Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 80.45
Liaison Tori Grant
Submission Date Dec. 13, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Calgary
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Adam Stoker
Sustainability Consultant
Office of Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have written policies, guidelines or directives that seek to support sustainable purchasing across commodity categories institution-wide?:
Yes

A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
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The policies, guidelines or directives:

The University of Calgary is committed to integrating sustainability into all aspects of its campus operations. Supply Chain Management integrates sustainability into the purchasing processes for all applicable product and service categories. To become a preferred vendor of the University of Calgary, suppliers are required to demonstrate their commitment to sustainability. The evaluation process used to select preferred vendors favours those whose commitment to sustainability aligns with our institutional values. Sustainability is also subsequently integrated into the contracts the university holds with preferred vendors.
www.ucalgary.ca/finance/scm
Sustainable purchasing is also part of the Institutional Sustainability Strategy and its framework for administration and operations.


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:

The University of Calgary's Design Standards mandate the use of Life Cycle Costs Analysis and Total Cost of Ownership both in the selection of mechanical and electrical energy- and water-consuming equipment but also in the overall design, construction, and operation of the campus. This is clearly stated in both the introduction to the Design Standards (section 1.0 Introduction) and also the sub-sections focuses on mechanical and electrical energy- and water-consuming products and systems (5.16.2.17 General Mechanical Design Criteria & 5.17.2.1 General Electrical Design Criteria).


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating chemically intensive products and services (e.g. building and facilities maintenance, cleaning and sanitizing, landscaping and grounds maintenance)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for chemically intensive products and services:

Janitorial Services – products

The University of Calgary solely purchases products that support green cleaning initiatives to reduce or eliminate the use of hazardous chemicals, to offer better cleaning performance and ergonomics, to improve health and safety in the workplace and to contribute to a more sustainable environment. Products must meet specific performance and labeling requirements.

The University of Calgary Green Cleaning program was recently awarded CIMS-GB certification.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating construction and renovation products (e.g. furnishings and building materials)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for construction and renovation products:

There are sustainability performance criteria in all RFPs for construction and renovation projects.
More details about recent projects can be found: https://www.ucalgary.ca/facilities/projects

Sustainability criteria was also embedded in the preferred vendor RFP for furnishing.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating Information technology (IT) products and services (e.g. computers, imaging equipment, mobile phones, data centers and cloud services)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for IT products and services:

All desktops, laptops and multifunctional printers on campus are required to be Energy Star Gold certified. Publicly posted requirements were as follows:

• All hardware must be Energy Star 2.0 compliant or meet equivalent certification.
• Service Providers are required to meet minimum mandatory sustainability performance criteria and demonstrate commitment to the environment and the top 3 advantages their equipment, consumables and services have related to environmental friendliness. (e.g. energy efficiency)
• Toner reuse is required to meet minimum mandatory sustainability performance criteria.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating food services (i.e. franchises, vending services, concessions, convenience stores)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food services:

The published requirements for successful food service contractor on campus included the following:

Supplier Responsibilities
To ensure the University meets its sustainability and healthy dining service practice goals, the service provider shall:

a. offer diverse, complete-protein vegan options at all meals or at least in one dining facility on campus;
b. provide labels and/or signage that distinguishes between vegan, vegetarian (not vegan) and other items;
c. work in concert with the University to reduce energy, water and waste impacts in foodservice operations;
d. support University education and engagement efforts to promote awareness and understanding of sustainable food systems and nutrition (e.g., maintaining a clear and comprehensive website, farm-to-table programs and working with the campus community on collaborative research projects);
e. achieve Primary and Secondary Indicator targets identified above;
f. provide annual reports to the University documenting achievements in meeting agreed targets including the annual 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;
g. comply with, and participate in, all present and future provincial and University campus waste management, recycling and composting programs including proper source separation of all streams including organics, paper, cardboard, recyclables, metals and hazardous waste;
h. provide and collect materials from all catered events that serve beverages or other items and deposit these in the proper bins (organics, paper, recyclables and waste);
i. provide post-consumer composting;
j. offer other waste management programs including, but not limited to tray-less dining in the Dining Hall, discount for the use of reusable mugs in any retail foodservice outlet and prohibiting the use of Styrofoam;
k. maximize opportunities to reduce overall packaging;
l. switching to paper “to-go” food containers (which are unbleached and contain high levels of recycled content) or compostable containers (or equivalent) at all foodservice locations;
m. use paper napkins made with high levels of post-consumer recycled content;
n. participate in annual waste audits;
o. provide foodservice area signage that provides information on sustainable food systems;
p. participate in University sustainable foodservice initiatives where ideas can be shared and students, staff and faculty can be educated about the standards and procedures to which foodservice operators must adhere to ensure a safe food supply chain; and
q. attend sustainability initiative meetings as requested by the University.

Diversity and Inclusivity
Sustainability from a foodservice perspective encompasses diversity and inclusivity, not just environmental practice. For example, food services may embrace and enable diversity and inclusivity on site by recognizing and embracing cultural, religious and special dietary needs and preferences. The manner in which these needs and preferences are accommodated speaks to the university’s institutional values. The supplier shall strive to meet the diversity and inclusivity goals of the university in respect to food services.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating garments and linens?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:

The University of Calgary’s Linen supplier at the university owned hotel (Hotel Alma) was evaluated based on the following criteria:

• The proponent shall provide a copy of their environment policy and describe some of their operational initiatives they have been implemented – e.g. paperless billing and invoicing, alternative fuels, electrical and water saving programs, new efficient equipment, etc.
• Provide detailed information on chemicals used in the cleaning process and identify any alternate products proposed to be used to reduce the negative impacts on the environment.
• Proponents are required to include detailed information on their sustainable practices that may reduce negative impacts on the environment, including corporate social programs within your organization.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating professional services (e.g. architectural, engineering, public relations, financial)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional services:

The University of Calgary specifies that financial service companies must provide paperless billing as standard. Architecture and EVG firms and staff must have demonstrated experience with a LEED project.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating transportation and fuels (e.g. travel, vehicles, delivery services, long haul transport, generator fuels, steam plants)?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:

The university requires that procurement of transportation and coach services for student athletes request for proposals have evaluation criteria which include:

-What ways is your organization working to reduce carbon emissions of your vehicles?
-What other environmental initiatives is your organization undertaking to reduce its impact on the environment?


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating wood and paper products?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for wood and paper products:

Our reprographics service provider is evaluated based on criteria as follows:

-Service provider should offer (by default) paper and stocks that contain >90 percent post-consumer recycled and/or agricultural residue content and/or FSC Recycled certified. Any additional cost associated with this requirement should be detailed.


Does the institution have published sustainability criteria to be applied when evaluating products and services in other commodity categories that the institution has determined to have significant sustainability impacts?:
Yes

A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for other commodity categories:

Water filtration services across campus
The University of Calgary has moved away from purchasing bottled drinking water and instead elected to promote units to purchase filtered water bottle filling stations. The university included sustainability criteria in the purchasing process, including specifying that supplier provide stations that have lower water flow demands.

http://www.ucalgary.ca/finance/scm/preferred-suppliers/bottleless-water-cooler-filtration-systems

Laundry Facilities in Student Residences

The supply, installation, service and maintenance of commercial grade laundry equipment (washers & dryers) for Residence Services at University of Calgary were purchased using sustainability criteria. The laundry equipment supplied and installed had to meet or exceed the requirements established by the Consortium of Energy Efficiency (CEE) Tier 3 rating – the industry standard for commercial laundry:

• The proponent shall specify the laundry equipment’s energy saving features, (e.g. water savings, heat loss, electricity usage, waste / consumable reduction, environmental considerations), including the range of energy consumption per unit. Proponents are required to include documentation sufficient to substantiate their claims.
• The proponent shall provide a copy of their environment policy and describe some of their operational initiatives they have implemented – e.g. paperless billing and invoicing, alternative fuels, waste reduction, etc.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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