University at Buffalo
OP-10: Computer Purchasing

Part 1

Institution has an institution-wide stated preference to purchase Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Silver or higher products.  This can take the form of purchasing policies, guidelines, or directives.  This credit does not include specialized computers for which no EPEAT certified products are available. Policies and directives adopted by entities of which the institution is part (e.g. state government or the university system) may count for this credit as long as the policies apply to and are followed by the institution. 

Part 2

Institution purchases Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) Silver and/or Gold registered products for standard desktop and notebook/laptop computers and monitors.  This credit does not include specialized computers for which no EPEAT certified products are available. 

This credit applies to all institutions. 

Each part of the credit is scored separately.  Institutions may earn points based on the percentage of expenditures that are EPEAT Silver or Gold (Part 2) regardless of whether they earn points for having an institution-wide stated preference for purchasing such products (Part 1). 

Part 1

0.5 points are awarded for having an institution-wide stated preference to purchase EPEAT Silver or higher computers and monitors.

Part 2

Institutions earn the maximum of 1.5 points available for this part of the credit for purchasing exclusively EPEAT Gold computers and monitors.  Incremental points are available based on the percentage of purchased products that are EPEAT Silver or Gold.  For example, an institution that purchased 50 percent EPEAT Gold and 50 percent non-certified computers and monitors would earn 0.75 points (half of the points available for this credit). 

Timeframe

Part 1

Report on current policies, directives, or guidelines.

Part 2

Report the most recent data available. 

Sampling and Data Standards

Part 1

Report on purchasing policies, directives, or guidelines that apply to the entire institution.

Part 2

Institutions may track purchases over a one-year time period or take a representative sample to determine the EPEAT level of computer purchases.  When using a sample, institutions should strive to ensure that the sample recognizes seasonal and other variations that influence purchasing behavior.