Sustainability

Sustainable procurement – the strategic integration of environmental, social and ethical considerations into procurement practices – holds immense importance in the current global context. Beyond economic factors, organisations today are increasingly acknowledging their role in addressing global challenges such as climate change, inequality and resource scarcity. International financial institutions (IFIs), as pivotal players in the global financial landscape, have a unique opportunity to lead by example in promoting sustainable procurement practices.

The EBRD’s Guidance on Sustainable Public Procurement contains essential information for clients, contractors, service providers and consultants involved in the procurement process for EBRD projects.

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In September 2023, a significant milestone was reached in the realm of sustainable procurement as the heads of procurement (HoPs) from 12 IFIs converged in the Philippines to issue a Joint Statement on Sustainable Procurement Initiatives, marking a collective commitment to mainstreaming sustainable procurement practices.

The IFI HoP group's collaboration is centred around awareness building, identifying opportunities for harmonising approaches, monitoring impact and communicating these efforts to the global community. This endeavour underlines the pivotal role that IFIs play in driving sustainability and social responsibility through their procurement processes.

The joint statement emphasises the necessity of creating awareness about sustainable procurement across IFIs. Awareness building is not just an internal exercise but extends to IFIs engaging with their stakeholders, including project partners, suppliers and the broader community. By fostering a culture of understanding and commitment to sustainability, IFIs aim to instigate positive change throughout their procurement processes.

Building on the cooperation around sustainable procurement initiatives and as part of the HoP meeting, the EBRD hosted the inaugural Sustainable Public Procurement Forum in London in 2024. The Forum is now an important addition to the HoP meetings – the second Forum was held in Shanghai in 2025 at the New Development Bank, with the 2026 edition taking place at the Council of Europe Development Bank in Paris in September 2026.

Assessment tool for e-government procurement systems

The HoPs have collaboratively developed a comprehensive and user-friendly tool to assess the electronic government procurement (e-GP) systems of partner countries. The tool is specifically designed to consider the procurement through e-GP systems of goods, works and services contracts financed by multilateral development banks (MDBs). By introducing a structured and standardised approach, it aims to determine whether national e-GP systems meet MDBs’ minimum requirements.

The tool also conducts a thorough review of procurement policies, procedures and practices to ensure compliance. It enables MDBs to evaluate whether an e-GP system fulfils all necessary criteria or whether additional requirements and restrictions are warranted. For broader reform initiatives, this tool is ideally complemented by the Methodology for Assessing Procurement Systems’ e-GP supplementary module.

Effective use of e-GP systems is critical for enhancing transparency, credibility and efficiency in the procurement process, but also elevates the procurement function to a strategic level. By consolidating procurement-related data and offering comprehensive insights, e-GP systems empower decision-makers in project preparation and delivery.

PPD continues to play an active and often leading role within HoP meetings. Further information can be found in PPD's Annual Procurement Reviews.

PPD has a longstanding and successful partnership with the OECD Anti-Corruption Network (ACN). PPD staff have participated as public procurement experts during the peer review programme under the Istanbul Anti-Corruption Action Plan, which supports anti-corruption reforms in ACN countries through country reviews and continuous monitoring of implementation of recommendations. PPD experts also contributed to drafting of the benchmarks for the procurement performance area for the pilot and the fifth round of monitoring (ending in 2026).