Wentworth Institute of Technology
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
| -- | Reporter |
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:
Wentworth’s Green Purchasing Policy
1. SCOPE
Wentworth is committed to environmentally preferable purchasing. Environmentally preferable means "products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose" (http://www.epa.gov/epp/pubs/about/about.htm ).
Wentworth’s objective is to balance environmental and fiscal responsibilities in making Green Purchasing decisions. This policy applies to the purchase of materials in the following categories:
All products eligible for an Energy Star rating, including electronics, appliances, office equipment, etc.
All electronic products eligible to meet the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) environmental criteria, including desktop and laptop computers, monitors, etc.
2. PERFORMANCE METRIC
Wentworth will track performance against the goals in Section 3 by employing the following performance metrics:
% of applicable annual expenditures, by cost, qualifying as Energy Star
% of applicable annual expenditures, by cost, qualifying as EPEAT bronze, silver, etc.
3. GOALS
Wentworth has designated the following goals:
All eligible products purchased by Wentworth shall meet the US EPA Energy Star certification when available and practicable. When Energy Star labels are not available, products that are in the upper 25 per cent of energy efficiency as designated by the Federal Energy Management Program should be used.
All desktop computers, laptops, notebooks, and monitors purchased must meet, at a minimum, all the Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (EPEAT) environmental criteria designated as “required” to be registered and rated as Bronze certified in their relevant category whenever possible and practicable.
4. PROCEDURES & STRATEGIES
4.1 Purchasing Procedures
Purchasing agents/credit card holders are responsible for the following procedures:
Review Energy Star & EPEAT guidelines & list of applicable materials when making purchasing decisions.
Credit card holders are to report applicable purchases to Purchasing Dept. via their statement review.
Purchasing will review all purchase order requests prior to placing orders to ensure compliance whenever possible and practicable.
Prior to making any purchase the EPEAT website (www.epeat.com) or the Energy Star website (www.energystar.gov) should be consulted for appropriate ratings.
4.2. Policy Management & Review Procedures
The Procurement Dept will do the following:
Inform purchasing agents during purchasing orientation
Include policy & guidance in purchasing handbook & orientation materials
Track progress monthly via Argos and Paymentnet reports & send reminders to purchasing agents to ensure procedures are being followed
Report progress to Sustainability Committee annually using performance metrics defined above.
5. RESPONSIBLE PARTIES:
This policy applies to the following groups:
Purchasing Dept is responsible for policy oversight and review
Physical Plant, Planning Dept are responsible for the green purchasing of appliances on campus.
Purchasing agents (including Wentworth employees who are credit card holders, and/or third parties purchasing or providing goods to Wentworth, such as contractors, vendors, etc.) are responsible for implementing the policy and reporting progress to Purchasing Dept.
6. TIME PERIOD:
Policy was adopted on June 1 2010, and will be reviewed on an annual basis.
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 employed as part of large construction projects, using LEED v.4 guidance for energy efficient design (energy modeling, and analyzing both first cost and life cycle cost savings).
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
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.