Colorado College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

In terms of employee wages, the college’s three biggest contracts (with Sodexo, Bon Appetit and Barnes & Noble) require that the companies provide a living wage, currently $11.98, for all employees who provide services under the contract. In terms of environmental standards, the facilities department Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines state aims to “reward vendors who reduce environmental impacts in their production and distribution systems or services,” “create a model for successfully purchasing environmentally preferable products that encourages other purchasers in our community to adopt similar goals,” “stimulate demand for ‘environmentally friendly’ products by educating manufacturers and suppliers about the college’s expectations of environmental performance in products,” and “educate ourselves, our vendors, and our end users.” The college is committed to developing mutually beneficial relationships with small, minority-owned, women-owned, disadvantaged, veteran-owned, and local business enterprises. This creates diversification in the college’s contractor pool through increased opportunities for vendors who have not worked directly or indirectly with the college. When possible, Colorado College considers environmental impact in purchasing decisions. The use of products and services with less environmental impact will be considered favorably when it is a best-value decision to do so. Factors included in the decision are: energy efficiency; shipping materials (returnable, reusable, or made from recycled content); and environmental performance of the supplier/producer (waste prevention, waste reduction, pollution prevention, clean air/water programs, and other initiatives). Colorado College's preference is to purchase EPEAT Gold registered products and Energy Star certified products whenever possible.

The college serves as a “model of environmental stewardship and innovation by advancing both the study and the practice of sustainability.” The college strives to reflect innovation in the application and evolution of sustainability practices related both to the built environment and to the management of College resources. The best procurement practice is not to make decisions based on first costs only. The best sustainable practice is to valuate life-cycle costs of design alternatives to reduce long term operating and maintenance costs of major building systems. Life-cycle costs should be based on a “whole-building perspective”, rather than from only the perspective of individual building systems or components. • Opportunities for achieving energy and water use reductions should be identified by design and engineering professionals in every construction or renovation project and considered for implementation based on life-cycle cost savings; impact on reaching carbon neutrality; and the importance of demonstrating social responsibility by supporting the college core values and taking a leadership role in nurturing the ethic of environmental sustainability. • New buildings, additions to existing buildings, or existing building renovations should minimize building life-cycle costs, direct and indirect, relating to energy use, maintenance, waste disposal and occupant health & productivity. Life-cycle costs should be based on a “whole-building perspective”, rather than from the perspective of individual building systems or components. • Minimize environmental impacts throughout the building life-cycle, including product manufacturing, construction activity, use/occupancy, and demolition or renovation/reuse. • Purchasing of goods and services from manufacturers and vendors shall comply with the Colorado College Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines.

Landscaping & Grounds Maintenance: A green landscaping O&M plan helps to fully realize the intended state of a building‘s landscaping while also protecting the local and regional ecosystem and human health. Landscaping should be maintained to maximize the health of plants and people, while also reducing impacts on the planet and budget. Include strategies to reduce the need for pesticides, fertilizers, water, and maintenance, and to preserve natural resources. The plan should cover all aspects of grounds maintenance including plant care, turf management, irrigation, integrated pest management (IPM), and hardscapes. Green Cleaning: Green cleaning is a holistic approach to janitorial/housekeeping services. It takes into account the health, safety and the environmental risks of product and processes associated with cleaning, and balances this with need of the facility. Green cleaning involves the use of alternative products, application of the product in different ways, and evaluation and/or behavior shifts associated with how buildings are used to reduce risks, while maintaining a satisfactory level of cleanliness and disinfection. Colorado College custodial services contractor, Sodexo Environmental Services is Green Seal Certified, practicing Green Seal Standards for cleaning methods and using Green Seal products for cleaning. All effective green cleaning programs are built on using best green cleaning practices along with effective product, equipment and green cleaning methods. Colorado College Facilities Services Sustainable Operations and Maintenance Guidelines Manual: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/energy-management/Colorado%20College%20Sustainable%20OM%20Guidelines%20Manual%20Rev%20%2012-4-15%204.6.16.pdf

Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines and the Facilities Design manual have specific language regarding sustainability criteria for construction and renovation. Colorado College Facility Design Guidelines Manual: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/plan-design-ops-maint/Facility%20Design%20Guidelines%20Manual,%20Rev.%203-16-17....pdf Colorado College Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/Colorado%20College%20Facility%20Sustainable%20Purchasing%20Guidelines,%20Rev.%2012-21-16.pdf

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for IT products and services: • Purchase Energy Star rated equipment and specifies that energy saving features be enabled as the default factory setting. • Centralize and share appliances such as refrigerators, copiers, printers, and faxes. • Recycling of old computers and electronic appliances. Colorado College Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/Colorado%20College%20Facility%20Sustainable%20Purchasing%20Guidelines,%20Rev.%2012-21-16.pdf

Colorado College works closely with Bon Appetit, our food service provider, to provide local, delicious, healthy meals for our students, faculty, and staff, and the community at-large. Bon Appetit has been a committed partner in working towards a more sustainable campus at Colorado College. The food service provider exclusively serves cage-free eggs, rGBH-free milk, seafood that meets Seafood Watch sustainability guidelines, humanely raised ground beef, and pork raised without gestation crates. In addition to working closely with local farms and producers to increase the amount of “Real Food”, Bon Appetit also largely funded the EcoFund program administered through the Office of Sustainability, which provides grants for student projects that further sustainability across campus. Bon Appetit Sustainable Food Service Practices: https://coloradocollege.cafebonappetit.com/wellness/ http://www.bamco.com/sourcing/

Request for Proposals: Sustainability language and specifications for environmentally preferable products and services is inserted into documented purchasing processes. By including such criteria, vendors are required to accommodate these needs in an agreed manner. Inserting a general clause in all agreements, and incorporating the appropriate language, as needed on commodity-by-commodity basis increases the acquisition of sustainable products by the college. Green purchasing concepts are integrated into architectural designs, final construction documents, and the final construction of all college buildings and renovations of property or facilities owned by the college. All new buildings and renovations undertaken by the college follow building high performance design requirements for design, construction, and operations, where appropriate, as described in the Colorado College Facility Design Guidelines Manual. The following guidelines are available on the college Facilities Services web site and copies are provided for design professionals interested in providing services for the college: Colorado College Facility Design Guidelines Manual: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/plan-design-ops-maint/Facility%20Design%20Guidelines%20Manual,%20Rev.%203-16-17....pdf Colorado College Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/Colorado%20College%20Facility%20Sustainable%20Purchasing%20Guidelines,%20Rev.%2012-21-16.pdf

• Eliminate virgin paper by purchasing only recycled content paper when possible. • Print and copy double-sided to decrease paper use when practicable. • Purchase recycled content paper goods (i.e., file folders). • Ensure that all wood and wood contained within the products that the college purchases is certified to be sustainably harvested by a comprehensive performance-based certification system. • Purchase or use of previously used or salvaged wood and wood products is encouraged. • Request that the furniture can be fully recycled at the end of its useful life. • Request sustainable fabrics for modular systems and chairs. Some of these fabrics include recycled content and are designed to be biodegradable after their useful life. • Specify products that are made from materials containing the maximum amount of post-consumer and post-industrial recycled content. • Require vendors and installers to provide a recycling or recovery service for the responsible reuse, remanufacture, or recycling of old furniture. Colorado College Sustainable Purchasing Guidelines: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/Colorado%20College%20Facility%20Sustainable%20Purchasing%20Guidelines,%20Rev.%2012-21-16.pdf

When possible, Colorado College considers environmental impact in purchasing decisions. The use of products and services with less environmental impact will be considered favorably when it is a best-value decision to do so. Factors included in the decision are energy efficiency; shipping materials (returnable, reusable, or made from recycled content); and environmental performance of the supplier/producer (waste prevention, waste reduction, pollution prevention, clean air/water programs, and other initiatives). Colorado College's preference is to purchase EPEAT Gold registered products and Energy Star certified products whenever possible.

Sustainable Operations and Maintenance Manual: https://www.coloradocollege.edu/offices/facilities/energy-management/Colorado%20College%20Sustainable%20OM%20Guidelines%20Manual%20Rev%20%2012-4-15%204.6.16.pdf