The Procura+ Milestones
The Milestones process has been designed together with a group of leading public authorities to ensure its practicality and effectiveness , and is based upon the typical management cycle of “Plan, Do, Check, Act”.
The following diagram provides an overview of the steps to be taken:
Following the simple steps presented here will ensure a continuous improvement in environmental, social and economic performance based upon formulating and implementing an Action Plan for sustainable procurement, monitoring its implementation, reviewing progress and the making of necessary changes.
A flexible framework
The Procura+ Milestone process is designed with flexibility in mind - applicable for any public authority no matter its size or structure. Each step can be applied as concisely or comprehensively as required. For example:
- You may consider whether to apply the system for the whole authority or for just one department. Starting with just one or two departments may be more appropriate if the authority is big, is new to sustainable procurement, and wishes to pilot the activities first.
- Consider how many product and service groups you wish to cover. Again, authorities just starting out will likely want to start with just one or two. Pilot activities are of course very helpful in demonstrating the practicality and benefits of sustainable procurement. For authorities further advanced, the Milestones process may be applied to all the procurement activities of the whole organisation.
- A ‘Quick Start’ approach is also provided for those who wish to start right away without a full management framework. There is of course no barrier to starting implementation immediately; however sustained and systematic implementation will eventually require a management system such as the Procura+ Milestones.