  
On Friday, March 5, 2010, the City of Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce hosted a one-day workshop – Advancing Sustainability Through Procurement - at the Delta Hotel Winnipeg. Over 60 participants representing business, education and health care institutions, public sector and non-governmental organizations in Winnipeg participated in this event to discuss sustainable procurement and to explore the creation of a sustainable procurement network to support and strengthen sustainable procurement in our community.
| What's Next? |
| |
The outcome of the Workshop was the development of a 100-day plan to move forward sustainable procurement in Winnipeg, the first step of which is the creation of a Steering Committee charged with the development of a strategy.
Several resources are also provided through the two speakers at the Workshop, Bob Willard and Don Grant. Their Powerpoint presentations are available on this web page, as are two spreadsheets created by Bob Willard for use by businesses to illustrate that incorporating sustainability into their business models makes financial sense.
Updates will be posted here as the 100-day plan for Sustainable Procurement unfolds.
Information on the March 5th Workshop is outlined below.
For further information please email Patti Regan.
| Background |
| |
The City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba have a long tradition of supporting sustainable development and green procurement. Provincial government departments and crown corporations have been working in this area for over five years, since the adoption of the Sustainable Development Act. This puts the City and its many community partners including the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce in a position to build on excellent beginnings and become a showcase for other Canadian municipalities.
On April 25, 2009 the City of Winnipeg hosted the Mayor’s Symposium on Sustainability, an event that officially marked the start of a one-year process that will result in the development a new municipal development plan called OurWinnipeg. One of the strategic areas identified during the Symposium was sustainable procurement, and one short-term action proposed at the Symposium was the development of Sustainable Procurement Protocol or Approach for Winnipeg, to help the community improve procurement strategies that support sustainability.
Work on the development of this approach began at a one-day workshop – Advancing Sustainability Through Procurement - on Friday, March 5, 2010, at the Delta Hotel Winnipeg.
| Workshop Goals and Agenda |
| |
The intent of Advancing Sustainability Through Procurement was to work with buyers and suppliers in Winnipeg to identify best practices in sustainable procurement, build on successes and invite partners to establish a sustainable procurement network. This interactive workshop was designed for both buyers and suppliers:
- For Buyers: The workshop was an opportunity to provide input about the ways in which community partners can buy goods and services from suppliers who support local goals for sustainability.
- For Suppliers: The workshop was an opportunity to establish the ground rules for designation as a ‘sustainable supplier’ and pursued two channels:
- Supply of environmental or sustainable products that are third party verified.
- Adoption of sustainable business practices in areas such as energy, water and waste.
At the workshop, participants:
- Developed a shared understanding of procurement and sustainability through presentations by two noted experts in the field – session facilitator Don Grant, and featured lunch speaker Bob Willard, and through a brief Background Paper
- Discussed barriers and opportunities for buyers and suppliers
- Developed goals and objectives for sustainable procurement in Winnipeg
- Explored the creation of a Sustainable Procurement Network for Winnipeg
The Workshop Agenda:
|
| |
8:00 – 8:30 |
Registration- Victoria Albert Room, Lower Level |
|
| |
8:30 – 9:00 |
Welcome and Opening Remarks
• Mayor Sam Katz, City of Winnipeg
• Barb D’Avignon, Manager of Materials Management, City of Winnipeg
• Don Grant, Grant Consulting |
|
| |
9:00 – 9:45 |
Procurement and Sustainability: Developing a Shared Understanding
• Don Grant, Grant Consulting |
|
| |
9:45 – 10:15 |
Networking Break |
|
| |
10:15 – 12:00 |
Concurrent Sessions – Exploring the Possible
Buyers and suppliers will meet in separate groups to discuss the opportunities and challenges in sustainable procurement and to lay the groundwork for creating a plan for achievable action |
|
| |
12:00 – 1:15 |
Lunch – Noted business advisor Bob Willard will introduce participants to the Sustainability Advantage |
|
| |
1:15 – 3:00 |
Designing a Local Sustainable Procurement Network – Participants will work in small groups to build on opportunities, address challenges, and collectively explore options to design a Sustainable Procurement network that meets our needs |
|
| |
3:00 – 3:30 |
Networking Break |
|
| |
3:30 – 4:30 |
Wrap Up and Action Plan – During the wrap up session, the facilitation team will work with participants to establish a consensus on actions that can be taken in the short term and to look for commitment from participants to the OurWinnipeg plan and the next steps |
| |
|
|
| Featured Lunch Speaker |
| |
Bob Willard, a leading expert on the business value of corporate sustainability strategies, introduced delegates to the Sustainability Advantage over lunch. Bob has authored two books on the business justification for sustainability strategies - The Sustainability Advantage and The Next Sustainability Wave. A DVD of his presentation, The Business Case for Sustainability, has also been created. His latest book, The Sustainability Champion’s Guidebook, outlines how internal leaders can transform their companies to sustainable enterprises. Bob worked 34 years with IBM Canada, is on the faculty of the Sustainable Enterprise Academy, and serves on the advisory board of The Natural Step Canada. He has a PhD in sustainability from the University of Toronto.
| More Information |
| |
| |
|
