Sustainable Procurement Policy

This Policy and its related procedures apply to all academic and administrative staff of Termez University of Economics and Service, as well as to students where relevant, external suppliers, contractors, service providers, consultants, and other stakeholders engaged in the provision, purchase, management, or use of goods, works, and services connected to the University's activities.

This Policy relates to the sustainable procurement of goods, services, and works that may have economic, environmental, and social impacts either within the physical boundaries of the University or beyond them through the wider supply chain. TUES recognizes that procurement decisions influence not only financial performance, but also energy use, resource consumption, waste generation, transport impacts, labour conditions, supplier behavior, and the quality of the environment in which the University community studies and works.

TUES is committed to managing its operations, facilities, and institutional growth in a way that supports continuous improvement in environmental performance, responsible use of resources, and the integration of sustainability principles into managerial decision-making. The University will therefore seek to embed sustainability considerations into the procurement cycle through planning, specification, tendering, evaluation, contract management, and review.

This Policy forms part of the University's contribution to broader sustainable development objectives, including the promotion of resource efficiency, reduction of unnecessary environmental impact, support for ethical and responsible supply chains, and encouragement of more sustainable patterns of consumption within higher education.

Overall responsibility for the implementation, coordination, and monitoring of this Policy shall rest with the University body or senior management structure responsible for sustainability, administration, and operational governance. Day-to-day responsibility for integrating sustainable procurement requirements into purchasing processes shall normally rest with the unit responsible for procurement, finance, or administrative services.

Responsibility for the effective implementation of this Policy is shared across the institution. Senior leaders are expected to provide direction and support. Budget holders, heads of departments, and managers responsible for purchasing must ensure that procurement decisions under their authority take into account relevant environmental and social considerations in a proportionate and documented manner.

External suppliers, contractors, and service providers working with TUES are also expected to act in a manner consistent with the principles of this Policy. The University will seek to communicate its expectations clearly and to encourage suppliers to demonstrate responsible environmental, social, and ethical standards.

This Policy should be read in conjunction with other University documents that support responsible governance, sustainability, procurement integrity, and institutional planning. These documents may include the University's Strategic Development Plan, Sustainability Policy, Risk Management Policy, Anti-Bribery and Corruption Policy, Financial Regulations, Procurement Procedures, Asset Management Procedures, Energy or Resource Management guidelines, and other relevant internal regulations.

The relationship between this Policy and other institutional documents is important because sustainable procurement does not operate in isolation. Procurement choices affect energy consumption, waste generation, infrastructure use, budget efficiency, supplier risk, reputational exposure, and social responsibility outcomes.

TUES recognizes that its institutional activities generate environmental, social, and economic impacts at local, regional, and wider levels. As a university serving students, staff, employers, and communities, it has a responsibility not only to deliver education and research, but also to manage its operational footprint responsibly.

The University further recognizes that procurement can be one of the largest indirect sources of environmental and social impact associated with institutional activity. The way the University spends its financial resources influences the durability of assets, the efficiency of resource use, the sustainability of infrastructure, the level of waste produced, and the quality of the supply chains on which the institution depends.

In the context of TUES, sustainable procurement means that procurement decisions should aim to balance value for money with broader considerations of environmental stewardship, ethical conduct, long-term efficiency, and social responsibility.

The first aim of this Policy is to ensure that sustainable procurement principles are considered throughout the full procurement cycle, beginning with the initial question of whether a good, service, or work is actually needed and continuing through specification, tendering, supplier selection, contract management, use, maintenance, and end-of-life review.

A second aim is to promote a life-cycle perspective in procurement decision-making. TUES recognizes that the lowest initial price does not always represent the best long-term outcome. A purchase may appear inexpensive at the point of acquisition but later result in higher energy use, higher maintenance costs, lower durability, greater waste, or increased social and environmental harm.

A further aim is to ensure that outsourced and externally delivered goods and services are subject, as far as reasonably possible, to sustainability expectations that reflect the values and standards of the University.

The University also aims to strengthen institutional awareness of the relationship between procurement and sustainable development, including resource efficiency, human wellbeing, labour practices, environmental protection, and fair competition.

TUES is committed to making procurement decisions on the basis of a balanced consideration of economic, environmental, and social factors so that value for money is understood in a broader and more responsible sense. The University does not interpret value solely as short-term cost reduction, but as the achievement of appropriate quality, functionality, reliability, durability, and responsible impact over time.

The University is committed to complying with all applicable internal financial regulations, procurement rules, legal obligations, and relevant environmental and social requirements. Procurement processes shall be conducted transparently and fairly.

TUES is committed to supporting approaches that contribute to more efficient resource use and reduced waste. Where feasible, the University will seek procurement solutions that support durability, repairability, reusability, lower material intensity, recycled content, or other principles associated with responsible consumption.

The University is committed to applying a risk-based approach to procurement in order to identify and reduce the potential environmental, ethical, operational, and reputational impacts associated with purchased goods, services, and works.

TUES aims to consider whole-life cost where appropriate. This includes not only the initial purchase price, but also installation, operation, maintenance, energy and water use, repair, replacement cycles, disposal, and any associated environmental or social consequences.

The University intends that tender evaluations, where appropriate, should include sustainability-related criteria in a visible and proportionate way. TUES seeks to work with reputable suppliers who demonstrate acceptable ethical, legal, and professional standards in their operations and supply chains.

TUES shall review this Policy periodically in order to ensure that it remains relevant to the University's operational context, sustainability priorities, governance arrangements, and procurement practices. Review should take account of implementation experience, institutional needs, developments in good practice, and any changes in the University's wider sustainability and strategic framework.

The University intends that review of this Policy should support continual improvement. Where gaps, implementation challenges, or emerging priorities are identified, corrective and preventive actions should be considered so that sustainable procurement practice becomes progressively more consistent, measurable, and effective over time.