Updated Advice note now published

From 1st April 2009 there will be a step-change in the timber procurement policy. Central government departments, their executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies will be required to procure either legal and sustainable timber or Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensed timber.

With the policy change the UK Government's Timber Procurement Advice Note from November 2005 has been updated and the August 2008 Advice Note is now available. The 2005 Advice Note should be used until the policy change takes place on 1 April 2009.

The Advice Note is an important document in the implementation of the UK Government’s timber procurement policy, it provides the base for CPET’s support, the details on the policy implementation and evidence of compliance.

The updates and changes in the Advice Note reflect the comments received in the 2007 formal consultation on the policy step-change, see comments here.  

1. The Advice Note has been shortened, an executive summary and a flow chart have been added to help interpretation.
2. After nearly 9 years with legal timber as a minimum requirement, the bar has been raised and from April 1st only timber from a sustainable source will be compliant with Government policy. A requirement for legal and sustainable timber should therefore be specified from April 1^st 2009. See section 2.2 of the guidance note for details of how to meet sustainability requirements.
3. FLEGT-licensed timber will also be eligible under the revised policy, but is not currently available on the market. Further guidance will be issued as FLEGT-licensed timber becomes available.
4. An Invitation to tender letter is attached at Annex C and should be used to draw attention to the policy requirement for legal and sustainable timber.
5. At the contract award stage, the guidance states that bids should be evaluated against criteria defined by the contracting Authority. In the short-term, bids offering legal and sustainable timber can be deemed to be compliant with the policy, FLEGT-licensed timber will also be eligible, when available. Once bids have been assessed to meet the specified requirement, the most economically advantageous bid should be accepted, based on criteria such as price, delivery date and period for completion.
6. The guidance also makes clear that government buyers should request independent verification of timber sourced from higher risk areas (contact CPET for further guidance on risk).

Download the Timber Procurement Advice Note August 2008 here.