Ireland’s public procurement system is one of the most underutilised green business development tools in the Irish economy. In February 2026, the EPA published Research 508 — the GAPS report — led by University of Galway, the most comprehensive assessment of Green Public Procurement practice for the Irish public sector ever produced. GPP — embedding environmental criteria into procurement — is acknowledged at national and EU level as a key sustainability policy lever. For green business executives, the GAPS report maps the most commercially actionable GPP market access pathway available.

The GAPS report is structured around a commercially practical agenda. The University of Galway team identified barriers — perceived cost increases, staff capacity gaps and insufficient harmonisation with other procurement regulations — alongside solutions that procurement teams can apply immediately. The GPP toolkit was piloted in live situations and found scalable. The dimensions most relevant to sustainability companies are the toolkit adoption opportunity, the supplier engagement model and the guidelines the GAPS recommendations will shape.

The GPP toolkit adoption opportunity is the most immediately deployable dimension. GAPS confirmed significant gaps in GPP application — notably in ICT, where only 29 per cent of contracts included green criteria. For green companies in ICT, construction, energy and facilities management, the GAPS toolkit provides a clear reference framework enabling them to present sustainability credentials in the precise language public sector buyers are now equipped to use.

The supplier engagement model piloted at University of Galway is the most commercially replicable GAPS finding. The university contacted 145 of its suppliers to communicate sustainability expectations across energy, transport and construction. Green companies that engage before tenders are issued are best positioned to shape green criteria in a way that reflects their genuine competitive advantage.

The GAPS policy recommendations identify where environmental innovation will have the greatest commercial leverage. The report recommends updating sustainable procurement guides across the public sector, outsourcing GPP support to local authorities and building staff capacity in environmental criteria assessment. Companies developing GPP assessment tools and training programmes are operating in a market actively supported by the EPA and the Office of Government Procurement.

Three actions would help sustainable business organisations capitalise on the GPP market opportunity the GAPS report defines. First, any company supplying the Irish public sector should review the GAPS toolkit and assess how their sustainability credentials map against the green criteria the research recommends. Second, construction, facilities management and ICT companies should present environmental product data aligned to the EPA GPP guidelines. Third, sustainability consultancies should develop GPP advisory services targeted at local authorities, health bodies and education institutions.

The GAPS report confirms that Green Public Procurement is the commercial frontier where sustainability excellence in Irish enterprise will be most visibly rewarded. Governments that embed green criteria into procurement systematically create the most durable markets for the green economy. Ireland’s €20 billion annual procurement spend, aligned to the GAPS toolkit, Buying Greener and the Circular Economy Strategy, gives green sector businesses a stable and credible green demand signal.