The Headteachers and Bursars Handbook of Sustainable Procurement

Its purpose is to provide teachers and procurement staff with all the information and resources that they need to purchase sustainable products and services and thereby achieve their sustainable schools targets.

The Handbook of Sustainable Procurement was inspired by the government’s Sustainable Schools Consultation Document which set out a series of targets that schools were expected to achieve by 2020.

The Document encouraged schools to introduce a variety of measures to make their buildings and practices more sustainable, but failed to offer concrete solutions to the problem of how this could be achieved.

What was lacking was a single point of reference which teachers and bursars could turn to for a summary understanding of the issues confronting education, together with pointers to solutions for many of their questions.

The Handbook of Sustainable Procurement was introduced in response to this shortage and has rapidly become every teacher’s first point of reference to understanding and solving the issues of sustainability within education.

Now in its second edition, the Handbook is still the only directory offering schools a comprehensive list of sustainable suppliers, and is still receiving widespread acclaim from Headteachers, Bursars and Local Authorities.

In addition to the directory of both national and regional sustainable suppliers, the Handbook of Sustainable Procurement contains a selection of articles written by experts in the field of sustainability within education, such as Prof. Bill Scott, Director of the Centre for Research in Education and the Environment and Ann Finlayson, Education Commissioner for the Sustainable Development Commission.

It also contains chapters on each of the eight sustainable schools ‘doorways’ as outlined by the DfES in the Sustainable Schools Consultation Document, explaining what the doorways mean to the education sector as a whole, and detailing how their principles and ambitions could affect individual schools.

The directory itself contains listings of local and national businesses that supply everything from local farm produce, building design and cleaning products to renewable energy systems, insulation and recycling.
We hope that all school purchasers find a range of products and services within this Handbook that suit all their sustainable purchasing needs and that this publication will enable them to make sustainable procurement a key part of their purchasing plans.

What are the benefits of using the Handbook of Sustainable Procurement?

• The Handbook of Sustainable Procurement is the only directory offering schools a comprehensive list of sustainable suppliers.
• It was produced in direct response to the Government’s Sustainable Schools Consultation Paper and is designed to help schools achieve their sustainable schools targets.
• The Handbook contains listings of over 300 sustainable companies supplying everything from renewable energy systems, insulation and recycling, to local farm produce, building design and cleaning products.
• It is free to all schools and colleges in the UK
• It is divided into regional and national sections, allowing purchasers to choose between a local and national marketplace.
• The Handbook of Sustainable Procurement contains a selection of articles written by experts in the field of sustainability within education.
• It provides purchasers with explanations of the eight sustainable schools doorways along with practical examples of ways to implement sustainable policies in schools.
• All the suppliers listed in the Handbook of Sustainable Procurement also feature on SCEMES’ online directory of suppliers.