, financed by the World Bank, brings together some twenty experts from West and Central African countries and will continue in Dakar until next Friday.

According to Arcop’s Managing Director, this training is an extension of the activities already undertaken with development partners to produce an action plan on Sustainable Public Procurement.
In his speech, Saër Niang explained that Sustainable Public Procurement aims to integrate economic, social and environmental considerations into the public procurement cycle. In addition to offering enormous potential benefits, he said, ODAs are perfectly aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and the World Bank’s revised mission to end extreme poverty and stimulate prosperity on a liveable planet.

According to Arcop’s Director General, Senegal’s new Public Procurement Code now requires contracting authorities to make environmentally friendly purchases and use techniques that reduce the harmful impact on the environment. “In Senegal, public procurement, which is a means of implementing public policy, represents a budget estimated at nearly CFAF 4,000 billion. With such a large financial windfall, contracting authorities are in a position to bring about substantial environmental, social and financial improvements. They can also exert a considerable influence on the market as a whole by moving it towards the widespread supply of “sustainable” products and services, he pointed out.

In Senegal, sustainable public purchasing is enshrined in the regulatory and legislative framework for public procurement and is based on 3 pillars, according to Arcop’s Director General. There is the economic pillar, guaranteeing preferential access to public procurement for SMEs and players in the social economy. The social pillar promotes protection and guarantees access to employment for the poor, and the environmental pillar has become an essential aspect of all public procurement. In a speech delivered at the opening of the training session, the World Bank’s Director of Operations noted that sustainable public procurement transcends the idea of a mere slogan or fashionable concept.
According to Pierre Xavier Bonneau, it is becoming a key principle of governance. The World Bank has incorporated this reality into its renewed vision, he said, adding that “the aim is to cover all areas, from the legislative framework for sustainable procurement to the application of ODA tools, focusing on improving skills and assessing the impact of our actions”.

Abou SY