| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 83.12 |
| Liaison | Richard Manton |
| Submission Date | Sept. 12, 2024 |
Ollscoil na Gaillimhe - University of Galway
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
3.00 / 3.00 |
Richard
Manton Director of Sustainability Sustainability Office |
Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
The University of Galway is committed to implementing sustainable procurement across
its portfolio of contracts and frameworks. Sustainable public procurement (SPP) requires
us to consider the environmental, social and economic impacts of all purchases, and to
clearly communicate our expectations to bidders and contractors. It requires changes to
the entire procurement cycle: from budgeting and planning to tendering and managing
contracts. This handbook provides guidance on each of these stages and examples of
detailed criteria which can be inserted into tender documents.
In some cases, SPP is mandated under Irish or EU law. In all cases, it is
compatible with procurement law and with other objectives such as transparency and
value for money. It contributes to important targets in terms of Climate Action, the
Circular Economy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). University of Galway is
implementing these targets through its Climate Action and Sustainability Policy and Green
Campus Charter. This handbook sets out the recommended practices and procedures to
ensure successful application of SPP in line with these broader commitments.
SPP handbook attached above
Part 2. Life Cycle Cost Analysis
Which of the following best describes the institution’s use of LCCA?:
A brief description of the LCCA policy and/or practices:
The use of life-cycle costing must be considered for all contracts and frameworks
in which a significant part of the total cost of ownership arises after the point of
purchase.1 Where a decision is taken not to apply life-cycle costing, this must be
justified. Environmental externalities (e.g. CO2e emissions) may be monetised and
included in LCC where a method is available for this, for example the EU LCC tools.
See page 2 and page 16-17 of SPP Handbook attached above.
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
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:
Irish national GPP criteria for cleaning services (including chemicals) are available here:
https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/EPA_GPP_Criteria_IndoorCleaning_2024.pdf
Consumable office products
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
See page 28-29 of SPP Handbook attached above
Environmental impacts:
Use of materials and production methods with lower environmental impact, e.g. replacing plastic with more
sustainable materials, avoiding energy-intensive production processes, limiting the use of chemicals and managing water and waste;
Impact of printing (paper, chemicals, inks, energy, water, waste);
Impact of design on recyclability of products (e.g. can logos be removed, can materials be separated for
reuse/recycling);
Impact of design on durability/longevity of the product;
Impact of product packaging and transportation.
Social impacts:
Low pay or antisocial working hours
Compliance with labour law
Human rights in supply chains
Ethical trade
Gender equality and equal pay
Accessibility for people with disabilities
Social inclusion (whether for users/customers or workforce delivering the contract)
Furniture and furnishings
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
Irish national GPP criteria for furniture are available here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/EPA_GPP_Criteria_Furniture_2024_Final.pdf
Information Technology (IT) and equipment
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
See page 20-21 of SPP Handbook attached above
Environmental impacts:
Energy consumption of ICT equipment
Control of hazardous substances
Design for repairability and recycling
Product lifetime extension, including service level agreements, warranties, tested battery endurance,
compatibility and ports
Product packaging and transport
End-of-life management
Social impacts:
Low pay or poor working conditions
Compliance with labour law
Human rights in supply chains
Ethical trade
Gender equality and equal pay
Accessibility for people with disabilities
Social inclusion (whether for users/customers or workforce delivering the contract)
Food service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
Irish national GPP criteria for food and catering services are available here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/EPA_GPP_Criteria_FoodCatering_2024_Final.pdf
Garments and linens
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Irish national GPP criteria for textiles are here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/EPA_GPP_Criteria_Textiles_2024.pdf
Professional service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
Architectural design services, graphic design services and ICT services are covered in the University of Galway SPP Handbook (attached above) pages 22-26.
e.g.
Describe the impacts which you expect this contract to have in
terms of greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, resource
consumption, waste, biodiversity and land use. List the specific
measures which your firm, and if relevant your partners and
subcontractors, will take to address these impacts, and the effect
you expect each measure to have. The measures may relate to any
aspect of the services being provided, but must be specific to the
contract activities.
For each measure, you should indicate whether a relevant thirdparty certification or standard (for example, relating to carbon
footprint) will be applied to verify and measure the impact. Marks
will be awarded based on the scope, level of detail and verifiability
of the measures. The measures described under this criterion will
form part of the terms of the contract with the successful bidder.
Transportation and fuels
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
Irish national GPP criteria for transport are available here: https://www.epa.ie/publications/circular-economy/resources/EPA_GPP_Criteria_Transport_2024.pdf
Optional Fields
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.