Office ICT equipment

Timeline for this product group

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Dates and stages in the timeline are an estimate – contact us for an accurate update on progress for particular products.

  Stage 1: Initial ‘Buying For Government’ standards are developed from existing environmental standards, external expertise or by the Commission and discussed at cross-Government Steering Groups.
  Stage 2: Initial cost benefit analysis undertaken to provide indicative whole life costs and market capacity appraisal for the relevant product group.
  Stage 3: A Cross-Government Steering Group reviews the initial draft standards taking into account Green Public Procurement criteria and agrees draft standards.
  Stage 4: A partial cost benefit analysis and market capacity assessment is prepared (likely to be largely based on initial cost benefit analysis) and a review document published for a shortened stakeholder review period, as part of wider evidence gathering.
  Stage 5: A full cost benefit analysis and market capacity assessment carried out and final draft standards developed.
  Stage 6: Short stakeholder review with other Government Departments and the results are fed back to the Cross-Government Steering Group.
  Stage 7: The mandatory standards are finalised for SPPS Project Board approval.
  Stage 8: The mandatory standards are submitted to the Defra Minister for final approval.
  Stage 9: 3 month lead in period before the new standard goes live.



This section covers the official Government Buying Standards for sustainable procurement of office IT equipment. As well as providing links to the full specifications, it also provides more information on the key issues around procurement in this area and useful tools to help your decision-making.

What does sustainability mean for office IT equipment?

Many of us buying office IT equipment will be familiar with some of the key sustainability considerations from buying similar equipment at home: power consumption, life ‘expectancy’ and compatibility with existing hardware and software.

But it can also be increasingly important to look at the components and materials used: a lot of chemicals and plastic are used in the manufacture of IT equipment and this can be a significant problem when it comes to disposal. So as well as looking at energy efficiency, it’s worth checking how easy it will be to upgrade the equipment when necessary rather than just replacing it.

All central government departments and their related organisations must ensure that they meet at least the mandatory Government Buying Standards when buying goods and services in the product groups covered on this site.

Forthcoming changes in this area

The next changes expected in the standards for office IT equipment are due later this year.

See also

 

Page last modified: 21 July, 2011