Sustainable procurement Sustainable procurement

We are looking to create new employment opportunities through our contracts for people from targeted under-served communities who face barriers to employment, experience significant inequities or face higher levels of deprivation.

Through our contracts and supplier relationships, we also aim to improve the incomes, skills, and capability of people from under-served communities through training and development schemes for employees.

By working together with our suppliers towards this outcome, we can support the pipeline of people entering our critical service industries. It will contribute to growing the workforce by addressing labour shortages and the ability of the market to meet Auckland's significant growth.

To deliver Quality Employment, employers are required to provide:

• full-time (30 hours+ per week) permanent employment at living wage or above
• 12-month industry skills training plan
• individual coaching, mentoring and support for the first 12 months.

By supporting inclusive and equitable participation in meaningful and quality employment, AT and our suppliers can directly improve people's quality of life and living standards, including the life chances of children in low-income families. 

Targeted under-served communities are:

• Māori
• Pasifika peoples
• long-term unemployed
• people that are not in education, employment, or training (NEET)
• people who have experienced long-term or cyclical joblessness, particularly young people
• people with a disability
• refugees
• people re-entering the workforce from childcare commitments, ill-health, injury or a correctional sentence
• older workers transitioning from other sectors in the workforce
• people that are underemployed or under-utilised
• women in male-dominated roles and/or industries.

To help us achieve the Quality Employment outcome, we recommend that our suppliers connect with:

• Ngā Puna Pūkenga: A partnership between Auckland Council Group and the Ministry of Social Development. Ngā Puna Pūkenga supports people into sustainable, full-time employment.
  Email: ngapunapukenga@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
• Māori and Pasifika Trades Training: A group of training and industry organisations working together to support Māori and Pasifika trainees and connect trainees with employers.
  Contact: Atarau Pouwhare-Ellis, Kaihautū, atarau.pouwhare-ellis@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
• Social Labour Supply: Partners with large construction and infrastructure projects to support labour requirements whilst providing people with entry level opportunities into the industry.
• Auckland Jobs and Skills Hubs: Jobs and Skills Hubs are a free recruitment service to support huge growth in Auckland’s construction and infrastructure sectors.

Supplier diversity is a strategic, intentional business process that proactively supports businesses owned by people from under-served communities and social enterprises. It enables them to engage in supply chains and business opportunities.

Supplier diversity initiatives support inclusive and equitable access to social and economic opportunities in Auckland and New Zealand.

International evidence shows that we can benefit Auckland's under-served communities and help to address systemic inequality by engaging with diverse suppliers through the supply chain.

We can do this by investing in:

• the Māori economy
• the Pasifika economy
• the impact economy
• local economies.

Profit created through Māori and Pasifika businesses is likely to linger longer within those communities instead of going directly offshore. Māori and Pasifika businesses are more likely to hire staff from their own communities, start them on higher wages, and offer training to enable career progression.

We are focused on improving access to direct AT contract opportunities and indirect opportunities through our direct suppliers' supply chains for the following types of organisations: 

• Māori-owned businesses
• Pasifika-owned businesses
• women-owned businesses
• social enterprises and other impact-driven organisations
• local businesses based within the Local Board area where the contract is to be delivered.

To help us achieve the Supplier Diversity outcome, we recommend that our suppliers connect with:

• Amotai: Amotai connects businesses and organisations with Māori and Pasifika enterprises that can meet some of the requirements of the contract and, at the same time, create social value for Auckland’s communities.
  Contact: Miri Snee, Manuhuia / Supplier Diversity Lead, miri.snee@aucklandcouncil.gov.nz or miri@amotai.nz
• The Ākina Foundation: The Ākina Foundation connects businesses and organisations with social and community enterprises to help uncover the best ways to tackle challenges like poverty, inequality, environmental degradation and climate change.
  Contact: Nicola Nation, Chief Executive Officer, nicola.nation@akina.org.nz

Climate change hazards include:

• increased rainfall and storm events
• an increase in the average temperature
• more common and severe droughts
• increased flood events and landslips
• coastal erosion and sea level rise.

These changes are why it's urgent that AT and our contractors and consultants improve the way we work together. 

Climate mitigation (through emissions reduction) and adaptation are important parts of how we respond to climate change. This work may let us trial innovative design solutions, materials, or construction methods to reduce operational and embodied (or infrastructure-based) emissions. 

Actions might include:

• the use of low-carbon materials, such as flyash amended cement
• selecting materials constructed with low carbon methods, such as timber instead of steel
• reducing the volume of materials required through recycling and reuse.

To support our scope 2 and 3 reporting requirements, contractors and consultants must use our Sustainability Data Portal to report the volumes of fuel and consumption of energy associated with:

• design
• physical works
• operation
• maintenance and renewal works.

The carbon emission calculation will be made using the raw data the consultant or contractor provides. That way, we can ensure a consistent approach across our business. 

AT maintenance and construction contracts have typically sent an average of 50% of their waste to a managed or licensed landfill.

Through Hīkina te Wero, we aim to decrease the volume of waste materials sent to landfill and increase diversion to 75%. While some of this is unavoidable due to the nature of the material, there are opportunities to reduce this volume further.

Examples include: 

• increasing the reclaimed asphalt paving (RAP) where possible
• reusing clean basecourse or aggregate
• using recycled aggregate and crushed concrete
• selecting new materials with end-of-use in mind (to reduce future disposal requirements, such as by reducing plastic packaging).

Contractors and consultants must report the volumes of different materials used in their physical works and projects, and the volumes of materials diverted from and sent to landfill, using our Sustainability Data Portal.

This information supports our calculation of our scope 3 emissions and lets us track progress against the targets in our Environment Action Plan.

During 2020 to 2021, Auckland faced water restrictions to conserve potable water supplies.

An increasing population demand on water resources, and hotter and drier summers due to climate change, means we have to actively look at our potable water footprint and pursue initiatives to reduce it.

This includes collaboratively building on work begun through our individual company sustainability plans and charters.

In construction, maintenance, and renewals, this means looking at:

• how we source water needed for activities such as dust suppression
• designs that manage stormwater flow
• the runoff of sediments into the receiving catchment when undertaking works.

We recognise that such activities do not usually consume large amounts of water. However, doing our part to reduce the use of potable water for non-potable activities by using rain tankers, where feasible, is a small way we can help preserve Auckland's water supply.

Contractors and consultants must report on the volumes of potable and non-potable water consumed as part of their works or project using our Sustainability Data Portal.

• Supporting local economies through Te Honohono ki Tai - Auckland Transport’s Matakana link road project (PDF 5.99MB)

• Te Aroha Pa - Teaming up with Māori suppliers to achieve great outcomes (PDF 1.8MB)
• Puhinui Interchange - Sustainable procurement outcomes achieved in station construction (PDF 1.1MB)
• Eastern Busway 1 - Native planting, creating hope
• Makaurau Marae carpark upgrade - Supporting the New Zealand economy through Supplier Diversity (PDF 203KB)
• Ōtāhuhu Station - Trialling a social enterprise coffee kiosk at Ōtāhuhu Train Station (PDF 245KB)
• Ōtāhuhu Streetscape Upgrade - building networks and experience for design students (PDF 1.7MB)
• Manukau bus interchange - Trades employment for young people in a major transport interchange (PDF 267KB)
• Pukekohe bus and rail station - Creating a window for on-site work experience and training via a station redevelopment (PDF 226KB)

Operations procurement success stories will be added soon.

• Repurpose AT's uniforms case study (PDF 5.0MB)
• Repurposing unneeded corporate uniforms (PDF 295KB)
• Cleaning Contract 2021 - Partnering with TPS to make a difference (PDF 552KB)
• AT Corporate furniture re-purposing – Reducing waste and supporting communities (PDF 210KB)