1. Misinformation that green products more expensive.
   While purchasing green products can have higher initial purchasing costs, the overall costs often actually decrease since the higher purchasing prices of green goods and services are compensated for by lower operating, maintenance or disposal costs. Life-Cycle Costing (LCC) approach can help calculate a more accurate cost of a product over its full life cycle.
2. Lack of practical tools and information.
   Without easy-to-use tools and easy-to-understand information, it is unrealistic to expect procurers, managers and public officers to adopt GPP. In the GPP Bhutan project, IISD, together with our implementing partners and participating government/public agencies will build tools and create information materials for public procurers to ensure there are practical tools at our disposal.
3. Limited or no training.
   Procurers and staff responsible for procurement must be educated on the legal and technical aspects of GPP implementation and on the concept of life-cycle costing. End-users must also be educated on the sustainable use of products. GPP Bhutan will aim to develop a dedicated curricula at the Royal Institute for Management (RIM) for training procurers.
4. Limited availability of and expertise in environmental and social criteria.
   It is a struggle to define what an “environmentally and/or socially preferable” product or service is as this is a new concept in Bhutan and fairly new even around the world. Globally, there are limited established environmental/social criteria for products and services, making it challenging to incorporate environmental/social considerations into the tendering process. GPP Bhutan project will build on existing practices and criteria used around the world.
5. Limited availability of GPP products and services.
   As the GPP concept is new in Bhutan as well as India, our largest trading partner, supply of products that fulfill environmental and social criteria may be limited. However, GPP is becoming a an emerging concept of interest in India, thus finding the right networks in India will be a part of the GPP Bhutan project. In addition, this challenge can be an opportunity for Bhutanese manufacturers and entrepreneurs to focus on producing and supplying green products and services in Bhutan and even become globally competitive.
6. Difficulty of integration into management systems.
   A common and consistent application of environmental and social criteria across the board will be necessary for GPP to be effective. In addition, all public departments have to embrace the change and adjust to the new procurement method which requires commitment and adaptability. Through the cooperation and collaboration from the participating government/public agencies involved in the project, GPP Bhutan hopes to overcome this challenge.