La Religiosidad como fenómeno de estudio para la antropología

Once a decision is taken on the procurement strategy, the specifications (or sometimes specs, brief or scope of work) can be finalized accordingly. Using the specs to incorporate sustainable elements is the most effective means of ensuring sustainable aspects are incorporated into the purchasing decision.

Inclusion of sustainability requirements in specs should be done in coordination with key stakeholders, in order to reflect practical and technical considerations.

When writing specifications, take care of the following:

• Specs should be compliant with laws and fundamental rights defined in ISO 26000, • Define the sustainability requirements without any risk of bias or connivance,

• All specs should be transparently and effectively communicated to potential suppliers,

Allow for fair competition, and doing so pay particular attention to SMEs and their capacity to respond to your requirements.

6.3.2 Types of specifications

There are different types of specifications that can be used:

• Technical: specify a physical characteristic of the product (= attribute), e.g. recycled content, mercury-free, or the way in which the product is manufactured or delivered (= process) e.g. organic or sustainably managed timber and fisheries.

• Performance: define the performance standards to be met by the product or deliverable. For example, standards of care and number of clients for a social care service

• Functional: define the proposed function to be fulfilled by the product required. For example, the strength and durability of concrete to be supplied, energy/fuel efficiency,

Generally, a combination of performance and functional specifications are preferred as they enable suppliers to propose the most efficient technical solution for the required performance or function, leading to potential sustainability benefits such as better energy performance, reduction of waste, better safety for users, etc. Be careful when using technical specifications not to specify particular brands unless it is absolutely unavoidable and accepted by the law.

6.3.3 Compulsory and optional specifications Specifications can be:

• Compulsory when they establish minimum acceptable performance, actively excluding undesirable features,

• Optional when they define preferred sustainability solutions. In that case, they should be related to an evaluation criterion that will be used to reward performance that exceeds the minimum standards, and possibly to a KPI to manage during the contract.

In addition to these two main options, a buyer can use additional techniques such as variants in order to reward better alternative solutions.

The previous analysis of the market informs the decision about what should be compulsory and optional. For instance, the degree to which suppliers can meet the organization’s sustainable requirements might not always be known when writing the tender, or the market analysis revealed that there was a huge gap between suppliers sustainability performance. In that case, the risk to restrain the competition and exclude capable suppliers should be avoided, except if the requirement is an absolute necessity for the organisation.

Requirements Vehicles Construction works Office paper

Compulsory specs

Minimum standard <100 g CO2 /km.

Minimum standard 5% of working hours to socially disadvantaged people Minimum standard 100% recycled or FSC/PEFC labeled or equivalent Optional specs + Evaluation criteria

One point awarded for every 10 g below threshold.

Best offer gets 10/10. 5% only gets 0/10.

10/10 if 100% ecolabel that guarantees additional environmental benefits throughout the lifecycle Figure xx - Examples of mixed compulsory/optional specs

6.3.4 Third party certifications

Different initiatives exist to prove through a third party the sustainability performance of a product/service or process. They appear to offer a quick solution for buyers looking to specify sustainability requirements for processes, goods or services. However, they still cover only a small range of industries and products/services. Labels are used to identify products or services (mostly operational and indirect spends) that have been certified as having certain properties. They are typically voluntary and awarded by impartial third parties. The most commonly used in terms of sustainability are ecolabels for environmentally-friendly products or services. However, labels may exist on any sustainability issue. Before using a label to inform a purchasing decision, it is important to check what criteria the label requires and who awarded the label to check that it is truly impartial. For more information on ecolabels, see Global Ecolabelling Network (GEN): www.globalecolabelling.net.

Labels are different from declarations, which are a claim which indicates the performance aspects of a product or service. Environmental declarations are for instance increasingly being used by organizations to communicate the environmental performance of goods and services in a credible and understandable way. Such statements are intended to be relevant, verified and comparable to inform buyer’s decision making. Management systems enable organizations to improve their performance through a process of continuous improvement. An oversimplification is "Plan, Do, Check, Act". A more complete system includes accountability (an assignment of personal responsibility) and a schedule for activities to be completed, as well as auditing tools to implement corrective actions in addition to scheduled activities, creating an upward spiral of continuous improvement.

Many organizations implement management systems related to sustainability issues such as the environment or health and safety. These are often specific to industries and can be supported by an industry-specific standard or code of conduct. There are also third party certified management systems related to sustainability, such as:

• OHSAS 18001 for health and safety management, • SA 8000 for human and labor rights.

Management systems certifications do not assess the quality or sustainability of a product/service but the quality of the management of an activity, process or site. They don’t guarantee an absolute sustainability performance but a process driving continuous improvement in terms of sustainability impacts.

6.4 Selection