DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
UNEP State of SPP Report – Survey Questions for Expert Review
Version 2012-07-26
REVIEWER INSTRUCTIONS
 We would prefer to receive your feedback in track-changes in this document.
 Specifically, we are looking for feedback on:
-
Any refinements to the questions as drafted to improve clarity and/or
measurability;
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Any additional questions you think are absolutely key (bearing in mind that
we are trying to keep it relatively streamlined);
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Any questions you think are unnecessary and could be cut;
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How difficult you think it will be for participants to complete; and
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How long you would expect respondents to take in completing it.
 Please send us your feedback by 3rd August, 2012 so that we can incorporate it in the
final version.
SURVEY ADMINISTRATION
 The Survey will be sent to a wide range of stakeholders to SPP globally.
 It is structured with two branches - those representing national governments will be
directed to Survey 1; and all other stakeholders (including state and local governments)
will complete Survey 2.
 It will be in English, administered online, and by invitation only. Participants will receive
an email invitation from UNEP and the Survey Administrators Big Room Inc. who will be
responsible for support and Q&A. A link to a glossary of key terms will also be provided.
 Participants will be able to save and return to the survey at a later date; and to share
their responses with colleagues before submitting the final response.
 The Survey will be sent to a pilot group on August 13; and to the full set of invitees on
August 21. One month will be given for completion of the Survey.
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
1
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
Tracking and Directing Questions
1. Your name [text field]
2. Email (for tracking purposes only) [email field]
2. Position [text field]
3. Organisation [text field]
4. Country where you live and work [drop down country]
5. Type of organisation you represent (Choose the category that best applies)
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
g)
h)
i)
j)
k)
Government – National >> SURVEY 1
Government – State/Provincial
Government – Local/Municipal
International / inter-government organisation
Non-Governmental – Non-Profit Organisation
Company – Large (>500 employees)
Company – Small/Medium (<500 employees)
Certification body/ecolabel/standards body
Industry Association
Academic Institution
Other, Specify [ text field]
If answered (a) National Government, direct to Survey 1. All others Direct to Survey 2.
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
2
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
Survey 1: National Government
About you
1. What kind of institution (department/agency/ministry) do you work for?
 National Procurement Institution
 National Environmental Institution
 National Finance Institution
 Other National Institution, Please specify [text field]
Policy
2. Is an SPP and/or GPP policy in your country adopted by National government?
 Yes
 No
 Unknown
2a. What year was country-wide SPP first adopted? [reveal if response to 2 is ‘yes’]
 Year [text field]
 Please provide a link to the policy documents online (if available) [weblink
field]
3. Are there any current national targets or goals for GPP/SPP?
 Yes, more than one target
 Yes, one single target
 No,
 Unknown
3a. If yes, please summarise the target(s)/goal(s) that has been set (please be brief)
[reveal if response to 3 is ‘yes, one or more than one’]
 Comment [text field]
4. Is SPP/GPP mandatory or voluntary for government agencies for certain product
groups?
 Mandatory
 Voluntary
4a. If SPP is mandatory, who is required to meet it? [reveal if ‘mandatory is selected
in 4]
 Some national institutions (please specify)
 All national agencies
 All national agencies and state/regional agencies
 All national, state, and local agencies
 Other, Comment [text field]
4b If SPP is mandatory, for which product categories is it mandatory? [reveal if
‘mandatory is selected in 4]
 [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
3
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
5. What national policies and regulations currently include provisions for SPP?
 Environmental/Sustainability policy or regulations – e.g. Sustainable
Consumption and Production Strategy, Sustainable Development Strategy,
Green Economy Strategy, etc
 Procurement policy/regulations
 National SPP/GPP Action Plan
 Other, Comment [text field]
6. Does your country have other complementary policies to SPP, such as (Choose all
that apply)
 Green Economy
 Sustainable Consumption and Production Strategy
 Sustainable Development strategy
 Green Innovation Strategy
 Other related policy, [text field]
Development
7. Please estimate the current percentage of spending (measured by amount spent)
directed by an SPP policy/actions by your country. Note that this is meant to be
indicative, so your best estimate is fine.
 <10%
 10-25%
 26-50%
 51-75%
 >76%]
 Not currently measured
 Unknown
8. Did you establish an inter-agency/ministry/departmental committee to oversee the
SPP policy/work?
 Yes
 No
 Unknown
8a If yes, what year was it established? [reveal if answered yes to 8]
 [year]
8b If yes, Please describe its role, contribution to the success of the SPP, contributing,
functions, frequency of meetings, implementation, and focus [reveal if answered yes
to 8]
 [text field]
9. What institutions (agencies/departments) are involved in SPP in your country?
 Inter-ministerial committee
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
4
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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Procurement
Environment/Sustainability
Commerce
Finance
Private sector
Civil institutions
Other, specify [text field]
10. What institution leads the SPP effort?
 Inter-ministerial committee
 Procurement
 Environment/Sustainability
 Commerce
 Finance
 Other, specify [text field]
Scope
11. In your country, which of the following terms is most commonly used (choose one):
 SPP/ sustainable public procurement
 GPP/green public procurement
 Sustainable acquisition
 Responsible procurement/purchasing
 Environmentally preferable procurement /purchasing
 Socially responsible procurement/purchasing
 Other, specify [text field]
12. What is the scope of policies/implementation of SPP in your country
 Environmental aspects only
 Social aspects only
 Environmental and social aspects
 Environmental, social and economic aspects
 Comment [text field]
13. Does your country/government specifically take biodiversity/ecosystem impacts into
account in procurement procedures?”
 Yes
 No
 Unknown
14. What product groups are currently covered in your country by SPP?
 Cleaning products and services
 Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
 Construction
 Copying and graphic paper
 Electricity
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
5
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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Food and Catering services
Furniture
Gardening products and services
Hard floor-coverings
Indoor lighting/light bulbs
Ink and paint
Mobile phones
Office IT equipment
Road construction
Street lighting, traffic signs, traffic signals
Textiles
Thermal insulation
Transport
Wall Panels
Windows, Glazed Doors and Skylights
Other, specify [text field]
15. Have any SPP product category guidelines for purchasers been developed in your
country? (Choose all that apply)
 Yes, already published
 We are working on some currently
 We plan to produce some in the coming 2 years
 No
 Unknown
14a How many product guidelines have already been produced/ are in process/ are
planned? [reveal if answered yes, no but working on, or no but planned to 14]
 Number of product guidelines published [text field]
 Number of product guidelines in process [text field]
 Number of product guidelines planned for next 2 years [text field]
14b please provide a web link to those product guidelines published [reveal if
answered “published” in 14]
 [Hyperlink field]
Implementation
16. Have any of the following SPP activities been undertaken?
 A special SPP committee has been assigned established and is operational
 A legal review has been conducted
 A market readiness analysis has been conducted
 An analysis of expenditure has been undertaken
 Key sustainability impacts and risks have been identified stemming from
purchasing
 Life-cycle analysis has been undertaken for key product
categories/commodities
 Whole-life-cost (aka life-cycle cost) adopted
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
6
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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A prioritisation exercise (to select priority product categories) has been
completed
Action plans have been developed
Training/ capacity building on SPP has been conducted
SPP actions for “quick win” product categories have been implemented
Legal framework has been improved to allow for the inclusion of
sustainability criteria in public tenders
Contracts awarded on the basis of value-for-money, not lowest price
Public reporting on SPP is being made
Best practices are shared with other organisations
Other, Comment [text field]
17. In what stages of the procurement cycle is your country currently integrating SPP
considerations? (Choose all that apply)
 Supplier selection
 Specification
 Evaluation of suppliers
 Awarding of contracts
 Auditing and improving supplier performance
 On-going contract management
 None of the above
 Other, specify [text field]
18. Have any of the following supplier engagement strategies been undertaken? (Choose
all that apply)
 Supplier spend analysis undertaken
 Suppliers with a high sustainability impact identified and key suppliers
targeted for engagement
 Supplier engagement programme in place
 Communication between procurers and suppliers exists
 Incentives for suppliers are given based on sustainability criteria
 Sustainability audits undertaken
 Achievements are formally recorded
 Other Supplier engagement strategies: [text field]
19. How are ecolabels and voluntary sustainability standards used today in SPP? (Choose
all that apply)
 As a reference tool to create criteria
 As a mandatory requirement
 Verification of claims that products meet criteria
 Other, specify [text field]
20. Are the standards/ecolabels that your country/government applies domestically
developed or internationally recognized schemes?
 Domestically developed, specify [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
7
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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Internationally recognized schemes, specify [text field]
Both domestically developed and internationally recognized schemes, specify
[text field]
None of the above
21. What is the primary awarding rule used to determine contract awards in your
country?
 Price
 Value for money
 Higher weighting given to products meeting SPP criteria during scoring
 Unknown
 Other, specify [text field]
22. Is life cycle costing / whole of life costing regularly used in your country?
 Used all the time,
 Used sometimes for some product categories but not all
 Used rarely
 Not used
 Unknown
 Comment [text field]
23. How would you rate the strength of the SPP criteria used in your country:
 Extremely rigorous across all product categories
 Very rigorous for some product categories, less so for others
 Somewhat rigorous across all product categories
 Not very rigorous at this time
 Comment [text field]
Measurement
24. Does your organisation undertake any monitoring and reporting of SPP?
 Yes, monitoring and reporting
 Yes, monitoring (but not currently reporting)
 No
 Unknown
 Comment [text field]
25. What indicators would reliably and systematically track SPP implementation? (choose
one of the following answers for each indicator: useful and measurable given current
data availability; useful but not measurable given current data availability; not useful)
 Existence of national SPP specific policies and action plans
 Existence of national SPP targets or other commitments
 The % total national public procurement governed by SPP policy (measured
by monetary value)
 The % of total national public procurement governed by SPP policy
(measured by number of contracts)
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
8
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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Inclusion of sustainability considerations at each stage of the typical
procurement cycle; and in mechanisms such as specifications, tenders, and
contracts
Number and type of product categories for which purchasing guidelines
have been created specific to national/local markets
The % environmental impact of SPP in terms of CO2 emissions
The % financial impact of SPP in terms of the product lifecycle costs
The number of green products on the market before and after a given SPP
policy is implemented, for example, as measured by the number of certified
products in a given product category
Other, specify [text field]
Drivers/ Barriers
26. Which of the following factors drive SPP in your opinion? (Choose the top 3)
 Policy documents
 National Legislation
 Awareness campaigns
 Policy Commitments
 Capacity building and implementation Tools
 Access to information
 Peer learning from other SPP practitioners
 Leadership from the private sector
 International initiatives/commitments
 Expectations from civil society
 A strive to improve efficiency
 A strive to promote innovation
 Goodwill
 Other, Comment [text field]
27. How has the current economic downturn affected the level of SPP activities in your
organization?
 It has dramatically stalled activity on SPP
 It has somewhat stalled activity on SPP
 It has had no significant impact
 It has led to increased SPP
 Unknown
28. Which of the following form a barrier to SPP in your opinion? (Choose the top 3)
 Sustainable products are more expensive
 The main selection criterion is price
 Insufficient supply of sustainable goods and services
 Relevant products are available only on the international market
 Lack of information and knowledge about SPP
 Lack of interest and commitment from users of the procurement system
 Difficulty getting controller/Audit office approval
 The overall public procurement system is inadequate for incorporating SPP
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
9
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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Lack of legislation or regulations
Lack of technical capacities on environmental issues
Budgetary restrictions
Supplier resistance to rule changes
Restricted supplier competition
Lack of information
Other, specify [text field]
Needs
28. What would you see as the most useful functions of an international initiative for SPP
practitioners worldwide? (choose the top three)
 Build the case for SPP
 Fundraise to support SPP implementation
 Facilitate the achievement of synergies between different SPP projects and
activities
 Establish an information platform to exchange practices exchange, serve as a
help desk, share capacity building material, etc.
 Develop product guidelines and criteria
 Develop monitoring and reporting systems
 Compile listings of sustainable producers/products
 Promote sustainable public procurement by engaging stakeholders and raising
awareness
 Provide a framework for dialogue between different SPP stakeholders
 Other, Comment [text field]
29. What aspects of SPP do you think need the most work in your country? (choose the
top 3)
 Change of award criteria
 Greater certainty of legal aspects of SPP
 Improved procurement processes
 E-procurement implementation
 Setting targets
 Providing governmental mandates
 Working on the social aspects of SPP
 Developing and identifying credible ecolabels & standards
 Credible evaluations of products, services
 Life cycle costing
 Training /Engagement with suppliers
 Measurement of SPP activities and of impacts of these activities
 Knowledge transfer to and between developing countries
 Other, Comment [text field]
Forecast
30. Do you anticipate doing more SPP purchasing in the next five years in your country?
 Substantially more than today
 Some more than today
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
10
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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About the same as today
Less than today
Dramatically less than today
Improving the Survey
31. Is there any additional information about SPP in your country that you wish to add
here that was not covered by the previous questions?
 Comment [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
11
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
Survey 2: Other Stakeholders to SPP
About you:
1. How are you involved in Sustainable Public Procurement/Green Public Procurement
(SPP/GPP)? (Tick all that apply)
 I set policy, contribute to policy
 Advocate for
 Develop/run standards/labels/certifications
 Make/Sell products that meet SPP criteria
 Implement SPP in procurement
 Advise/consult
 Provide Training
 Provide information that facilitates
 Research/analyse SPP/GPP
 Other …
Global View
2. What three countries would you say are the most advanced in terms of SPP/GPP
implementation?
 [text field]
3. What countries, if any, do you think are doing interesting or unique work on SPP and
why?
 Comment [text field]
4. What private sector companies, if any, do you think are currently showing the
greatest sustainability leadership in their purchasing and green supply chain
management? Please indicate the company and briefly why you chose them.
 Comment [text field]
National View
5. In your country, does your national government have a policy on SPP?
 Yes
 No
 Not that I am aware of
6. How would you characterize the extent to which SPP/GPP is adopted in your
country? Please choose one of the following options:
 Fully integrated into all governmental purchasing with an extensive
monitoring and evaluation system to track it
 Fully integrated into all governmental purchasing, but not well monitored
 Integrated into purchasing in some product categories but not for others
 Some ad-hoc implementation
 Just beginning to design GPP/SPP Policies
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
12
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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No activities that I know of
Other, Comment [text field]
Drivers for SPP
32. Which of the following factors drive SPP in your opinion? Choose the top three
 Policy documents
 National Legislation
 Awareness campaigns
 Policy Commitments
 Capacity building and implementation tools
 Access to information
 Peer learning from other SPP practitioners
 Leadership from the private sector
 International initiatives/commitments
 Expectations from civil society
 A strive to improve efficiency
 A strive to promote innovation
 Goodwill
 Other, Comment [text field]
Barriers and Gaps
8. Which of the following form a barrier to SPP in your opinion? Choose the top three
 Sustainable products are more expensive
 The main selection criterion is price
 Insufficient supply of sustainable goods and services
 Relevant products are available only on the international market
 Lack of information and knowledge about SPP
 Lack of interest and commitment from users of the procurement system
 Difficulty getting controller/Audit office approval
 The overall public procurement system is inadequate for incorporating SPP
 Lack of legislation or regulations
 Lack of technical capacities on environmental issues
 Budgetary restrictions
 Supplier resistance to rule changes
 Restricted supplier competition
 Lack of information
 Other, Comment [text field]
9. How has the current economic downturn affected the level of SPP activities in your
organization?
 It has dramatically stalled activity on SPP
 It has somewhat stalled activity on SPP
 It has had no significant impact
 It has led to increased SPP
 Unknown/Unclear
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
13
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
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To early to say
10. For lesser-developed countries, what do you think are the most important Enabling
Conditions (i.e. drivers/barriers) for SPP?
 Comment [text field]
Implementation
11. What stages in the procurement cycle do you think it is most important to have SPP
criteria implemented in? (Choose the top 3)
 Supplier selection
 Specification
 Evaluation of suppliers
 Awarding of contracts
 Auditing and improving supplier performance
 On-going contract management
 Other, Comment [text field]
33. How are ecolabels and voluntary sustainability standards used today in SPP? (Choose
all that apply)
 As a reference tool to create criteria
 As a mandatory requirement
 Verification of claims that products meet criteria
 Other, Comment [text field]
12. To what extent do you think SPP criteria are typically weighted compared with other
typical purchasing considerations (such as price) in your country?
 Weighted higher
 Weighted equally
 One factor amongst many
 Considered some of the time but not systematically
 Inexistent
 Unknown
 Other, Comment [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
14
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
Measurement
34. What indicators would reliably and systematically track SPP implementation?
Choose one of three options for each indicator as follows:
 Useful and measurable given current data availability;
 Useful but not measurable given current data availability;
 Not useful
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Existence of national SPP specific policies and action plans
Existence of national SPP targets or other commitments
The % total national public procurement governed by SPP policy (measured
by monetary value)
The % of total national public procurement governed by SPP policy
(measured by number of contracts)
Inclusion of sustainability considerations at each stage of the typical
procurement cycle; and in mechanisms such as specifications, tenders, and
contracts
Number and type of product categories for which purchasing guidelines
have been created specific to national/local markets
The % environmental impact of SPP in terms of CO2 emissions
The % financial impact of SPP in terms of the product lifecycle costs
The number of green products on the market before and after a given SPP
policy is implemented, for example, as measured by the number of certified
products in a given product category
Other, specify [text field]
Needs
13. What aspects of SPP do you think needs the most work in your country? (choose the
top 3?)
 Change of award criteria
 Greater certainty of legal aspects of SPP
 Improved procurement processes
 E-procurement implementation
 Setting targets
 Providing governmental mandates
 Working on the social aspects of SPP
 Developing and identifying credible ecolabels & standards
 Credible evaluations of products, services
 Life cycle costing
 Training /Engagement with suppliers
 Measurement of impacts of SPP
 Knowledge transfer to and between developing countries
 Other, Comment [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
15
DRAFT UNEP SPP SURVEY QUESTIONS 2012
14. What would you see as the most useful functions of an international initiative for SPP
practitioners worldwide? (choose the top three)
 Fundraising to support SPP implementation
 Facilitating the achievement of synergies between different SPP projects and
activities
 Establish of an information platform to: exchange practices exchange, serve
as a help desk, share capacity building material, etc.
 Develop product guidelines and criteria
 Develop monitoring and reporting systems
 Compile listings of sustainable producers/products
 Promote sustainable public procurement by engaging stakeholders and
raising awareness
 Provide a framework for dialogue between different SPP stakeholders
 Other, Comment [text field]
Forecast
15. Do you anticipate that there will be more SPP purchasing in the next five years in
your country?
 Substantially more than today
 Some more than today
 About the same as today
 Less than today
 Dramatically less than today
 Comment [text field]
Improving the Survey
16. Is there any additional information about SPP in your country that you wish to add
here that was not covered by the previous questions?
 Comment [text field]
Dr. A.O’Rourke Big Room Inc and Dr. C.Leire for UNEP SPPI, July 26, 2012.
Contact: Anastasia@bigroom.ca or Farid.Yaker@unep.org
16