Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study

This case study examines the implementation and expansion of the Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) program by the State Government of Sao Paulo, Brazil, detailing the legal frameworks established since 1995 and identifying areas for further improvement in reporting, accountability, and supplier management.

• Since 1995, the Sao Paulo Government has worked to improve procurement efficiency and transparency, leading to the 2004 creation of a multi-sector Working Group that provided guidance on sustainability criteria. This effort resulted in a legal framework featuring an electronic procurement system and laws addressing socio-environmental concerns, with nine agreed-upon criteria covering transparency, social policy incentives, water and energy savings, and the use of technologies that lower greenhouse gas emissions.
• The current SPP program integrates socio-environmental criteria into contracts and technical specifications, utilizing labels but not life cycle analyses. In construction, the focus is primarily on timber consumption. To maintain efficiency and prevent corruption in decentralized procurement, socio-environmental criteria are not explicitly included during reverse auctions, though a sanctioning regime exists to exclude providers who fail to comply with socio-environmental norms.
• The IISD identifies several opportunities to enhance the SPP program, specifically regarding contract management, reporting, accountability, and the specification of works and services. Proposed improvements include measuring the total value of sustainable purchases, granting preferential status to goods with the Socio-Environmental label, creating quality and socio-environmental criteria for supplier pre-qualification, and increasing information sharing with Municipalities, other States, and the Federal Union.

APA

Brauch,, M. D. B. D. (2012). Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/sustainable-public-procurement-sao-paulo-state-government-depth-case-study

Chicago

Brauch,, Martin Dietrich Brauch,Martin Dietrich. Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2012. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/sustainable-public-procurement-sao-paulo-state-government-depth-case-study.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brauch, |first1=Martin Dietrich Brauch,Martin Dietrich |title=Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=21 July 2012 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/sustainable-public-procurement-sao-paulo-state-government-depth-case-study |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brauch2012sustainable, author = {Brauch,, Martin Dietrich Brauch,Martin Dietrich}, title = {{Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2012}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/sustainable-public-procurement-sao-paulo-state-government-depth-case-study}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }