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Buy Green and Make a Difference

Released on 09/07/2008

Angela Eagle MP, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, has today launched a new pamphlet to provide those working in the public sector further guidance in how they can take positive action to safeguard the environment through the money they spend on goods and services.

The new pamphlet entitled is the second in a series of guidance aimed at highlighting how public sector procurement can contribute to key Government goals, and follows guidance launched last month on how procurement can support social issues. The new guide shows how every spending decision made can have consequences for the environment, and is intended as an introduction to the subject for anyone involved in public sector procurement, from internal clients to suppliers and procurers themselves.

Speaking at a conference in London for senior public sector estate managers, Angela Eagle also highlighted the great progress that has been made in ensuring the Government is getting the best value from the management of its property, whilst maintaining the momentum for meeting its own targets on sustainability.

Angela Eagle said:

"The Government is committed to protecting the environment, especially working to limit the effects of climate change. We should all be taking action to improve quality of life now in a way that safeguards the environment for future generations.

"This pamphlet is part of our campaign to meet the target that we have set ourselves to be among the European leaders in sustainable procurement by 2009. The aim is to encourage lots of little changes, which add up to a big impact overall."

The Government is aiming to make the Government estate carbon neutral by 2012, and to reduce carbon emissions by 30% by 2020. It is also aiming to recycle 75% of waste, reduce the amount of waste and water consumption by 25% and increase energy efficiency by 30% per square metre.

The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is driving forward the improvements being made through managing a series of initiatives including the High Performing Property Strategy launched in 2006, which provides a roadmap for positive changes in the management of the Government's estate. 

Angela Eagle also today announced the launch of a new online service for civil servants called Property Interrogator, which allows government departments to compare the performance of their buildings with others in order to encourage improvements. She also revealed that actual vacant space in office property in the civil estate has been reduced to a low of 1.4% of the total civil estate, compared to figures in the private sector, which are four times greater.

Angela Eagle said: "The tools the OGC has established and manage mean that we're in a position to achieve our targets in the years ahead, and that will make an important contribution to our wider work on getting the taxpayer the best possible value."

The pamphlet 'Buy Green and Make a Difference' can be obtained from the Office of Government Commerce website (PDF, 285KB). For more information about OGC's property intitiatives and tools see: www:ogc.gov.uk.

Notes to editors

Vacant office space

Over the last three years, on average, vacant office space in the Government estate has been around 1.6% of the total, but over the first six months of this year it has fallen to 1.4%. This compares well with the private sector, where vacant space can be four times greater. Actual figures for vacant office space and potential future available space are recorded on the OGC's e-PIMS database - which is the electronic Property Information Mapping Service. ePIMS allows a much more co-ordinated view across the Government estate, which makes it easier to plan how to use space that might be becoming vacant, including co-locating different organisations in the same building. This also means the actual amount of vacant space that we have on the Government estate can be tracked, to ensure these holdings are either being reused or disposed.

About OGC

The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) is an independent office of HM Treasury, established to help Government deliver best value from its spending.  The OGC works with central Government departments and other public sector organisations to ensure the achievement of six key goals:

  • Delivery of value for money from third party spend;
  • Delivery of projects to time, quality and cost, realising benefits;
  • Getting the best from the Government's £30bn estate;
  • Improving the sustainability of the Government estate, including reducing carbon emissions by 12.5% by 2010-11, through stronger performance management and guidance;
  • Helping achieve delivery of further Government policy goals, including innovation, equality, and support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs);
  • And driving forward the improvement of central Government capability in procurement, project and programme management, and estates management through the development of people skills, processes and tools.

OGC provides policy standards and guidance on best practice in procurement, projects and estate management, and monitors and challenges Departments' performance against these standards, grounded in an evidence base of information and assurance.  It promotes and fosters collaborative procurement across the public sector to deliver better value for money and better public services; and it provides innovative ways to develop Government's commercial and procurement capability, including leadership of the Government Procurement Service.

Media Contact:
Liam English
OGC Press Office
T: 020 7271 1318
F: 020 7271 1345
M: 07771 815245
E: liam.English@ogc.gsi.gov.uk

Contact details:
OGC Service Desk
Tel: 0845 000 4999
E-mail: ServiceDesk@ogc.gsi.gov.uk

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