Procurement

Objective

To consider the social and environmental impacts of everything we buy.  

Guidance Documents

• The LSE Sustainable Procurement Policy governs how we embed sustainability considerations into our procurement decisions. Take a look at the LSE Environmental Policy, Energy Policy, Code of Ethics, and the Socially Responsible Investment policy to find out more about how we embed sustainability into LSE’s decision making.
• Have you read LSE Procurements “Introduction to Purchasing at the LSE”?
• See our example ITT environmental questions and environmental assessment tool. Use the table template to find out if your procurement has an environmental impact and what conditions you can build into your purchase to minimise their impact.
• If you’re buying an electrical product take a look at our ‘How to choose an energy efficient product ’ guidelines.
• Procuring for an event? In 2013 LSE’s LSE Advancement drew up guidelines for Greening your Event. 

Initiatives

• Sustainability is given a minimum 5% weighting in tenders for all contracts worth over £50,000. 
• LSE is an active and supportive member of the LUPC. Based in Bloomsbury, the LUPC has a membership of around 60 Universities, Colleges and museums within the M25. It negotiates purchase agreements and contracts on behalf of its members whose combined spend is approximately £1 billion. Environmental considerations are factored in to all contracts. 
• 2015 – Collaboration on the IMT print tender. The School moved to pull-printing which is estimated to save the School saved 665,206 sheets of paper per year. The system comes with print statistical software.
• Since 2012 we have sold reusable mugs to students and staff, which has cut the number of single use cups used on campus. Following the success of the smart mugs, LSE Catering have introduced LSE branded water bottles for sale in LSE catering outlets.
• In 2012 1,800 chairs in the library needed replacing. The new chairs are made of 94 per cent recycled material and have a longer life than most office chairs. 
• Our catering outlets sell only Fairtrade tea, coffee and bananas, and we buy a wide range of other Fairtrade products, including staff uniforms.  The LSE Fairtrade Policy is available here. 

Achievements & Awards

• LSE achieved the Silver Award when audited by the Mayor of London’s Green Procurement Code in February 2013.