Sustainable Public Procurement in the Sao Paulo State Government: An in-depth case study

A growing number of developing and emerging countries are designing and implementing SPP programs, often in partnership with international development organizations and research institutes. As part of its research on SPP, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) turned with interest to the experience of the Government of the State of Sao Paulo, Brazil (the State Government). The State Government 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 SPP program; explains how its promoters overcame legal, institutional, administrative, market and mindset hurdles at each stage; and assesses the legal, administrative and procedural improvements needed to expand the program further. This in-depth account of the Sao Paulo State experience can prove particularly useful to developing countries and subnational governments implementing or planning to implement SPP policies. This paper reviews the lessons learned, identifying both challenges and opportunities to improve the SPP Programme internally and to make its successes a model exportable to other Brazilian states and to other developing countries.