| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 68.78 |
| Liaison | Kelly Wellman |
| Submission Date | Dec. 20, 2023 |
Texas A&M University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.25 / 3.00 |
Dean
Endler Executive Director Contract Administration |
"---"
indicates that no data was submitted for this field
Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies
Yes
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
GREEN PURCHASING INITIATIVE
BEST PRACTICES
WHAT IS GREEN PURCHASING?
“Going green” is no longer an obscure point somewhere near the bottom of a priorities list. Also known as “Environmental Preferable Purchasing" (EPP) or sustainability, green purchasing has become a major focus of government, industry, and the general public all over the world. The green program involves the purchase of products and services that minimize negative effects on the environment. It entails buying products that have a smaller impact on the environment than comparable products. Green program items include services that conserve energy, minimized generated waste; products made from recycled materials that can be reused or recycled; products used as alternatives to hazardous or toxic chemicals. Alternative fuel vehicles, bio-based products, energy-efficient products, and non-ozone depleting substances are other EPP products. A successful EPP or green purchasing program typically starts with a few carefully targeted purchasing changes. With established procedures and methods, those purchasing changes allow the selection of green products that are safe to use and benefit the environment. Using these products create markets for processed and used materials, thus conserving natural resources and energy. Also, buying recycled products results in reduced solid waste, less air pollutants, reduced water pollutants, and decreased greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Specific circumstances might arise that preclude the purchase of products made with recovered materials. These circumstances are the price of a designated item made with recovered materials is unreasonably high; there is inadequate competition; unusual and unreasonable delays would result
from obtaining recovered products; the recycled content item does not meet the reasonable performance specifications requested by the requisitioner.
Why buy green or recycled products? Diverting recyclables from the waste stream is the first of three steps in recycling or going green. The second step occurs when companies use recycled products to manufacture new products. The third step comes when buyers purchase items made from recycled materials.
Buying green is important to the reduction of pollution, the conservation of natural resources and energy and the creation of awareness to the environment. Inadequate knowledge about the subject of green purchasing is usually the key barrier to implementing a green purchasing program.
GREEN PURCHASING GOALS
A successful green procurement program begins with the university’s colleges, departments and units. While Texas A&M maintains a central procurement office, each college, department and unit maintains delegated purchasing authority with procurement providing assistance on the acquisition of goods and services. Colleges, units and departments must engage management for support of the program and establish clear program policies and goals.,.
In coordination with college, department and unit level business staff, Procurement Services can assist with identifying vendors offering goods and services to help reduce the level of pollution and waste in the landfills by encouraging the reduction, reuse or recycling of goods and services. Green purchasing is a growing trend but a primary barrier to this endeavor is the opposition to the cost of implementing environmentally friendly purchasing practices. Buyers must always be cognizant of the green products trend and consider requesting green products when working requisitions for items such as furniture, carpet, office products, janitorial products and alternative fuels. Below is sustainability language in Invitations for Bid (IFBs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs) and any other form of solicitation to emphasize to suppliers the commitment Texas A&M has to sustainability in procurement.
GREEN PURCHASING SOLICITATION LANGUAGE
Solicitation language
“Texas A&M University is committed to campus sustainability initiatives. Support of these initiatives necessarily includes the purchase of goods and services that minimize the impact on the environment to the greatest extent possible. Texas A&M University requests Bidder’s assistance in campus sustainability initiatives by informing in any bid response, or other discussions, of Bidder’s sustainability practices or environmentally sustainable product offerings. For example, alternative products available from Bidder which may be recyclable or reusable, end of life (obsolescence) return of equipment to Bidder, energy saving devices, return to Bidder of shipping containers, packaging or like excess materials.”
All suppliers are encouraged to visit the websites for these ecolabeling and certification programs for complete product specifications and updated lists of qualifying products.
In an effort to track the environmental characteristics of the companies with which the university works, Texas A&M requests that suppliers list and describe their specific sustainability initiatives as they related to manufacturing processes and corporate practices.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PROCUREMENT SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Procure goods and services
o Provide customer service, training and quality assurance for procurement tools in Invitation for Bid, Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, University-wide contracts and agreements, and utilize state level agreements under TXMAS and DIR
• Create best overall value of goods and services
• Offer e-commerce solution to increase paperless purchasing transactions.
GREEN PURCHASING BEST PRACTICES
Identify items for core list and determine basic recycled content
Include blanket sustainability statement in RFPs, RFIs and IFBs
Request vendor presentations about green products
Assist departments with sourcing and identifying green products
Train buying staff on green purchasing
Work with sustainability committee to identify green products to meet university goals
Identify green products that are available from HUB vendors
Identify green products for inclusion to master agreements
Review and evaluate existing master agreements to determine if green products language should be negotiated and added to supplier requirements
GREEN PURCHASING DEFINITIONS
1. Energy Star – Lower operating impact designation.
2. Environmental Preferable Purchasing – Also referred to as EPP, Involves buying products/services whose environment impacts have been considered and found to be less damaging to the environment when compared to competing products and services.
3. Green Purchasing – Also known as affirmative procurement. Procurement of products or services considered to be environmentally preferable, meaning those products that have a comparatively smaller negative effect on the environment. The aim is to eliminate waste, prevent pollution and improve the quality of the environment.
4. Green Purchasing Plan – A green purchasing plan is the strategy for maximizing purchases of green products and services. The plan should be developed in a manner that ensures that green products and services are purchased to the maximum extent practicable and demonstrates that the green purchasing plans include purchasing the products, monitoring implementation of the green purchasing programs and taking corrective action.
5. Green Seal Product Standard – An independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services.
6. Post Consumer Material – A material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, having completed its life as a consumer item.
7. Pre-consumer Materials – Materials generated in manufacturing and converting processes such as manufacturing scrap and trimmings/cuttings.
8. Recovered Material – Waste materials and byproducts that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste stream, but does not include materials and byproducts generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.
9. Sustainability – The ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supportive ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
BEST PRACTICES
WHAT IS GREEN PURCHASING?
“Going green” is no longer an obscure point somewhere near the bottom of a priorities list. Also known as “Environmental Preferable Purchasing" (EPP) or sustainability, green purchasing has become a major focus of government, industry, and the general public all over the world. The green program involves the purchase of products and services that minimize negative effects on the environment. It entails buying products that have a smaller impact on the environment than comparable products. Green program items include services that conserve energy, minimized generated waste; products made from recycled materials that can be reused or recycled; products used as alternatives to hazardous or toxic chemicals. Alternative fuel vehicles, bio-based products, energy-efficient products, and non-ozone depleting substances are other EPP products. A successful EPP or green purchasing program typically starts with a few carefully targeted purchasing changes. With established procedures and methods, those purchasing changes allow the selection of green products that are safe to use and benefit the environment. Using these products create markets for processed and used materials, thus conserving natural resources and energy. Also, buying recycled products results in reduced solid waste, less air pollutants, reduced water pollutants, and decreased greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Specific circumstances might arise that preclude the purchase of products made with recovered materials. These circumstances are the price of a designated item made with recovered materials is unreasonably high; there is inadequate competition; unusual and unreasonable delays would result
from obtaining recovered products; the recycled content item does not meet the reasonable performance specifications requested by the requisitioner.
Why buy green or recycled products? Diverting recyclables from the waste stream is the first of three steps in recycling or going green. The second step occurs when companies use recycled products to manufacture new products. The third step comes when buyers purchase items made from recycled materials.
Buying green is important to the reduction of pollution, the conservation of natural resources and energy and the creation of awareness to the environment. Inadequate knowledge about the subject of green purchasing is usually the key barrier to implementing a green purchasing program.
GREEN PURCHASING GOALS
A successful green procurement program begins with the university’s colleges, departments and units. While Texas A&M maintains a central procurement office, each college, department and unit maintains delegated purchasing authority with procurement providing assistance on the acquisition of goods and services. Colleges, units and departments must engage management for support of the program and establish clear program policies and goals.,.
In coordination with college, department and unit level business staff, Procurement Services can assist with identifying vendors offering goods and services to help reduce the level of pollution and waste in the landfills by encouraging the reduction, reuse or recycling of goods and services. Green purchasing is a growing trend but a primary barrier to this endeavor is the opposition to the cost of implementing environmentally friendly purchasing practices. Buyers must always be cognizant of the green products trend and consider requesting green products when working requisitions for items such as furniture, carpet, office products, janitorial products and alternative fuels. Below is sustainability language in Invitations for Bid (IFBs), Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs) and any other form of solicitation to emphasize to suppliers the commitment Texas A&M has to sustainability in procurement.
GREEN PURCHASING SOLICITATION LANGUAGE
Solicitation language
“Texas A&M University is committed to campus sustainability initiatives. Support of these initiatives necessarily includes the purchase of goods and services that minimize the impact on the environment to the greatest extent possible. Texas A&M University requests Bidder’s assistance in campus sustainability initiatives by informing in any bid response, or other discussions, of Bidder’s sustainability practices or environmentally sustainable product offerings. For example, alternative products available from Bidder which may be recyclable or reusable, end of life (obsolescence) return of equipment to Bidder, energy saving devices, return to Bidder of shipping containers, packaging or like excess materials.”
All suppliers are encouraged to visit the websites for these ecolabeling and certification programs for complete product specifications and updated lists of qualifying products.
In an effort to track the environmental characteristics of the companies with which the university works, Texas A&M requests that suppliers list and describe their specific sustainability initiatives as they related to manufacturing processes and corporate practices.
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY PROCUREMENT SERVICES RESPONSIBILITIES:
• Procure goods and services
o Provide customer service, training and quality assurance for procurement tools in Invitation for Bid, Request for Proposal, Request for Quote, University-wide contracts and agreements, and utilize state level agreements under TXMAS and DIR
• Create best overall value of goods and services
• Offer e-commerce solution to increase paperless purchasing transactions.
GREEN PURCHASING BEST PRACTICES
Identify items for core list and determine basic recycled content
Include blanket sustainability statement in RFPs, RFIs and IFBs
Request vendor presentations about green products
Assist departments with sourcing and identifying green products
Train buying staff on green purchasing
Work with sustainability committee to identify green products to meet university goals
Identify green products that are available from HUB vendors
Identify green products for inclusion to master agreements
Review and evaluate existing master agreements to determine if green products language should be negotiated and added to supplier requirements
GREEN PURCHASING DEFINITIONS
1. Energy Star – Lower operating impact designation.
2. Environmental Preferable Purchasing – Also referred to as EPP, Involves buying products/services whose environment impacts have been considered and found to be less damaging to the environment when compared to competing products and services.
3. Green Purchasing – Also known as affirmative procurement. Procurement of products or services considered to be environmentally preferable, meaning those products that have a comparatively smaller negative effect on the environment. The aim is to eliminate waste, prevent pollution and improve the quality of the environment.
4. Green Purchasing Plan – A green purchasing plan is the strategy for maximizing purchases of green products and services. The plan should be developed in a manner that ensures that green products and services are purchased to the maximum extent practicable and demonstrates that the green purchasing plans include purchasing the products, monitoring implementation of the green purchasing programs and taking corrective action.
5. Green Seal Product Standard – An independent non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase and use of environmentally responsible products and services.
6. Post Consumer Material – A material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been diverted or recovered from waste destined for disposal, having completed its life as a consumer item.
7. Pre-consumer Materials – Materials generated in manufacturing and converting processes such as manufacturing scrap and trimmings/cuttings.
8. Recovered Material – Waste materials and byproducts that have been recovered or diverted from solid waste stream, but does not include materials and byproducts generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.
9. Sustainability – The ability to meet the needs of the present while living within the carrying capacity of supportive ecosystems and without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
Part 2. Life Cycle Cost Analysis
No
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:
---
Part 3. Product-specific sustainability criteria
To count, the criteria must address the specific sustainability challenges and impacts associated with products and/or 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
Yes
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
SSC Purely Green Standard
The SSC Purely Green Standard was written to encourage the use of environmentally responsible chemicals, equipment and processes, as well as protecting the health of those, both in and around the buildings that adhere to the standard. It also encourages decisions, in the tasks that we do every day, which will result in a less harmful impact on the environment both locally and worldwide. The standard aims to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, improve indoor air quality and conserve natural resources all while maintaining a clean learning environment. It is our hope that the standard will also educate workers and students alike so that environmentally conscious decisions will continue beyond these walls and will impact those in the community; all of which will result in a cleaner, healthier world for everyone.
The complete Purely Green Standard can be viewed at https://ssc.tamu.edu/custodial/.
The SSC Purely Green Standard was written to encourage the use of environmentally responsible chemicals, equipment and processes, as well as protecting the health of those, both in and around the buildings that adhere to the standard. It also encourages decisions, in the tasks that we do every day, which will result in a less harmful impact on the environment both locally and worldwide. The standard aims to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, improve indoor air quality and conserve natural resources all while maintaining a clean learning environment. It is our hope that the standard will also educate workers and students alike so that environmentally conscious decisions will continue beyond these walls and will impact those in the community; all of which will result in a cleaner, healthier world for everyone.
The complete Purely Green Standard can be viewed at https://ssc.tamu.edu/custodial/.
Consumable office products
No
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
---
Furniture and furnishings
Yes
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
2017 Campus Master Plan, Section 4: BUILT ENVIRONMENT AND SITE DESIGN
The Texas A&M UES Guidelines state that projects are to be LEED Silver
equivalent but may or may not be certified by the Green Building Certification
Institute (GBCI). At the time this guideline was articulated, GBCI certified
projects under LEED 2009, but this system sunset on October 31, 2016 and
was replaced by LEEDv4, a significantly more robust green building rating
system. Developing LEEDv4 Silver equivalent projects may or may not be
appropriate to Texas A&M’s performance objectives and the institution must
determine what elements of LEED 2009, LEEDv4, and SITES are appropriate
for future campus development. While each of these systems have unique
attributes, they share common ground that will help Texas A&M operate their
existing 24 million square feet of building space more efficiently in addition to
developing new projects to their best performance abilities.
Adopt Appropriate Facility Performance Criteria
The energy code requirements for Texas A&M University require new
construction projects to exceed ASHRAE90.1-2013 by 6% and require
renovations to meet the existing building provisions of ASHRAE90.1-2013.
This standard is inconsistently achieved because of the variety of compliance
methods that standard allows. To keep pace with the increasingly complex
green project certification standards that exist in today’s building industry,
Texas A&M must develop specific, enforceable guidelines empowering the
Design Review Sub-Council to verify all design consultants and construction
contractors for the University meet Texas A&M’s intention to build high-performance projects.
The facility performance criteria should articulate:
• Minimum energy modeling criteria that verify projects meet the existing
building requirements of ASHRAE90.1-2013 for renovations or exceed it by
6% for new construction.
• Maximum levels of VOCs permitted in sealants, paints, coatings, flooring
systems, wood, furniture, and agrifiber products.
The Texas A&M UES Guidelines state that projects are to be LEED Silver
equivalent but may or may not be certified by the Green Building Certification
Institute (GBCI). At the time this guideline was articulated, GBCI certified
projects under LEED 2009, but this system sunset on October 31, 2016 and
was replaced by LEEDv4, a significantly more robust green building rating
system. Developing LEEDv4 Silver equivalent projects may or may not be
appropriate to Texas A&M’s performance objectives and the institution must
determine what elements of LEED 2009, LEEDv4, and SITES are appropriate
for future campus development. While each of these systems have unique
attributes, they share common ground that will help Texas A&M operate their
existing 24 million square feet of building space more efficiently in addition to
developing new projects to their best performance abilities.
Adopt Appropriate Facility Performance Criteria
The energy code requirements for Texas A&M University require new
construction projects to exceed ASHRAE90.1-2013 by 6% and require
renovations to meet the existing building provisions of ASHRAE90.1-2013.
This standard is inconsistently achieved because of the variety of compliance
methods that standard allows. To keep pace with the increasingly complex
green project certification standards that exist in today’s building industry,
Texas A&M must develop specific, enforceable guidelines empowering the
Design Review Sub-Council to verify all design consultants and construction
contractors for the University meet Texas A&M’s intention to build high-performance projects.
The facility performance criteria should articulate:
• Minimum energy modeling criteria that verify projects meet the existing
building requirements of ASHRAE90.1-2013 for renovations or exceed it by
6% for new construction.
• Maximum levels of VOCs permitted in sealants, paints, coatings, flooring
systems, wood, furniture, and agrifiber products.
Information Technology (IT) and equipment
No
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
---
Food service providers
No
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
---
Garments and linens
No
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
TAMU holds a licensing contract with Barnes and Noble for online and bookstore purchases of TAMU gear. Per the Barnes and Noble website: We have been recognized as an industry leader in the effort to eliminate sweatshops used to produce college apparel. Barnes and Noble is a member of the Fair Labor Association (FLA) and since 1998, has required all vendors who supply products to its stores to adopt the FLA’s Code of Conduct, which requires strict adherence to workers’ rights (and no child labor). And all of the brands sold in bookstores currently meet labor standards set by the Workers Rights Consortium (WCA).
http://www.fairlabor.org/affiliate/barnes-noble-college-booksellers
http://www.fairlabor.org/affiliate/barnes-noble-college-booksellers
Professional service providers
Yes
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Professional services are contracted through a competitive solicitation process which establishes evaluation criteria such as experience, quality, schedule, minority and women-owned business subcontractor percentages, and sustainability. Sustainability is included in section 16 of our Bidding Requirements. TAMU has not established universal sustainability selection criteria. The review of sustainability elements and criteria is determined by each solicitation’s evaluation team with sustainability weighted uniquely to the intended outcomes of a given project.
The complete bid requirements can be found at the following address with Section 17 addressing the university's commitment to campus sustainability initiatives:
https://purchasing.tamu.edu/media/1602678/tamu-bid-terms.pdf
The complete bid requirements can be found at the following address with Section 17 addressing the university's commitment to campus sustainability initiatives:
https://purchasing.tamu.edu/media/1602678/tamu-bid-terms.pdf
Transportation and fuels
No
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
---
Optional Fields
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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.