1. WRAP Cymru Whole Life Costing

Procurement has been identified as one of the main mechanisms for achieving various policy ambitions of government, e.g. decarbonisation, foundational economy, social value and not least a 'circular economy'.  A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them while in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life.

For the Circular Economy in particular, the term “whole life costs” is frequently used in relation to public procurement. Using an assessment of whole life costs can help evaluate how 'circular' a product or a service is. However, the definition of whole life costs can vary e.g. whole life costs as cost over the life of a contract vs. how this term is used in a circular economy context which would consider the cost of a product or service over its entire lifetime and not just a contract.

‘This questionnaire forms the first part of a wider survey being conducted by WRAP Cymru (Waste Resources Action Programme) into the understanding and knowledge of the circular economy and related key terms, methods of assessment, tools and techniques utilised by public sector buyers in Wales when procuring works, services and supply contracts’.

The intended project outcome will be a WRAP Cymru document providing clarity on key terms and to provide recommendations to public sector procurement teams to ensure that they can appropriately evaluate the circular impacts of their procurement.

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1. Preliminaries

This survey is being conducted by Resource Futures (and its sub-contractor Action Sustainability) on WRAP Cymru’s behalf for research purposes. Any personal information collected through this survey will be treated with strict confidence in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and will not be passed on to any other third parties. Data will be held until three months post project completion. Data will not be used for marketing or sales purposes. You can view Resource Futures' GDPR policy here.

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2. In the context of procurement, on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), what do you consider is your level of understanding of these terms? (Required.)

  1 2 3 4 5
Life Cycle Costing (LCC)
Whole Life Costing (WLC)
Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Cost-benefit analysis
Value for Money (VfM)
Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal and Environmental (PESTLE)
Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT)
Most Advantageous Tender (MAT)
Circular economy
Sustainability
What procurement guidance / policy document(s) do you use the most (up to three)?
(For the purposes of this questionnaire they are referenced as Document 1, Document 2 and Document 3)

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3. Title of guidance / policy document no. 1

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4. Does document 1 contain guidance on the following?

  Yes No Not sure
Life cycle costs
Whole life costing
Sustainability
Circular economy

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5. If applicable, what circular economy criteria does document 1 cover?

  Yes No Not sure
Durability
Renewable raw materials
Recycled content
Re-use
Materials for maintenance and repair
Leasing models
End of life considerations, e.g. recyclability

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6. Title of guidance / policy document no. 2

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7. Does document 2 contain guidance on the following?

  Yes No Not sure
Life cycle costs
Whole life costing
Sustainability
Circular economy

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8. If applicable, what circular economy criteria does document 2 cover?

  Yes No Not sure
Durability
Renewable raw materials
Recycled content
Re-use
Materials for maintenance and repair
Leasing models
End of life considerations, e.g. recyclability

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9. Title of guidance / policy document no. 3

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10. Does document 3 contain guidance on the following?

  Yes No Not sure
Life cycle costs
Whole life costing
Sustainability
Circular economy

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11. If applicable, what circular economy criteria does document 3 cover?

  Yes No Not sure
Durability
Renewable raw materials
Recycled content
Re-use
Materials for maintenance and repair
Leasing models
End of life considerations, e.g. recyclability
Circular economy evaluation techniques

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12. Do you currently evaluate your buying and procurement activities in relation to the circular economy? (Required.)

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13. If applicable, how do you currently evaluate your buying and procurement activities in relation to the circular economy?

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14. Do you use any standalone circular procurement guidance / policy documents? If so, please state which one(s).

Wider policy considerations

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15. Do the procurement policies, guidance and tools you use take any of the following into account? (Required.)

  Yes No Not sure
'Defra' Circular Economy Package policy statement 2020
Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015
Towards Zero Waste: One Wales, One Planet
'Beyond Recycling: A strategy to make the circular economy in Wales a reality
A Low Carbon Wales Delivery Plan
Wales Procurement Policy Statement.
Prosperity for All: Economic Action Plan.
Invitation to participate in a follow-up interview

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16. Would you be available for a more in-depth telephone interview by WRAP Cymru's researchers (Resource Futures and Action Sustainability)?
This would explore barriers for implementing whole life costing and ideas you may have for improvements in procurement guidance.
Anticipated to be approx. 20 mins long. (Required.)

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17. Contact details and availability

Additional information

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18. Are there any further comments you would like to make?

- END OF QUESTIONNAIRE -

We are extremely grateful for your contributing your valuable time and honest information.

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