Sustainable Procurement Process: A Case Study at a Public Higher …
69
Table 1 (continued)
Document
Description
Term of reference
This document contains the entire order
reference. That is, object and justification of the
contract, specification and estimated budget,
sustainability criteria used in the contract
planning, delivery times and addresses,
guarantees, exchanges, contractor and contractor
duties, inspection and management procedures,
criteria for accepting the object, maximum
global value allowed for the acquisition, and
administrative sanctions
Approval of the term of reference
Signature of the ordering authority of the
demandant unit, in order to accept and certify
the process
Source Based on the PHEI Procurement Manual (2019)
considering its three pillars (environmental, social, and economic). In addition, it
can be said that the majority approach involves the economic bias.
This economic bias is addressed in documents of the process instruction by the
demandant unit, such as: Market price research, Reference price calculation spreadsheet, Information on quotas for micro and small enterprises, and Term of reference.
These documents have the economy and efficiency criteria of public spending. In
addition, this bias also appears when the Expense Originator approves the forwarding
of the bidding process to the responsible department for the purchase. At this moment,
there is a weighing of the unit needs in relation to the financial and purchasing planning carried out in the previous year. Then, the Bidding Commission will set up
the E-procurement notice considering all the regulations in force, in order to maintain values compatible with reasonableness, economy, and efficiency. It should be
noted that the entire process is inspected by internal and external regulatory agencies,
before and after contracting, to ensure the principles of Public Administration.
The environmental bias is addressed superficially in the following documents of
the process instruction by the demandant unit: Spreadsheet of needs and Term of
reference. In this Term of reference is recommended to adopt some sustainability
criteria, such as: to verify the impact of the product on natural resources, the origin of
the product, efficiency, useful life, and if there is an environmentally legal origin of
natural resources. In the document Spreadsheet of needs, the demandant unit needs to
list product technical criteria, being, therefore, possible to contemplate environmental
characteristics, such as: ecological seals, efficient use of water and energy, among
other characteristics.
The social bias is addressed when using Decree No. 8538/2015 that prioritizes
micro and small businesses in the bidding process, considering the global value of
the notice (Brasil 2015). This leads to the inclusion of those who would not be able
to compete with large corporations on the lowest price requirement, as they do not
69
Table 1 (continued)
Document
Description
Term of reference
This document contains the entire order
reference. That is, object and justification of the
contract, specification and estimated budget,
sustainability criteria used in the contract
planning, delivery times and addresses,
guarantees, exchanges, contractor and contractor
duties, inspection and management procedures,
criteria for accepting the object, maximum
global value allowed for the acquisition, and
administrative sanctions
Approval of the term of reference
Signature of the ordering authority of the
demandant unit, in order to accept and certify
the process
Source Based on the PHEI Procurement Manual (2019)
considering its three pillars (environmental, social, and economic). In addition, it
can be said that the majority approach involves the economic bias.
This economic bias is addressed in documents of the process instruction by the
demandant unit, such as: Market price research, Reference price calculation spreadsheet, Information on quotas for micro and small enterprises, and Term of reference.
These documents have the economy and efficiency criteria of public spending. In
addition, this bias also appears when the Expense Originator approves the forwarding
of the bidding process to the responsible department for the purchase. At this moment,
there is a weighing of the unit needs in relation to the financial and purchasing planning carried out in the previous year. Then, the Bidding Commission will set up
the E-procurement notice considering all the regulations in force, in order to maintain values compatible with reasonableness, economy, and efficiency. It should be
noted that the entire process is inspected by internal and external regulatory agencies,
before and after contracting, to ensure the principles of Public Administration.
The environmental bias is addressed superficially in the following documents of
the process instruction by the demandant unit: Spreadsheet of needs and Term of
reference. In this Term of reference is recommended to adopt some sustainability
criteria, such as: to verify the impact of the product on natural resources, the origin of
the product, efficiency, useful life, and if there is an environmentally legal origin of
natural resources. In the document Spreadsheet of needs, the demandant unit needs to
list product technical criteria, being, therefore, possible to contemplate environmental
characteristics, such as: ecological seals, efficient use of water and energy, among
other characteristics.
The social bias is addressed when using Decree No. 8538/2015 that prioritizes
micro and small businesses in the bidding process, considering the global value of
the notice (Brasil 2015). This leads to the inclusion of those who would not be able
to compete with large corporations on the lowest price requirement, as they do not