| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 71.36 |
| Liaison | Michael Chapman |
| Submission Date | Sept. 20, 2023 |
Nova Scotia Community College
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Kirk
Herman Environmental Engineer Facilities and Engineering |
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:
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:
In 2022 NSCC's procurement policy was updated to include Life Cycle Cost Analysis as a matter of policy. From NSCC's procurement policy, Section 4.7 Sustainable Procurement, b) Economic Considerations: This could include durability of the product, energy efficiency, lifecycle cost (total cost of ownership, including capital, operations and maintenance, and disposal costs) support of local economy.
It is NSCC's standard practice to incorporate criteria and guidelines to be met when using the public competition process model. This ensures that the cheapest bid is not selected if it does not meet all requirements.
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:
Cleaning products shall be certified Green Seal, EcoLogo or demonstrated equivalence.
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:
Paper shall be Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified or demonstrated equivalence and contain a minimum of 30% recycled content.
Lamps shall be certified Energy Star or demonstrated equivalence, and shall not contain mercury.
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:
Furniture shall be Green Guard certified or demonstrated equivalence.
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:
Computers shall be at a minimum certified Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Toll (EPEAT) silver or demonstrated equivalence.
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:
When the College put out a Request for Proposal (RFP) for food services, specific sustainability guidelines were stated and required to be met, including a sustainability program that would be developed by the bidding companies. The proposal put forward is expected to be followed upon signing the contracts.
Sustainability Expectations with Respect to Food Service:
- Proponents are expected to address sustainability issues in the service they propose to provide by addressing the following goals:
o Utilize sustainable, “green” cleaning products that are third-party certified (FSC, Green Seal, UL ECOLOGO and/or Safer Choice labeled or equivalent).
o Provide food service area signage that provides information on sustainable food systems; and
o Participate in a campus Sustainable Food Services Forum or committee where ideas for improvement can be shared and students, staff and faculty can be educated about the standards and procedures to which food services operators must adhere to ensure a safe food supply chain.
o Work in concert with NSCC to reduce energy, water, and waste impacts in food operations.
o Support College education and engagement efforts to promote awareness and understanding of sustainable food systems and nutrition. Examples include initiatives such as supporting community agriculture and farm-to-table programs, maintaining vegan dining, labeling and signage programs, low impact dining events, as well as other sustainability related initiatives.
- Support NSCC’s energy and water reduction targets. Any equipment provided by proponent shall be certified as water/energy efficient, where applicable. Life Cycle Cost analysis (LCCA) will be employed when evaluating all energy- and water-using products.
- Where feasible, energy and water meters shall be installed by NSCC, and energy/water consumption shall be reported by the proponent to the Facilities and Engineering Department on an annual basis
- Develop cooperatively with NSCC an established sustainability food plan and purchasing policy that cover issues such as sustainable seafood, food service franchises, ethical and social standards, food donation, and toxicity in the environment and in species.
- Maintain minimum annual levels of local food procurement. Proponents are expected to propose sustainability purchasing targets in their proposals. The College will work with the successful Proponent to finalize the targets.
- Offer food and beverage products that meet third-party certification for organic, fair trade, and humane products. The successful proponent must offer fair trade hot beverages in at least one outlet.
- Help the College meet Fair Trade campus standards. Percentage targets will be developed with the successful Proponent.
- Support Local cooperatives that have social responsibility policies, where possible.
- Provide annual reports to the College documenting achievements in meeting agreed targets including actual percentage of total cost of sales for local, organic, fair trade, antibiotic and hormone free, seafood certified. This information is to be used for public reporting purposes.
- Comply with, and participate, in all present and future provincial and campus waste management recycling and composting programs. This will include:
o Proper source separation of all streams including organics, paper, cardboard, recyclables, metals, and hazardous waste.
o Provide and collect materials from all catered events that serve beverages or other items and deposit in proper bin (organics, paper, recyclables, and waste).
o Offer other waste management programs including, but not limited, to:
Trayless dining in the food services areas
Discount for the use of reusable mugs in any operation on campus
Prohibiting the use of Styrofoam
Utilizing reusable service ware for “dine-in” meals.
- Maximize opportunities to reduce overall packaging.
- Utilize paper “to-go” food containers (which are unbleached and contain high levels of recycled content) or biodegradable containers at all food service locations.
- Use paper napkins made with high levels of post-consumer recycled content.
- Provide food service area signage that provides information on sustainable food systems; and
- Participate in a campus Sustainable Food Services Forum or committee where ideas for improvement can be shared and students, staff and faculty can be educated about the standards and procedures to which food services operators must adhere to ensure a safe food supply chain.
Sustainability Program
- Proponents are to submit details of a complete sustainability program to address all sustainability requirements identified in the RFP. It is a goal of the College to increase the sustainability of the food services programs over the life of the agreement.
- Response should include specific targets of levels and timelines for each strategy and initiative that will be implement. Provide details of how results in meeting each sustainability targets will be measured.
The successful Proponent, Chartwells, put forth a sustainability program that is expected to be followed and regular meetings are held with the regional manager for updates on sustainability projects and dining systems.
Some highlights of Chartwell’s Sustainability Program are:
- Sustainability training for staff
- Food waste tracking program
- Eat Local Week
- Sustainability Food Plan
- Set local food sourcing targets
- Goals for third party certified foods
- Fair Trade Designation
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:
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:
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:
When purchasing new fleet vehicles, Vehicle Energuide labels should be evaluated for fuel efficiency and to determine which vehicles have the lowest associated life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions.
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.