Buying Fair - First Steps

Before actually inserting Fair Trade products and criteria in a public tender we advise committed public authorities to undertake a series of preparatory activities.

This will help to enhance transparency, give clarity to the objectives and will thus help in minimising legal uncertainties.

Set up a dialogue with all relevant authority staff

Effective implementation of Fair Trade in procurement requires the commitment of all those involved in the process from politicians providing the policy objectives, to procurement staff carrying out tendering, through to chefs responsible for canteens, and last but not least the "users" - those who consume the products.

Organising seminars addressing issues such as "what is Fair Trade?", and "why should we purchase Fair Trade products?", can help achieve this goal.
A standard Powerpoint presentation which can be used for this purpose can be found here (ppt). 

Adopt a political commitment to purchase Fair Trade products

To provide both transparency in your objectives to the outside world, and to give staff within the administration a mandate to act, it is advisable to adopt a political commitment at the municipal level to favour the purchase of Fair Trade products.

Such a commitment could be included within a general policy on introducing sustainable procurement, or could be a stand-alone policy relating to Fair Trade. It should indicate clear targets and responsibilities for implementing, and make a clear reference to the objectives of Fair Trade.

Is joint procurement possible?

Joint procurement (i.e. several public authorities purchasing together) can save considerable amounts of money - both through achieving better prices, and by reducing administrative costs. It also gives a strong signal to the market. Many good case studies suggest that joint procurement is smart procurement.

A tool to assist public authorities in setting up joint procurement activities can be found here (pdf)