FSD AFRICA SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES

The FSD Africa Sustainable Procurement Guidelines provide a framework for integrating social, environmental, ethical, and economic considerations into the procurement of goods, services, and consultancies. The guide aims to move beyond the lowest price to determine the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) by prioritizing local African suppliers, diverse businesses, and eco-friendly practices.

• FSD Africa defines sustainable procurement as prioritizing products and services with the "lowest environmental and ethical impact and the most positive social results," while maintaining overall value. This approach integrates sustainability alongside traditional factors such as price, quality, and technical specifications to determine the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT).
• The organization's sustainable procurement strategy is built on four pillars: Environmental (focusing on GHG emissions, energy efficiency, and waste reduction), Economic (focused on MEAT), Social (emphasizing equity, diversity, inclusion, and local economic development), and Ethical (reducing risks of labor exploitation, human trafficking, and child labour).
• FSD Africa specifically prioritizes four types of suppliers: those based in Africa to support the local economy, diverse suppliers representing marginalized groups (such as women-owned or minority-led businesses), environmentally friendly suppliers, and ethical suppliers who comply with the organization's Supplier Code of Conduct.
• Sustainability requirements vary by procurement threshold and category. For low-value goods and small contracts, less effort is required to embed sustainability. For medium and large consultancy contracts (those exceeding £50,001), FSD Africa expects more rigorous requirements, including detailed sustainability strategies, monitoring systems in contracts, and a preference for firms with certifications like B-Corp, ISO, or Fair Trade.
• The guidelines provide specific sustainability criteria for different spending areas: for events, it suggests plant-based food and paperless materials; for travel, it recommends economy flights, carbon offsets, and eco-certified hotels; and for general goods, it suggests refurbished products and eco-labels like EnergyStar.
• FSD Africa utilizes a five-step procurement cycle supported by specific tools: Planning (using the Sustainability Issues Prioritisation Worksheet), Criteria Development (using the Sustainable RFx Clauses Menu), Supplier Code of Conduct signing, Evaluation (using the Sustainability Evaluation Guide), and Monitoring Performance via KPIs.

APA

FSD Africa (n.d.). FSD AFRICA SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/24-11-13-FSD-Africas-Sustainable-Procurement-Guidelines.pdf

Chicago

FSD Africa. FSD AFRICA SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES. n.d. https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/24-11-13-FSD-Africas-Sustainable-Procurement-Guidelines.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=FSD Africa |title=FSD AFRICA SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES |url=https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/24-11-13-FSD-Africas-Sustainable-Procurement-Guidelines.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{fsdafricandfsd, author = {{FSD Africa}}, title = {{FSD AFRICA SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT GUIDELINES}}, institution = {FSD Africa}, url = {https://fsdafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/24-11-13-FSD-Africas-Sustainable-Procurement-Guidelines.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }