A comparison of the progression on sustainable procurement between England and Scotland following the United Kingdom’s third sustainable development strategy

In 2005, the United Kingdom published its third sustainable development strategy and simultaneously announced its goal to become a leader in the European Union on sustainable procurement by 2009. Four sustainable development priorities and six key recommendations for sustainable procurement authored by the UK Government and the Sustainable Procurement Task Force were set forth to be utilised by local administrations in an effort to reach their ambitious goal for 2009. However, due to changes in the structure of the UK government, the renewed push for effective sustainable development and the continued innovation of sustainable procurement practices, England and Scotland took very different journeys of progression on sustainable procurement. By examining these key changes in the UK, a foundation is set for the comparison on sustainable procurement between England and Scotland. An analysis of the most significant strategies, actions and policies on sustainable procurement is carried out in this research in relation to the four sustainable development priorities and six key recommendations for sustainable procurement set out by the UK Government and the Sustainable Procurement Task Force. This thesis seeks to critically compare the progression on sustainable development between England and Scotland following the third sustainable development strategy of the UK; providing an analysis of each nation’s efforts on sustainable procurement in relation to the sustainable development priorities and key recommendations on sustainable procurement. In addition, recommendations for further action on sustainable procurement strategies in England and Scotland are provide