Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: Policy Brief

Governments are highly influential consumers. Their purchasing decisions can affect the decisions made by firms regarding the quality of their goods and services, as well as the decisions made by other consumers.

Public procurement can therefore be a powerful driver of sustainability, by providing incentives for investment, innovation, and scaling of sustainable enterprises, goods, services, and infrastructure across the public and private sectors.The State Government of Sao Paulo, Brazil, has made significant strides in integrating sustainability into its public procurement processes, and, as such, serves as an important role model on how to use procurement to promote sustainable development. The present case study documents in detail the initiation and expansion of the Sao Paulo Sustainable Public Procurement program; explains how its promoters overcame legal, institutional, administrative, market and mindset hurdles; and assesses the legal, administrative and procedural improvements needed to expand the program further.For a detailed report on the case study, please click here.