Page 38 - Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities - A U4SSC deliverable

Aside from lower cost, the single-supplier route offered environmental benefits including:

• energy efficiency and environmental accreditation were built in as a minimum requirement;

• supply chain data could be published openly, meeting human rights requirements;
• a commitment to extend the useful life of devices through upgrading components;

• a buy-back scheme for devices that cannot be upgraded such as tablets; and

• a reduction in packaging, with devices supplied unboxed and set up by suppliers.

Figure 8: More IT hardware will be needed to enable homeworking in response to the COVID-19
pandemic

Next Steps

The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that more PCs and laptops urgently need to be bought to
support working from home and remote learning. The Scottish Government recently spent GBP 9
million on 25 000 laptops for schoolsunder emergency buying legislation.

24 Procurement guidelines for smart sustainable cities | May 2023