Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement

The 'Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement', published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development in 2015, provides a comprehensive guide for implementing Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It advocates for shifting the procurement mindset from the lowest purchase price to optimizing value-for-money across the entire lifecycle of an asset, integrating environmental and social criteria into every stage of the procurement cycle to drive inclusive green growth.

• Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) redefines value-for-money by shifting the focus from the lowest initial purchase price to the total cost of ownership over the entire lifecycle of an asset, including operation, maintenance, and disposal costs.
• Public procurement represents a significant economic lever, typically accounting for as much as 20 per cent of a country's GDP, which allows governments to use their purchasing power to reshape markets and support sustainable development.
• Integrating sustainability into the procurement cycle involves several stages: needs analysis (focusing on outcomes rather than discrete products), market consultations to identify the Best Available Technologies Not entailing Excessive Economic Costs (BATNEEC), and the use of performance-based or functional specifications.
• The Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) principle is recommended for awarding contracts, as it allows procurers to consider qualitative environmental and social factors and full lifecycle costs rather than relying solely on the lowest price.
• Governments can use SPP to strengthen Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and promote social inclusion through preferential purchasing programs, reserving a percentage of spend for SMEs or enterprises owned by women, minorities, or disabled persons.
• SPP generates positive economic multipliers by attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and mobilizing private investment for climate-friendly initiatives, such as green roads or smart cities, often leveraging international funds like the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
• Environmental multipliers of SPP include the promotion of sustainable supply chains with both upstream (production) and downstream (end-of-life) impacts, and the ability to serve as a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• Social multipliers of SPP include the creation of employment, improvement of labour conditions through adherence to International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, and the reduction of public sector corruption through increased transparency and the use of e-procurement.
• For infrastructure, the handbook outlines various Public-Private Partnership (PPP) structures—including service, management, leasing, concession, and Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) contracts—to balance risk and investment between public and private partners.
• The document provides specific mandatory and optional technical criteria for major government spending areas, including Office IT equipment, Vehicles, Indoor and Outdoor Lighting, Paper, Air Conditioning, Furniture, and Apparel, often referencing ISO standards and eco-labels.

APA

Casier, L., Huizenga, R., Perera, O., Ruete, M., & Turley, L. (2015). Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-handbook-ingp-en.pdf

Chicago

Casier, Liesbeth, Richard Huizenga, Oshani Perera, Marina Ruete, and Laura Turley. Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2015. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-handbook-ingp-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Casier |first1=Liesbeth |last2=Huizenga |first2=Richard |last3=Perera |first3=Oshani |last4=Ruete |first4=Marina |last5=Turley |first5=Laura |title=Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2015 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-handbook-ingp-en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{casier2015handbook, author = {Casier, Liesbeth and Huizenga, Richard and Perera, Oshani and Ruete, Marina and Turley, Laura}, title = {{Handbook for the Inter-American Network on Government Procurement}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2015}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/iisd-handbook-ingp-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }