Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 55.24
Liaison Paul Scanlon
Submission Date Feb. 22, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Slippery Rock University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.50 / 3.00 Paul Scanlon
Special Assistant to the President
President's Office/Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1: Institution-Wide Policies 

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Standard Contract for Services includes clauses covering "Environmental Provisions","Post-Consumer Recycled Content," and "Nondiscrimination/Sexual Harassment" requirements to which SRU procurement is responsible for adhering. The SRU Purchasing department is tasked with following these contract requirements as indicated in their Mission Statement: "MISSION" The mission of the Purchasing and Contracting Departments is to provide for the purchase of goods, services, supplies and construction with the objective that they will be available at the proper time, location, quality and price consistent with the needs of the University. All procurement of goods, services, supplies, and construction for the University will conform to the policies, procedures, and statutory limitations published in the Commonwealth Procurement Code and The Board of Governors Policy 1998-04 Procurement of Goods, Services, Supplies and Construction. The Purchasing and Contracting Departments will actively search, pursue and develop responsible vendors with whom to do business. However, to maintain impartiality and to follow good procurement practices, business will be solicited from vendors within the Commonwealth as well as the entire United States. In addition, the Purchasing and Contracting Departments will actively pursue and develop minority vendors with whom to do business." http://www.sru.edu/offices/purchasing/policies-and-guides

Part 2: Life Cycle Cost Analysis 

Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Yes

Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
Institution employs LCCA less comprehensively, e.g. for certain types of systems or projects and not others

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
The use of Life Cycle Costing for evaluating major building energy-related enhancements are mandated in the PASSHE Strategic Energy Plan. SRU's Facilities Planning and Construction Department also employs LCCA on energy/water conservation projects (for example, ROI and Cash Flow Projections were used to evaluate proposed projects on a large Guaranteed Energy Savings Agreement program started in 2017).

Part 3: Commodity-Specific Sustainability Criteria

To count, the criteria must address the specific sustainability challenges and impacts associated with products/services in each category, e.g. by requiring or giving preference to multi-criteria sustainability standards, certifications and labels appropriate to the category. Broader, institution-wide policies should be reported in Part 1, above. 

Chemically Intensive Products and Services

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services (e.g. building and facilities maintenance, cleaning and sanitizing, landscaping and grounds maintenance)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Contracts with Advanced Cleaning Systems (ACS) in Residential Suites and for Integrated Service Solutions (ISS) for North, Rhoads and ROCK Apartments require green cleaning products/approaches.

Construction and Renovation 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating construction and renovation products (e.g. furnishings and building materials)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for construction and renovation products:
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Standard Contract for Services (see attached file from Part 1 above) includes minimum recycling content for construction products, landscaping products, park and recreation products, non-paper office products, and miscellaneous products such as wood pallets.

Information Technology (IT) 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) products and services (e.g. computers, imaging equipment, mobile phones, data centers and cloud services)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for IT products and services:
Standard procedure for the SRU Information Technology Administrative Services (IATS) department is to specify and purchase only Gold-certified EPEAT products for all items that are EPEAT certifiable.

Food Services 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food services (i.e. franchises, vending services, concessions, convenience stores)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food services:
The contract for the University's food service provider contains numerous sustainability requirements, including recycling, composting, sustainable farm supplier, waste minimization, nutrition education and others.

Garments and Linens 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
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Professional Services 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional services (e.g. architectural, engineering, public relations, financial)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional services:
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Transportation and Fuels 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels (e.g. travel, vehicles, delivery services, long haul transport, generator fuels, steam plants)?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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Wood and Paper 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating wood and paper products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for wood and paper products:
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Standard Contract for Services (see attached file from Part 1 above) includes minimum recycling content for paper products and miscellaneous products (including wooden pallets, plaques and sorbents).

Other Commodity Categories 

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating products and services in other commodity categories that the institution has determined to have significant sustainability impacts?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for other commodity categories:
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.