National Context for Sustainable Public Procurement Policy in India

Abstract

AbstractIndia’s stellar economic growth during the last three decades, coupled with rising populations, urbanization, and spending power, has led to spurt in demands for resources to meet the consumption needs of citizens. Meeting resource needs to cater for current and future generations while remaining within the planetary boundaries poses a unique developmental challenge to India. In-depth analysis of these challenges is crucial for articulating a procurement strategy to address them. The chapter begins with a discussion on India’s unique condition and dives deep into India’s current procurement, socio-economic, and environmental policy frameworks to explore various provisions that can potentially facilitate embedding sustainability in purchasing decisions. Though the use of public procurement for achieving broader national social objectives is not new to India, using it strategically to meet broader environmental goals is still an emerging concept in India. India has an array of promising socio-economic and environmental policies. However, progress on harmonizing provisions of these policies in purchasing decisions has been sluggish due to absence of their interlinkages with the procurement policy. This trend needs to be reversed if India wish to leverage its purchasing power to enhance sustainability outcomes of procurement decisions. The analysis of the size of procurement at various levels of government reveals that sub-national governments and CPSUs are in a commanding position to develop and lead sustainable procurement implementation in India. Such a decentralized approach for SPP implementation has the potential to quickly spread the concept on a pan-India basis.KeywordsEvolution of public procurement in IndiaIndia’s development challengesSize of procurement in IndiaPublic procurement framework in IndiaSustainable procurement policy framework in IndiaTools for implementing sustainable procurement in India