| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 59.44 |
| Liaison | Casey Romero |
| Submission Date | March 3, 2022 |
Oklahoma State University
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 3.00 |
Kristeena
Blaser Sustainability Coordinator Energy Services |
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:
Sustainable procurement
All supplies, services, maintenance, construction, and architect-engineer services should be purchased in a manner consistent with the promotion of sound environmental stewardship. Consideration of the environmental impact of products and services should be an integral part of the procurement process and may be weighed along with price and other factors when making procurement decisions.
All agencies under the governance of the board should employ strategies to encourage procurement of environmentally preferable goods and services including, but not limited to:
1. Existing surplus property and materials for re-use
2. Energy-efficient equipment and appliances
3. Renewable energy supplies
4. Energy performance contracts
5. Environmentally sensitive design and construction of new and renovated facilities
6. Materials having recycled content
7. Water saving equipment and appliances
8. Recyclable products
9. Compostable materials
10. Non-hazardous materials
Specifications and statements of work prepared by departments and units for procurement under delegated authority shall:
A. If available and cost justified procure eco-friendly general-purpose office paper and seek solutions to minimize paper use.
1. If cost is comparable, only general-purpose office paper shall be procured that meets one of these standards:
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, or
• made from 30% post-consumer recycled content, or
• made from non-tree fibers including agricultural residues (e.g. sugarcane bagasse, husks and straw) or fiber crops such as bamboo, kenaf, hemp, jute, and flax.
2. Continuously seek solutions to minimize paper use, which may include:
• Utilizing duplex (double-sided) printing and photo copying
• Setting duplex as the default printer setting on all computers capable of sending documents to a duplex-capable printer
• Increasing use of digital file management
• Discouraging unnecessary printing
Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations:
- Post-consumer recycled-content paper products from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources
- Chlorine-free paper goods (letterhead, envelopes, business cards, etc.)
- Recycled content and process chlorine-free (PCF) paper towels and tissue
- Remanufactured toner cartridges and refillable ink cartridges (or toner cartridges made from recycled content material)
- Compostable food service packaging and service items
- Vegetable-oil-based inks
- Energy efficient lighting fixtures and bulbs
- Energy Star (or equal) rated appliances and equipment. Procurement of Energy Star (or equal) rated equipment and appliances is mandatory when such products are available
- EPEAT certified green electronic equipment
- Biodegradable and bio-based, non-hazardous, and/or “Green Seal (or equal)” certified cleaning products
- Green furniture products containing recycled content or materials from renewable sources
- Retreaded tires and products made from recycled tire rubber
- Low noise emitting equipment and appliances
- Low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles
- Alternative fuels for use in vehicles: ethanol, biodiesel, CNG, electric and other fuel types and associated infrastructure as may become available
Discourage to the maximum extent feasible and within the limitation of existing laws and regulations, the procurement and use of:
• Asbestos-containing materials
• Mercury-containing materials
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Hazardous substances requiring special handling and disposal
• Polystyrene and expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) products and packaging
• Bleached, virgin paper with 0% post-consumer recycled content
The Chief Procurement Officer and Central Procurement Staff will:
1. Actively seek sources for environmental preferable products.
2. Actively promote the use of OSU Preferred Suppliers for environmentally preferable goods and services commonly used by the campus.
3. Upon expiration of existing contracts, consider opportunities for replacing them with more environmentally preferable options.
4. Collaborate with the Sustainability Office and University Marketing to establish an outreach and education program designed to inform the campus about the availability of such products and the benefits associated with their use.
5. Encourage all vendors to offer environmentally preferable product promotions. Actively market these opportunities to the campus via the Purchasing Department website, email, and other venues likely to reach the campus community at-large.
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:
Oklahoma State University employs Life Cycle Costs Analysis (LCCA) when evaluating energy- and water-using products and systems across some, but not all, divisions of the Stillwater campus.
OSU’s Long Range Facilities Planning division, which plans large construction projects, applies LCCA on all new construction.
The Utilities and Energy Management division utilizes Energy Savings Performance Contracts, which employ TCO for all purchases and services supporting the campus energy savings program, steam traps and insulation blankets, chilled water plant upgrades, and ventilation.
For OSU’s Operations & Maintenance division, when appliances, equipment, and systems are replaced, Energy Star units are used as a matter of practice. OSU is an EPA Energy Star Partner. All building retrofits reflect the installation of high-efficiency plumbing fixtures and fittings such as low-flow flush valves, sink and shower aerators given the lower TCO of these products. These practices also apply to the Residential Life Facilities Management division.
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:
Discourage to the maximum extent feasible and within the limitation of existing laws and regulations, the procurement and use of:
• Asbestos-containing materials
• Mercury-containing materials
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs)
• Hazardous substances requiring special handling and disposal
• Polystyrene and expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) products and packaging
• Bleached, virgin paper with 0% post-consumer recycled content
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:
A. If available and cost justified procure eco-friendly general-purpose office paper and seek solutions to minimize paper use.
1. If cost is comparable, only general-purpose office paper shall be procured that meets one of these standards:
• Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified, or
• made from 30% post-consumer recycled content, or
• made from non-tree fibers including agricultural residues (e.g. sugarcane bagasse, husks and straw) or fiber crops such as bamboo, kenaf, hemp, jute, and flax.
2. Continuously seek solutions to minimize paper use, which may include:
• Utilizing duplex (double-sided) printing and photo copying
• Setting duplex as the default printer setting on all computers capable of sending documents to a duplex-capable printer
• Increasing use of digital file management
• Discouraging unnecessary printing
Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations:
- Post-consumer recycled-content paper products from Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified sources
- Chlorine-free paper goods (letterhead, envelopes, business cards, etc.)
- Recycled content and process chlorine-free (PCF) paper towels and tissue
- Remanufactured toner cartridges and refillable ink cartridges (or toner cartridges made from recycled content material)
- Vegetable oil based inks
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:
Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations: Green furniture products contain recycled content or materials from renewable sources.
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:
Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations: EPEAT certified green electronic equipment
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:
Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations: compostable foodservice packaging and service items.
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:
The OSU Alumni Center has a contract with United Linens in Bartlesville, which is Clean Green TRSA certified. OSU University Dining Services is contracted with Superior Linens, which is also Clean Green TRSA certified. United Linens (Clean Green TRSA Certified) https://www.trsa.org/certification/clean-green
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:
All supplies, services, maintenance, construction, and architect-engineer services should be purchased in a manner consistent with the promotion of sound environmental stewardship. Consideration of the environmental impact of products and services should be an integral part of the procurement process and may be weighed along with price and other factors when making procurement decisions.
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:
B. Promote the procurement and use of the following, where available, within comparable cost ranges, and compliant with existing laws and regulations:
1. Retreaded tires and products made from recycled tire rubber
2. Low-emission, fuel-efficient vehicles
3. Alternative fuels for use in vehicles: ethanol, biodiesel, CNG, electric and other fuel types and associated infrastructure as may become available
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.