THE PUBLIC ENVIRONMENTAL AGENDA: BARRIERS TO THE ARTICULATION BETWEEN CRITERIA FOR SUSTAINABILITY AND THE NEW GUIDELINES

Abstract

The research aims at studying Normative Instruction N01/2010 and its practical implications as a new instrument for public policies which sets conditions to enable the environmental agenda in the public administration as issued by the Brazilian Department of Budget, Planning and Administration. It provides on the criteria for environmental sustainability in the acquisition of goods, contracting of services or work by the Federal Government administration. Thus, it is supposed that there is a need to apprehend new forms of dialogue between the public and private realms, the State and society, given the institutional changes faced by the present public administration and implied in the norm. However, the research problem to be answered is the following: which factors would be causing the absence of alignment between the criteria for environmental sustainability required from the federal public administration, to the situation the partner contracted organizations are in, so to promote such sustainability? A qualitative study was made, of an exploratory kind, entailing bibliographical, document and field research. Interviews were conducted in the latter with the public administrators involved in bidding procedures, as well as in the production of work projects and inspection of the construction of the new public buildings. The results from the research confirm the supposition of the study and present the main barriers for the affectivity of the norm pointing out that without a major articulation of the environmental bodies to the new guidelines of the federal public administration, with a clear acceptance of the responsibilities related to the norm, the environmental design, as proposed by the new legislations may find itself jeopardized.