Parliamentary Replies

Date: 11 November 2013

Parliamentary Question by Mr Yee Jenn Jong:

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance (a) what is the progress of action taken on the recommendation of the Economic Strategies Committee's Subcommittee on Ensuring Energy Resilience and Sustainable Growth in 2010 to apply a green lens to Government procurements; (b) whether the Government's tender processes should include documentation of long-term cost savings due to energy-efficient equipment or processes and other green measures; and (c) whether the Government's best sourcing practice should include consideration for greener alternatives if the total cost of ownership is not much higher.

Reply by DPM and Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam:

Green procurement within the public sector has been actively encouraged since 2006, when we began the initiative we called ‘Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES).  The public sector has also put in place several environmental sustainability measures that promote recycling, and efficient use of energy and water resources.

Following the 2010 recommendation of the Economic Strategies Committee (ESC) on applying a green lens to Government procurement, further measures were taken under the PSTLES initiative. Measures include requiring all new office information and communication technology equipment to meet the latest ENERGY STAR standards.In addition, we are greening our public sector buildings.  To date, 36 public buildings have attained Green Mark Platinum or GoldPlus ratings.

The Government’s tender processes already take into account long term costs and savings wherever possible, whether through the use of energy-efficient equipment or processes, or other green measures.  When evaluating tenders, besides considering the quality of the product and its ability to meet performance specifications, agencies are also expected to consider factors like energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness over the entire period of use. Tenders are awarded to proposals that best meet the assessment criteria and provide the overall best value. 

In summary, we have put in place several measures over recent years to encourage adoption of greener alternatives, and will continue to review our policies from time to time.