The minister responsible for the Public Procurement Agency is extolling the virtues of government’s new approach to inking contracts for goods and services.

Two new procurement strategies were recently announced with a focus on maximizing use of provincial suppliers and hiring local first, all with an emphasis on sustainability.

The NL first plan is designed to help create an environment that gives local companies the best opportunities to land contracts through provincial preference discounts, and by offering up the knowledge and training they need to best prepare for the procurement process.

The second strategy focuses on applying sustainable practices at each stage of the procurement process — from pricing to quality to service and technical considerations, as well as promoting the use of apprenticeships.

Minister John Abbott explained government’s rationale during a breakfast with the St. John’s Board of Trade on Wednesday morning.

He insisted it’s not just about “buying green at any cost.”

“Departments are still required to achieve best value, but from now on sustainability will be an important consideration in all of our actions; not only in procurement but, for purposes of this exercise, certainly in our procurement opportunities,” said Abbott.

“There will be growing pains as we roll out these strategies and they work their way through our procurement teams within government and our different agencies.”