Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 71.55
Liaison Kelsey Beal
Submission Date Jan. 18, 2024

STARS v2.2

Indiana University Bloomington
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.75 / 3.00 Kelsey Beal
Sustainbility Analyst
Office of 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:
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The policies, guidelines or directives:
See IU FIN-PURCH-14 Policy on Sustainable Purchasing: https://policies.iu.edu/policies/fin-purch-14-sustainable-purchasing/index.html

Indiana University policy FIN-PUR-13.0 to support historically underutilized suppliers: https://policies.iu.edu/policies/fin-purch-13-utilization-historically-underrepresented-diverse-suppliers/index.html

A list of all IU Purchasing Policies are listed below and found at:
https://policies.iu.edu/categories/financial.html?type=purchasing

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:
Awards shall be made employing a combination of the following criteria:

1. Degree to which the item(s) or service quoted will best fill the University's requirements
2. Price includes freight, payment terms, and life-cycle costing
3. Delivery date
4. Service
5. Expertise
6. Everything being equal, purchase will be made from local, state and U.S. vendors, in that order

Life-Cycle Costing: Includes total acquisition price, installation, annual operating and maintenance costs, and residual value.

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?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Campus Facility Operations no longer cleans and polishes its floor using wax products, but rather polishes them using grain stone disks. This has eliminated the need to purchase certain cleaning products. In those instances where floor cleaning products are needed, CFS purchases products, which are water-based and have low or no levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC's).

CFO also purchases green floor cleaning products, as they contain low-zinc amounts and are packaged in recycled material.

Additionally, "Effective December 31, 2016, no mercury-containing device, elemental mercury or mercury-based chemical may be acquired without the expressed written consent of the IUEHS Office for the respective campus." https://protect.iu.edu/environmental-health/public-environment/waste-management/waste-guide/bloomington.html

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:
University Procurement Services complies with all state statutes, federal laws, and regulations. Included, but not exclusive, is the following state statute: Recycled Paper Products - Statute #IC 20-12-67 et seq.

This states: There is a price preference of ten percent (10%) for supplies that meet at least one (1) of the following descriptions:
(1) At least fifty percent (50%) of the volume of the original components of the supplies consisted of recycled materials.
(2) The cost of purchasing recycled materials constituted at least fifty percent (50%) of the cost of producing the supplies.
(3) A percentage by weight or volume of recycled materials which the commissioner of the department of environmental management determines by rule is eligible for procurement preference under this chapter.

Further, the Office of Procurement Services recommends buying sustainable products with these labels and certifications:

BioPreferred
Cradle to cradle certification
Electronic Product Assessment Tool (EPEAT)
Energy Star
Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) Certified Paper
Green Building Standards - LEED compliant
Green Seal Environmental Standards
Water Sense

IU Policy FIN-PUR-14, includes Protection of Old Growth Forests specifies “Indiana University recognizes the value of old-growth forests and certain responsibility may be addressed within the procurement effort. Therefore common practice shall be to avoid the purchase of wood and paper products, and the use of such products, whose content is derived from wood raw materials found in old-growth forests.”
https://policies.iu.edu/policies/fin-purch-14-sustainable-purchasing/index.html

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:
IU's Strategic Plan states a commitment to achieving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold in new construction and major renovation projects. Among other criteria, this standard includes consideration of construction and renovation products, including furnishings and building materials.

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:
FIN-PUR-14.0: All energy-consuming products, appliances and equipment purchased by the University shall be Energy Star qualified whenever possible or practical. The University is committed to reducing its energy consumption and to containing its costs related to energy consumption.

https://policies.iu.edu/policies/fin-purch-14-sustainable-purchasing/index.html

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:
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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:
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Professional service providers

Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional service providers?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Architecture and engineering bids must include:
-ASHRAE Energy Efficient Design standards and fixtures
-Priority for minority and Women's Business Enterprise
-Utilization of regional limestone highly encouraged

See more information at: https://cpf.iu.edu/capital-projects/projects/index.html

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:
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Optional Fields 

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