| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 53.85 |
| Liaison | Stephen Ellis |
| Submission Date | Oct. 7, 2021 |
Boston University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 3.00 |
Stephen
Ellis Director, Data Analytics BU Sustainability |
Does the institution have written policies, guidelines, or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across multiple commodity categories institution-wide?:
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
Boston University has developed a Supplier Diversity Program to align with goals and objectives outlined in Boston University’s Strategic Plan. Our primary goal is to create a more diverse and inclusive supplier base and provide increased access and opportunity to underrepresented diverse businesses, both locally and nationally, to provide products and service to the Boston University community. By increasing the competitive landscape for Boston University business opportunities, departments can achieve best total value when contracting for goods and services and realize valuable cost savings, which can be leveraged for more strategic initiatives.
Our inclusion practice drives suppliers to deliver best total value to Boston University, including quality, service, and cost, while promoting economic growth to our target demographic of diverse businesses. Businesses recognized as a diverse supplier undergo a formal certification process by applying through the State or a national certifying agency. We aim to work with certified diverse suppliers with the following certifications: MBE (Minority-Owned), WBE, WMBE (Women-Owned, Women Minority-Owned), WOSB, EDWOSB (Small Woman-Owned/ Economically Disadvantaged), LGBTBE (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender-Owned), and more.
More information on the Supplier Diversity Program is found in https://www.bu.edu/sourcing/supplierdiversity/
Does the institution employ Life Cycle Cost Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems?:
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Yes, Boston University Facilities uses only Green Cleaning Materials. Custodial Services reported that 99% of all cleaning and janitorial products used by the University are Green Certified Cleaning products by Green Seal and EcoLogo, the highest standards available for sustainable cleaning products. The University began its Sustainable Cleaning Program in the 1990s to address concerns for worker safety and the desire to increase efficiencies. A major step was the installation of cleaning command centers to better manage chemical use, minimize packaging waste, reduce the University’s carbon footprint, lower the chances of chemical-related injuries, and meet the cleanliness goals of the University.
Please see: https://www.bu.edu/sustainability/what-were-doing/green-buildings/sustainable-cleaning-program/
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating consumable office products?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
Boston University has a managed print program, MyPrint, to reduce the amount of paper used by students at the university. Each undergraduate student is allocated 100 sheets of paper for Black-White printing, and each graduate student is allocated 500. Once they reach the quota, they are required to pay $0.08 per sheet of Black-White printing and $0.25 or $0.40 for color printing.
Written standards for MyPrint for students can be found here: https://www.bu.edu/tech/services/cccs/printing/myprint/
In addition, individual departments at BU are encouraged to comply with two published standards for printing. The first one is MyPrint. Similar to MyPrint for students, MyPrint for departments encourages employees to use their print allocation on their department printers and reduce paper use. The second is Mainframe central printing, a service started by Information Systems & Technology, which allows employees to submit print jobs to a central printer instead of local departmental printers. This service helped decrease the number of individual printers used in each office across campus.
Information on MyPrint for departments and Mainframe central painting are available here:
https://www.bu.edu/tech/services/cccs/printing/myprint-for-departments/
https://www.bu.edu/tech/services/cccs/printing/mainframe-central-printing/
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating furniture and furnishings?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
Boston University has a stated preference for green building design and construction. All new construction projects beginning the design phase in 2018 or later will be designed to meet LEED Gold through BD+C and ID+C version 4.0 as laid out in the Climate Action Plan. For more information please see: http://www.bu.edu/climateactionplan/files/2017/12/17-11-25-New-Buildings-Final.pdf
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) and equipment?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
Boston University utilizes only EPEAT Gold standards in our standard computer purchases.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
BU has a full sustainability program for all of Dining Services and catering. In addition, the GSU Food Court is the only Certified Food Court in the US, with a 3 Star rating. Please see bu.edu/dining/sustainability for more info.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Currently, the university does not have any stated guidance on labor and human rights standards specific to Garments and Linens. All Boston University Purchase Orders and Contracts include language on the Code of Conduct. http://www.bu.edu/sourcing/suppliercenter/supplier_code_conduct/
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
No. Currently, the university does not have any stated Professional Service Guidance.
Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels?:
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
Boston University has a transportation plan as part of the climate action plan. BU has pushed suppliers such as WB Mason to create greener transportation fleets. In addition, we are working to consolidate deliveries to continue to lessen the delivery and transportation footprint. In addition, BU subsidizes monthly passes for the MBTA and encourages carpooling with additional benefits. For more information, please see https://www.bu.edu/parking/.
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:
This represents FY2020 metrics.
This represents FY2020 metrics.
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.