| Overall Rating | Gold |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 72.29 |
| Liaison | Jonna Korpi |
| Submission Date | Sept. 11, 2024 |
University of Minnesota, Duluth
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.75 / 3.00 |
Jonna
Korpi Sustainability Director UMD Sustainability |
Part 1. Institution-wide sustainable procurement policies
A copy of the policies, guidelines or directives:
The policies, guidelines or directives:
The following principles shall guide the University's purchasing process:
(a) purchasing activities shall comply with all applicable laws and policies of the Board of Regents
(Board), including, but not limited to, Board of Regents Policy: Targeted Business, Urban
Community Economic Development, and Small Business Programs;
(b) purchasing activities shall be conducted in a manner that promotes integrity, stewardship,
diversity, and sustainability;
(c) purchasing activities shall provide goods and services, professional services, and design services
at the best value and appropriate standards of quality, considering total cost of ownership;
(d) purchasing procedures shall be efficient, timely, and transparent; and
(e) purchasing activities shall promote the use of businesses owned and operated by minorities,
women, and disabled persons.
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 Regents policy discussed LCA for the U of M.
The policy for the entire University of Minnesota is applied practice Life Cycle Cost Analysis. Life-cycle cost analysis is a tool to determine the most cost-effective option among different competing alternatives to purchase, own, operate, maintain and, finally, dispose of an object or process. Life Cycle Costing (LCC) is an important economic analysis used in the selection of alternatives that impact both pending and future costs. It compares initial investment options and identifies the least cost alternatives for the estimated life of the asset.
http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/Sustain_Energy_Efficiency.pdf
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:
Consumable office products
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for consumable office products:
Furniture and furnishings
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for furniture and furnishings:
In addition to the Regents policy, U of M campuses need to conform with State of Minnesota B3 building standards, which include guidance on furniture/furnishings purchases.
B3 requirements for furniture/furnishings purchases are summarized below and actual Guidelines are available at
https://www.b3mn.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/B3GuidelinesVersion3.0.pdf
Page 76-77 goes over section I.1 Low Emitting Materials, which includes a section for furniture/furnishings as follows:
D. New furniture and furnishing items not tested under I.2A must be tested in accordance with ANSI/BIFMA Standard Method M7.1–2014. Comply with ANSI/BIFMA e3-2014 Furniture Sustainability Standard, Section 7.6.1 or 7.6.2.
- Furniture listed in the following databases or providing the following certifications are considered compliant with this guideline:
i. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) Indoor Advantage (furniture)
ii. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) Indoor Advantage Gold (furniture)
iii. Underwriter Laboratories (UL) Greenguard Certified
iv. Underwriter Laboratories (UL) Greenguard Gold Certified
v. Intertek ETL Environmental VOC (furniture)
vi. Intertek ETL Environmental VOC+ (furniture)
vii. Materials Analytical Services, LLC (MAS) Certified Green
Full B3 Guidelines at:
https://www.b3mn.org/guidelines/
Information Technology (IT) and equipment
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for Information Technology (IT) and equipment:
RFP's include the following questions and are scored based on the answers to these questions:
-Provide a brief, high level description of your company's approach to sustainability
- What types of packaging and shipping materials do you use?
- To what extent do you ensure products you sell are energy efficient and/or EPEAT certified
Food service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for food service providers:
Garments and linens
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for garments and linens:
Professional service providers
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for professional service providers:
The Regent's policy on purchasing specifically calls out professional design services and sustainability requirements (section 1.b)
https://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/2022-05/policy_purchasing.pdf
The University of Minnesota's Regent's Policy regarding Targeted Business, Urban Community Economic Development, and Small Business Programs states:
""Subd. 1. Targeted Businesses. The Board of Regents (Board) supports the use of the purchasing power of the University of Minnesota (University) to enhance equal employment and business opportunities for minorities, women, and disabled persons. Consistent with the Board’s long-standing policies and achievements in advancing diversity, equal employment opportunity, and affirmative action, the University is committed to promote actively the utilization of businesses owned and operated by minorities, women, and disabled persons (targeted businesses) and to prevent discriminatory practices against such businesses.""
Link to policy:
http://regents.umn.edu/sites/regents.umn.edu/files/policies/TargetedBusiness.pdf
Transportation and fuels
A brief description of the published sustainability criteria for transportation and fuels:
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.