Fayetteville, AR Environmental Purchasing Policy
Fayetteville,
AR,
US
Type: Policy
Status: Adopted on 3/10/08
Text:
Policy Number: PU-16
PU-16.0 PURPOSE:
The purpose of this directive is to create a formal policy establishing City of Fayetteville’s purchasing program for environmentally preferable products and services.
City of Fayetteville recognizes we are a large consumer of goods and services. Every one of our purchases has an environmental impact resulting from the combined impact of a product’s manufacture, use, and disposition. As a result, every day, the purchasing decisions of our employees and contractors can positively or negatively affect the environment.
The goal of this policy is to reduce the adverse environmental impact of our purchasing decisions by buying goods and services from manufacturers and vendors who share our commitment to the environment. By including environmental considerations in our purchasing decisions, along with our traditional concerns with price, performance, and availability, we will remain fiscally responsible while promoting practices that improve public health and safety, reduce pollution, conserve natural resources, and reward manufacturers and vendors that reduce the adverse environmental impact of their production and distribution systems.
PU-16.1 DEFINING ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE
Buying the most environmentally preferable alternative means City of Fayetteville will seek products and services that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment.
In practice, this means seeking products that have reduced environmental impact because of the way they are made, used, transported, stored, packaged, and disposed of. It means looking for products that do not harm human health, are less polluting, and that minimize waste, maximize use of bio-based or recycled materials, conserve energy and water, and reduce the consumption or disposal of hazardous materials.
PUR.16-2 BALANCING ENVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS WITH PERFORMANCE, AVAILABILITY, AND FINANCIAL COST
City of Fayetteville is committed to buying more environmentally preferable goods and services as long as they meet our performance needs and they are available within a reasonable period of time at a reasonable cost. Nothing in this policy shall be construed as requiring a purchaser or contractor to procure products that do not perform adequately for their intended use, exclude adequate competition, or are not available at a reasonable price or in a reasonable period of time.
When comparing cost, City of Fayetteville will not focus exclusively on the initial price. Instead, we will calculate and compare total costs over the life of the item, which includes the initial cost along with maintenance, operating, insurance, disposal, replacement, and potential liability costs. Examining life cycle costs will save money by ensuring we are quantifying the total cost of ownership before making purchasing decisions.
City of Fayetteville recognizes that competition exists not only in prices, but also in the technical competence of suppliers, in their ability to make timely deliveries, and in the quality and performance, including environmental performance, of their products and services. Balancing these sometimes competing factors means that initial cost is never the only consideration. Instead, the City will continue to follow existing state law by purchasing the item with the lowest life-cycle cost.
PUR.16.3 ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENTAL PURCHASING TASK FORCE
The purchasing manager and the sustainability coordinator shall establish an environmental purchasing task force.
The Task Force will review the following for possible implementation:
- Identify environmentally preferable purchasing opportunities.
- Develop metrics for measuring progress in implementing the goals of this policy.
- Recommend ways to integrate adherence to the requirements of the environmental purchasing policy into employee job descriptions.
- Recognize the efforts of individuals and departments that are successful at implementing the goals of this policy.
- Review and approve an annual report documenting efforts to buy more environmentally preferable goods and services.
PUR.16.4 ESTABLISHING INITIAL PRIORITIES
The environmental purchasing task force will examine purchases of the following commodities and, based on anticipated purchasing needs and volume, prioritize its efforts to integrate environmental considerations into their purchase:
- Recycled content products
- Energy Star products
- Building renovation and new construction
- Cleaning products and services
- Furniture
- Hybrid, electric, or alternative fuel vehicles
- Landscaping products and services
- Paint and painting services
- Paper (beyond the initial recycled-content requirements)
- Pest management products and services
- Renewable energy
- Vehicle maintenance products and services
PUR.16.5 REVIEWING EXISTING SPECIFICATIONS, SOLICITATION LANGUAGE, AND PURCHASING REGULATIONS
The purchasing manager will ensure procedures are in place to review upcoming procurements so that wherever possible specifications, solicitation language, and purchasing regulations are amended to expand the use of more environmentally preferable products.
The review will include the following:
- All generic solicitation language, purchasing regulations, and procedures should be reviewed to ensure they do not conflict with the goals of this environmental purchasing policy.
- All products for which the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has developed recycled-content recommendations <http://www.epa.gov/cpg> should meet or exceed EPA’s recommended recycled content percentages unless costs are prohibitive or other environmental considerations are more important.
- All products for which the federal Energy Star program has developed energy-efficiency standards <http://www.energystar.gov> should meet or exceed the Energy Star standard unless costs are prohibitive or other environmental considerations are more important.
- All products for which the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has developed bio-based recommendations <http://www.ars.usda.gov/bbcc> should meet or exceed USDA’s recommended bio-based percentages, unless costs are prohibitive or other environmental considerations are more important.
- All products and services for which the Environmental Choice <http://www.environmentalchoice.com> or Green Seal <http://www.greenseal.org> standard setting organizations have established standards should meet or exceed those standards unless costs are prohibitive or other environmental considerations are more important.
- Recommend changes to the environmental purchasing policy.
PUR.16.6 PROMOTING ENVIRONMENTAL PURCHASING
Every department should be aware of City of Fayetteville’s desire to buy more environmentally preferable goods and services from companies sharing our environmental commitment.
Every department is responsible for ensuring that any of its employees who have been issued procurement cards are fully aware of their responsibilities under this policy.
Every department shall also encourage their contractors and consultants to use environmentally preferable products whenever cost effective and to the extent practicable for all work completed on behalf of City of Fayetteville.
If a department would like to be included in the report, it should provide purchasing information that highlights their accomplishments no later than mid January of each year. The information submitted will be combined into a report that will be submitted to the environmental task force. After approval by the environmental task force the report will be posted on the City’s website to promote the City’s efforts and commitment to environmental sustainability.