Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 74.85
Liaison Andrea Trimble
Submission Date Feb. 8, 2024

STARS v2.2

University of Virginia
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.25 / 3.00 Dana Schroeder
Sustainability Outreach and Engagement Specialist
Office for Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies

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

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
---

The policies, guidelines or directives:
Virginia Purchasing Manual for Higher Education – Appendix C
Appendix C -- NAEP Code of Ethics
• Give first consideration to the objectives and policies of my Institution.
• Strive to obtain the maximum value for each dollar of expenditure.
• Decline personal gifts or gratuities.
• Grant all competitive suppliers equal consideration insofar as State or federal statute and Institutional policy permit.
• Conduct business with potential and current suppliers in an atmosphere of good faith, devoid of intentional misrepresentation.
• Demand honesty in sales representation whether offered through the medium of a verbal or written statement, an advertisement, or a sample of the product.
• Receive consent of originator of proprietary ideas and designs before using them for competitive purchasing purposes.
• Make every reasonable effort to negotiate an equitable and mutually agreeable settlement of any controversy with a supplier; and/or be willing to submit any major controversies to arbitration or other third party review, insofar as the established policies of my Institution permit.
• Accord a prompt and courteous reception insofar as conditions permit to all who call on legitimate business missions.
• Cooperate with trade, industrial and professional associations, and with governmental and private agencies for the purposes of promoting and developing sound business methods.
• Foster fair, ethical and legal trade practices.
• Counsel and cooperate with NAEP members and promote a spirit of unity and a keen interest in professional growth among them.
National Association of Educational Procurement -- Adopted July 1, 1985
Training and support programs in coordination with UVA Sustainability Office
Green Workplace Program which provides training on selecting sustainable purchases/alternatives to purchasing.
Green Labs promotes suppliers with sustainable product offerings both in training and with a supplier fair annually.
Green Athletics promotes zero waste in purchases with catering suppliers and supports a cooperative program to onboard and purchase from more caterers in this program.
UVA Recycling and the ReUse Store at UVa is showcased on the purchasing platform at UVA for departments to consider sourcing from these units over purchasing new items when possible.

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 as a matter of policy and standard practice when evaluating all energy- and water-using products, systems and building components

A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
UVA's Green Building Standards require life cycle costing for all projects (page 10): Perform ongoing life cycle costing analyses according to the following requirements:

"1. Using the UVA Life Cycle Cost (LCC) Calculator, analyze major systems options at significant
design stages. Coordinate with energy modeling efforts, where applicable.
2. Provide life cycle justification, including documentation of LCC metrics for all life cycle cost-based
decisions.
3. When evaluating cost-saving measures (e.g., value management sessions), present operational
costs in addition to first costs using the UVA Life Cycle Cost Calculator."

https://sustainability.virginia.edu/resources/current-uva-green-building-standards

Additionally, UVA has its own life cycle cost calculator that is used in this analysis: https://sustainability.virginia.edu/resources/uva-life-cycle-cost-calculator

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

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
---

Consumable office products

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
UVA follows the Code of Virginia requirements for recycled paper:

2.2-4326. Preference for recycled paper and paper products used by state agencies.
A. In determining the award of any contract for paper and paper products to be purchased for use by agencies of the Commonwealth, the Department of General Services shall procure using competitive sealed bidding and shall award to the lowest responsible bidder offering recycled paper and paper products of a quality suitable for the purpose intended, so long as the bid price is not more than ten percent greater than the bid price of the low responsive and responsible bidder offering a product that does not qualify under subsection B.

B. For purposes of this section, recycled paper and paper products means any paper or paper products meeting the EPA Recommended Content Standards as defined in 40 C.F.R. Part 247.

Furniture and furnishings

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
UVA's Green Building Standards https://oubo.virginia.edu/assets/documents/FDG13.1ed_2023.pdf
requires the following in regards to new and used furniture:
" All new furniture and furnishing items must meet the applicable VOC limits outlined in the LEED v4.1 EQ Credit: Low Emitting Materials (e.g., ANSI/BIFMA e3-2014e). Used furniture: Coordinate with UVA Reuse Store (https://www.fm.virginia.edu/programs/
reusestore/index.html) to dispose of usable furniture.

Information Technology (IT) and equipment

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
Per UVA policy, Office equipment such as printers, fax machines, training equipment, and copiers shall be co-located and shared to the extent possible.

All new purchases will be ENERGY STAR-rated per the UVA Procurement Services guidelines.

https://uvapolicy.virginia.edu/policy/PRM-002

Food service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
---

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:
---

Professional service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
No

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
---

Transportation and fuels

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

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

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s sustainable procurement program or initiatives is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

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.