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Sustainable & Social Procurement Guidance
…… will maximise the social and environmental benefits of procurement decisions, in accordance with the principle of Value for Money.
Ensuring ‘value for money’ involves much more than the ‘lowest up front cost’. It involves considering the ‘whole life’ costs (e.g.with respect to energy consumption, durability, reduced maintenance and waste reduction) and reducing environmental and social risks. The belief that these benefits are worth paying for provided the financial cost is not excessive is also implicit.
By committing to this guidance, the college will help to conserve energy and resources and reduce waste and pollution. It will also take consideration of the social impact of procurement decisions. In addition, it will meet the requirements for sustainable procurement as covered by the Learning and Skills Council publication ‘From Here to Sustainability’ (Sept 2005).
The college is a member of The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). The EAUC is the environmental and sustainability champion within Further and Higher Education in the UK.
This guidance should be read in conjunction with ..... Financial Regulations and Procurement guidance documents.
Contents
1. The College Sustainable & Social Procurement Guidance
2. How to use this guidance
3. Whole life costing – selection criteria
4. Product & service Areas
4.1. Stationery
4.2. IT & office equipment
4.3. Utilities
4.4. Office furniture
4.5. Catering
4.6. Estates
5. Ethical & social procurement
6. Supplier accreditation
1. The College Sustainable & Social Procurement Guidance
As a large consumer of goods and services, the college has a key role to play in protecting the environment. We accept that procurement decisions have the potential to promote environmental protection. Therefore in line with the College Financial Regulations the college will seek to: -
· meet and, where appropriate exceed the requirements of all relevant legislation;
· seek to reduce our consumption of materials, re-use where possible and promote recycling and the use of recycled materials;
· seek to dispose of materials in an environmentally sensitive manner and wherever possible in line with WEEE Directives seeking certification from suppliers where appropriate;
· promote and manage energy efficiency in all our operations and incorporate effective energy measure wherever possible;
· influence our major suppliers to minimise the negative impact of their operations on the environment;
The college will endeavour to: -
· consider goods and services, which can be manufactured, used and disposed of in an environmentally aware way;
· give preference, where items are of a similar standard and cost to, those that are manufactured with a high recycled content;
· wherever possible, specify items that can be recycled or reused;
· consider the energy usage/cost of operating equipment prior to purchase;
· consider whole life costs of impacts when assessing equipment for purchase;
· check that suppliers hold or are actively working towards certification for its environmental management system, e.g. ISO 14001, EMAS.
2. How to use this guidance
This guidance should be used for the procurement of all supplies, services and works. It should also be used when establishing the conditions of a contract with goods or/and service providers. This guidance is to help you take into account the longer-term benefits and costs when selecting a product or item of equipment. By reviewing the entire life-cycle (life-cycle analysis) of a product or equipment you can choose more environmentally, and economically, sustainable products. A life-cycle analysis includes identifying the environmental effects during manufacture, packaging, transportation, waste and disposal issues, as well as the environmental effects, such as energy and resource consumption, during use.
3. Selection criteria using whole life costing
Whole life costing requires taking account of the total cost of a purchase – assessing not only the immediate purchase price, but other costs such as manufacturing, energy and/or water use, length of product life and the methods of disposal (see the Waste Hierarchy below). There are a number of recognised standards such as energy efficiency ratings, recycled material contents, and environmental friendliness to help you with your ‘analysis’ (see information on some of the logos and standards to look out for, later in this document). Note, however, many brands claim to be ‘environmentally friendly’. If a product makes an environmental claim it should carry an explanation about why it is less harmful to the environment than other products.
When assessing a product’s disposal options follow DEFRA’s (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) ‘Waste Hierarchy’:
¨ Reduce - Only buy something when absolutely necessary.
¨ Re-Use - Have systems in place whereby furniture, equipment and other office items can be re‑allocated within the college instead of discarded.
¨ Recycle - Specify that the supplier of the item should operate or subscribe to a take-back scheme for packaging and unwanted/spent items, which can be re-used or recycled.
You should also aim to:
- Minimise the amount of materials consumed.
- Buy goods that are made from recycled material and/or are recyclable.
- Arrange with suppliers to minimise packaging and/or take packaging back for reuse/recycling.
- Use more durable products.
- Maintain & repair equipment so as to extend its life.
- Buy energy efficient appliances.
- Buy goods and services from suppliers who engage in ethical procurement
4. Product & Services Areas
Detailed guidance is given below on sustainable & social considerations for the procurement of goods and services that the college requires
4.1 Paper Saving Options
· Create electronic letterhead for use as an alternative to pre-printed paper.
· Use duplex features on laser printers and copiers. Pre-set equipment to duplex where ever possible.
· Send and store information electronically when possible. This includes email, web site and electronic fax.
· Review record retention policies and implement document imaging systems.
· Other waste prevention practices that further the goal of this guidance
4.2 IT and other Office Equipment
Environmental impacts associated with IT and office equipment include: energy consumption, materials used in the manufacture, product recyclability, packaging and shipping, hazardous emissions, thermal emissions and noise and final disposal under the WEEE directive. IT equipment is procured via a preferred supplier under a consortia contract managed by CPC. The photocopier contract is tendered under a consortia contract and managed by the Procurement team.
Sustainable criteria is addressed in the tendering process and all potential suppliers are required to provide information about the environmental performance of their products, in order to make a comparison.
General rules in product selection include:
· energy efficient electrical appliances (e.g. equipment with an ‘A’ or ‘B’ European Eco-Label),
· energy efficient IT equipment (eg with energy star minimum standards or higher),
· photocopiers with ‘snooze’ mode,
· equipment which uses less resources to operate e.g. printers and photocopiers which print double-sided (and then set double-sided as default),
· plain-paper fax machines when existing thermal fax machines require replacement. There are a number of advantages including; the back of used paper can be used for receiving faxes, the rolls of paper that are used in thermal fax machines are not recyclable. Direct computer to fax technology is even better and as PC’s are replaced this function will be available,
· Consider also the durability, upgrade-ability and reparability of products prior to purchase.
Energy star label
This is awarded to equipment/units with less than 30 watts of energy consumption on stand-by, and a quick re-start. Note: some Energy Star models achieve much lower energy use on stand-by than others.
4.3 Utilities
Electricity, gas, water & waste constitute a significant expense for the college. Cost of supply has increased by over 60% since 2004 and as such energy conservation is of paramount importance to the college.
The following conservation measure should be adhered to wherever possible
· Switch off lights when not needed. It is not cheaper to leave them on. Staff should be asked to switch off lights as they leave rooms and to use natural daylight wherever possible instead of artificial lighting.
· Use energy efficient light bulbs. You should replace ordinary tungsten light bulbs with compact fluorescent lamps. They last 8 times longer and use 70% less energy. When replacing fluorescent tubes, T8 tubes (26mm diameter) should be used wherever possible instead of the larger diameter T12 tubes (38 mm diameter). Unfortunately, certain light fittings will only accept T12 tubes. It is not cost effective to replace these fittings on energy conservation grounds alone. You should wait until rewiring work takes place in a particular area. T12 tubes should only be installed where fittings dictate it to be necessary. As a guide, older fluorescent light fittings with plug-in starter canisters can be fitted with T8 tubes, while those without cannot.
· Cut the power consumption of computers and ICT equipment. You can achieve this in a number of ways. i] Activate "power down" or energy saving devices during the working day (screen savers do not save energy and some use more). ii] Switch equipment off at the end of the day. iii] Buy the most energy efficient equipment.
· Don't overheat rooms. An extra 1oC in a room's temperature will increase a heating bill by 6-10%.
· Buy energy efficient appliances. Wherever possible, buy energy efficient appliances. Look out for products which have the 'energy efficiency logo' and are rated category 'A'.
4.4 Office Furniture
Before purchasing new furniture check the availability of second-hand furniture within the college. To find out what is on offer contact .....
Your Department can get second hand furniture, not required by other Departments, for free (or your Department could offer up unused items for re-use). Currently, the furniture is collected by ..... and offered to departments free of charge and the excess is offered to schools or charities or placed into storage. Occasionally, staff are able to purchase odd bits of furniture for personal use at a reduced price.
For new furniture the college has a preferred supplier, see ..... for more details. As part of the tendering process the environmental status of each company was assessed. Any new wooden furniture must have the FSC label or equivalent.
College will not purchase:
· hazardous materials such as wood preservatives or wood treated with preservatives containing pentachloro-phenol, lyndane or tributyltin-oxide
· building materials or furniture made from hardwoods unless certified as being from a sustainably managed source
4.5 Catering
Environmental impacts associated with providing beverages and food within college can best be addressed from within the Catering Contract. Environmental impacts include the use of disposable products, single-serve products, packaging and organic waste. Opportunities for more sustainable catering include addressing these impacts and expanding the purchase of Fairtrade products locally grown and/or organic foods, where possible.
Fair Trade products
Fairly traded products are those where the growers in developing countries receive a larger share of the price you pay. Fair trade associations and co-operatives use methods such as fixed advanced payments and in some cases contribute to local healthcare and education.
Procurement of Fairtrade tea, coffee, sugar etc for college catering can be specified in the catering contract. For other activities, the purchase of Fairtrade products should be made from a Fairtrade Supplier. Fairtrade products include tea, coffee, cocoa, rice, fruit and sugar. Many of these are organic too.
Organically-grown food
Organic fruit and vegetables are grown without using artificial chemicals, using methods that keep the soil in a healthy balance. Organic dairy products and meat come from animals fed with organic food. This approach makes organic food more environmentally friendly than conventional food with a reduced risk of diseases and chemical residues.
Beware of terms like 'natural', 'from the farm', 'country' etc. which have no defined meaning. The word ‘organic’ is legally protected. The Soil Association is the main organisation in the UK that checks 'organic' food. Look out for their logo or for a European certification label.
Buying organic food is not always the most environmentally sound option. For instance, local non-organic produce in a plain bag may have less impact on the environment than, for example, organic pears shipped all the way from Chile. However, supporting organic farming is recommended if extra cost is not prohibitive, since organic farms are generally smaller-scale, employ more people and receive fewer subsidies than conventional farms do.
4.6 Estates Services
The college will minimise resource, chemical, energy and water consumption in all areas of building maintenance and office servicing. Examples of this include:
· Attaching water saving devices to bathroom and kitchen taps and cisterns.
· Selecting uncoloured, unbleached, recycled toilet paper.
· Providing hand dryers rather than paper towels
· Selecting biodegradable products when purchasing detergents & cleaning products.
The college will not purchase any cleaning materials containing:
· More than 0.5% phosphorous
· Nitrilo-tri-acetic acid
· More than 3% of ethylene-diamino-tetra-acetate
· More than 5% by volume of chlorine
· More than 3% by volume of optical brighteners, synthetic colours and perfumes
In consideration of building refurbishment or new build projects, the college will build in sustainable specifications to ensure that design reflects the best available use of resources and that energy utilisation is minimised.
5. Ethical & Social Procurement
Ethical and social considerations in procurement impact in many areas, especially in dealing with suppliers to the college.
A clear guidance for suppliers is given below and should be communicated to all suppliers as the minimum level that is acceptable to the college.
· Health & Safety – A healthy and safe working environment is provided for employees, in accordance with international standards and national laws. This includes access to clean toilet facilities, drinkable water and if applicable, sanitary facilities for food storage. Where an employer provides accommodation, it shall be clean, safe and meet the basic needs of employees.
Appropriate health & safety information and training is provided to employees.
· Disciplinary Practices - Employees are treated with respect and dignity. Physical or verbal abuse or other harassment and any other threats or forms of intimidation are prohibited.
· Working Hours – Working hours of employees comply with relevant national law and are not excessive.
· Payment – Employees understand their employment conditions and fair and reasonable pay and conditions are provided.
· Discrimination – Negative discrimination in any form is prohibited.
· Freedom of Association – As far as relevant laws allow, all employees are free to join or not to join trade unions or similar organisations.