18 January 2013: The UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) has been selected to advise the Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (SPPI). The SPPI is an initiative launched during the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), and led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The SPPI aims to help governments maximize environmental, social and economic benefits from the public procurement of goods and services by, inter alia: improving awareness of Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) tools; supporting SPP implementation through increased South-South and North-South cooperation; and enhancing public-private collaboration.

UNOPS already provides training and advisory services to country partners and UN bodies, and has received the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply (CIPS) Certification in sustainable procurement, which recognizes excellence in procurement policies, procedures and practices.

Therese Ballard, Director, UNOPS Procurement and Supply Chain Practice Group, notes that UNOPS is “a central resource for the UN in procurement” and is “well-placed to help advance procurement best practice within the UN system and beyond.” [UNOPS Press Release] [Slide presentation on UNOPS and Sustainable Procurement] [UNEP Press Release on SPPI Launch]