Green procurement in the construction sector: Towards the development of a national strategy for sustainable public procurement (ARCOP)

Senegal is fully embracing the ecological transition. Confirming its leadership in innovation and sustainable transformation, the country is developing its national strategy for sustainable public procurement, with a particular focus on the construction and public works sector. This sector represents more than 7% of Senegal's GDP, absorbs a major share of public investment, and generates nearly 1,000 jobs (200,000 direct and more than 600,000 indirect).

The initiative, led by the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (ARCOP), aims to mobilize all stakeholders in the sector to encourage public decision-makers and managers to adopt a holistic approach when designing public contracts, taking into account the entire life cycle of goods and ensuring that their environmental impact is minimized. Thus, as a regulatory body, ARCOP is no longer simply monitoring the regularity of procedures, but is becoming a driving force in shaping environmental public policy.

Presiding over a workshop on green procurement this Tuesday, September 29, 2026, the Director General of ARCOP, Moustapha Djité, announced the upcoming establishment of a "representative steering committee" to develop this strategy. "We will consider how to implement a mechanism that will allow Senegal to develop a national strategy for sustainable public procurement. In France, I should point out, they have their national sustainable public procurement program. Currently, Senegal is not very far along in this area. So we are looking to fill that gap," he emphasized.

Ultimately, he adds, "we will enable our public buyers to make environmentally responsible acquisitions without compromising the necessary optimization of public resources." To achieve this objective, ARCOP plans to shift the paradigm in public procurement management, where price currently takes precedence over all other considerations. However, the modernization of the regulatory framework for public procurement (with the reform of the public procurement code) and the integration of environmental criteria mark the shift from a logic of budgetary efficiency ("the lowest bidder") to a logic of sustainable socio-economic and environmental impact ("the best bidder").

“Today, the situation is that whenever an administration considers making acquisitions, the primary concern is price. So how can we buy cheaper, without trying to understand the asset that will be acquired, and ultimately, what its impact on the environment will be? What we want is to create a change in the purchasing process. Price is important, especially in the context where the country's situation is not very comfortable. But beyond price, the asset must be of a nature to satisfy the concern that was the basis of this order,” he argues.

But it is also necessary, adds Mr. Djité, that "the good should not be of a nature to cause degradation to the environment tomorrow, which we must preserve for future generations."

For its part, the Ministry of the Environment and Ecological Transition, represented by its Secretary General, Fodé Fall, reiterates its commitment to ARCOP. "The Ministry is committed not only to supporting, but to being at the heart of this system," assures Mr. Fall.

Through this national strategy, Senegal seeks to be a pioneer - in the Uemoa and Edeao zone - in terms of eco-responsible public procurement.