Finally, it happened in 2018! Engagement with
the Ministry of Finance over the last couple of years paid off and we now have
a Sustainable Procurement Task Force. My engagement in the process began some two years back when my suggestions on making enabling provisions for integrating sustainability in procurement process were accepted and was incorporated in the Manual for Procurement of Goods 2017. It picked up momentum when
I was requested to make a presentation before Secretary/Expenditure, Ministry of
Finance, Government of India, on 22nd February 2018. Sensing the
huge opportunity for scaling up sustainable procurement policy in India, and
barely able to contain my excitement, I immediately began fine-tuning my slides.
It was almost done when I was informed that my presentation has been rescheduled
to 28th Feb, 2018. This was hardly a surprise, in fact, I was almost
anticipating it; but it still managed to bring my enthusiasm down several
notches. With the second postponement, this time to 7th March, a
distinct sense of déjà vu was creeping up on me. It was important for me to
continue feeling positive, so keeping my belief firm in ‘whatever happens,
happens for the best”, I utilized the time to crystalize my thoughts and review
my slides. I also got them reviewed by colleagues and friends, which not only led
to some new insights but also endorsed those that I was proposing.
Come 7th March, I was well on time in Fresco Hall, Ministry of Finance, waiting for the Secretary to arrive. The focus of my presentation was building up a business case for embedding sustainable procurement policy in India. I underscored the fact that enabling provisions brought out by the Ministry in the General Financial Rules 2017 and the Manual for Procurement of Goods 2017 would remain on the shelf unless we create an enabling ecosystem for implementing provisions on the ground. In my concluding slide, I presented a Sustainable Procurement Implementation Framework and recommended to constitute a Sustainable Procurement Task Force, which would be the first building block for pan-India SPP implementation.
My 30 minutes presentation was followed by a brief
discussion of about the same duration, and was chaired by the
Secretary/Expenditure and attended by a few officials from the Ministry of
Finance (MoF) and Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), and
Head, UN Environment India. During the discussion, the Secretary agreed with my
recommendation to form a Sustainable Procurement Task Force and suggested the formation
of a lean and agile Task Force. To say that I was thrilled by his assurance
would be an understatement! It was for the first time, after years of advocacy,
that such an assurance was forthcoming and that too from an official of such
high stature. Thanks to his commitment and support by ministry officials, the notification
regarding constitution of the Task Force was issued on 19th March,
2018.
This was a significant leap forward in the
history of implementation of sustainable procurement policy in India in many
aspects. To begin with, it was the first time that the Ministry of Finance, the
custodian of public procurement policy in India, had come forward to take the onus
for implementation of sustainable procurement policy in India. Secondly, the
whole process had top management support, as the Secretary himself chaired the
meeting and gave the green signal for constitution of the Sustainable
Procurement Task Force. Thirdly, the decision to move forward on sustainable
procurement itself has a wider repercussion for policy making in India considering
the cross cutting nature of public procurement. Most significantly, it is
probably the first time that discussion around integrating sustainability in public
policy has moved outside the MoEFCC and is being championed by the MoF. Successful
implementation of sustainable procurement policy in India has wider ramifications
for South Asian countries. It would encourage other countries in the region to embrace
sustainability in procurement decisions.
Since the constitution of the Task Force, it
has met five times. The Task Force, during its meetings, has invited industry
chambers, private sectors, experts from specific fields, and others to solicit
their views and opinions on resolving challenges for adaptation by practitioners.
Serving a dual purpose, the interaction also acts as a sounding board for
industries to look out for things to come in the future.
The path ahead is of course very challenging. The biggest challenge before the Task
Force is to come up with a National Action Plan that can serve as a core
strategy to coordinate and align activities of different stakeholders, as well
as provide a legal framework for action. Another major challenge is to understand
risks and opportunities associated with different spend categories, prioritize product
categories and then focus efforts and resources on these categories to maximize
sustainability outcome. The Task Force is fully geared to address all these challenges
in a systematic manner. It has been trying to tie up with different
institutions to carry out these activities and work out financing mechanism for
supporting implementation strategy. Hope we will hear some official communique in
the New Year.
2018 has undoubtedly been a momentous year for SPP
community, in general, and Sustainable Procurement in India, in particular. Not
only do we have a Task Force, we have a functioning Task Force, which believes
in the power of procurement to transform the market for a greener and equitable
world. I have huge hopes for 2019. Watch this space for more good news in the
coming months. On this positive note, I wish you all a very Happy New Year
2019!
