| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 56.01 |
| Liaison | Suzanne Wood |
| Submission Date | Aug. 16, 2023 |
UMass Chan Medical School
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.50 / 3.00 |
Kortni
Wroten Sustainability and Energy Manager Facilities |
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:
The 2017 UMass Board of Trustees Sustainability Policy. Includes language on EPP across commodities in Principle 7 (Establish Environmentally-Preferable Products Procurement Program (EPP) and continue to implement annual procurement goals to move toward alignment with the standards of the Environmental Purchasing Advisory Council where ever appropriate and consistent with available funding) and Goal 7.1 requires reporting of annual reporting on purchasing of electronics, office paper, cleaning products, etc. and progress towards meeting established goals.
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:
LCCA is considered for projects that involve design/purchase of equipment that uses energy and/or water. LCCA is not required as part of the Request for Proposal (RFP) process but is considered along with project budget requirements. For example, when purchasing computers the life cycle cost associated with the energy consumption of various computer models is considered along with other purchasing criteria such as memory, screen size, industry reviews, etc.
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:
In regard to janitorial, cleaning and sanitizing products, UMass specifies a preference for GreenSeal and other environmentally-friendly materials. For example, in our latest bid for janitorial products the following language was included:
4.2 Green Sustainability Standards
4.2.1 Third Party Certifications: Each Category’s Technical specification includes a list of acceptable third party certifications that are acceptable to the University. The bid response sheet(s) will have a location to indicate the third party certification.
4.2.2 Product Packaging: In your response please provide additional information regarding any sustainability associated with product packaging.
4.2.3 Corporate Sustainability Programs: Indicate in your response your organizations sustainability program
As referenced in the RFP, specifications for janitorial products included post-consumer recycled content minimums, and received and high evaluations score if bidders could provided documentation to third party certifications include Green Seal and ECOLOGO.
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:
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:
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:
UMass Chan Medical School IT department has a purchasing standard that only allows EPEAT certified desktops and laptops to be purchased. Those who would like to purchase computer and laptops not included in the standard are required to provide justification of need and receive an exemption.
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:
UMass Chan has published the sustainability criteria of its food standard to be applied when evaluating food services. The most recent RFP for food services (which includes franchises, vending, catering, and campus store) included language relating to sustainable dining. The ability and extent the vendors were able to meet the sustainable dining criteria was used as a measure of selection. Both Sodexo and NexDine operate on the UMass Chan Campus, and are GreenBiz certified. Both companies use LeanPath to measure and reduce food waste, as well.
This language was included in the RFP
Sustainability: The Parties have a commitment to sustainability and have set forth goals to reduce our impact on the environment. The Contractor shall provide reporting on Sustainable Dining consistent with the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE) Sustainability Tracking Assessment & Rating System (STARS) either through third party verification (e.g., FarmLogix, Real Food Calculator) or other formats acceptable to the University.
The Contractor shall meet each of the following requirements:
• To the extent feasible, maximize purchases that meet the sustainable dining
criteria consistent with STAR OP7: Sustainable Food and Beverage reporting
criteria (in Exhibit C).
• Maximize the purchase and utilization of foods raised within a 200-mile radius of Worcester, MA.
• Minimize waste associated with dining/campus store operations, including
participation in pre-consumer composting/food donation; ensure compliance with
the Massachusetts Organics Waste Ban, and comply with the campus’s recycling
guidelines to ensure compliance with the Massachusetts Waste Ban.
• Not use expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam) products and plastic bags.
• When replacing equipment or lighting, select Energy Star or energy efficient
models.
The following sustainability directives are required and reported annually to the Board of Trustees.
• Achieve third-party certification for sustainable dining practices (i.e., Green
Restaurant Association).
• Develop and publish a sustainable dining policy that includes specific criteria to support the procurement of environmentally and socially preferable food and
beverage products and/or includes guidelines to reduce or minimize the adverse
environmental and social impacts of dining operations.
• Incorporate a vegan dining program that makes diverse, complete-protein vegan
options available to every member of the campus community at every meal.
• Host low-impact dining events, such as Meatless Mondays.
• Host sustainability-themed meals, such as local harvest meals.
• Host a sustainability-themed food outlet on-site, either independently or with a partner.
• Inform customers about low impact food choices and sustainability practices
through labeling and signage in the cafes.
• Engage in outreach efforts to support learning and research about sustainable food systems.
• Participate in a competition or a commitment program in collaboration with the
UMMS Sustainability Office (e.g., U.S. EPA Food Recovery Challenge; Real
Food Challenge) and/or use a food waste prevention system (e.g., LeanPath) to
track and improve food management practices.
• Modify menus/portion sizes to reduce post-consumer waste.
• Donate food that would otherwise go to waste to feed people (e.g., to a food bank).
• Provide discount for the use of reusable mugs
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 University is subject to the new Statewide waste ban standards published in November of 2022 that ban textile disposal.
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:
Yes, when selecting professional services for all capital projects the capacity of the selected vendors to meet our sustainability goals as defined in the UMass Sustainability Policy and associated UMass Chan policies is intrinsic to the process. Vendors that cannot support our goals are not selected.
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:
The University is subject to the State's sustainability criteria for the procurement of low and zero-emission vehicles.
https://www.mass.gov/executive-orders/no-594-leading-by-example-decarbonizing-and-minimizing-environmental-impacts-of-state-government
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.