HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 4.07 - Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy
AGENDA:
October 28, 2008
4 p;:J .
. I
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CATEGORY: Consent
DEPT.: Public Works/Finance and
Administrative Services
CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
TITLE: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Policy
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE
PURCHASING POLICY, to be read in title only, further reading waived, and authorize staff
to begin implementation.
FISCAL IMPACT
The proposed policy encourages City departments to purchase the most environmentally
responsible products and services that meet performance needs, are competitively priced and
are readily available. Many recycled and environmentally preferable products now cost the
same as, or are only slightly more than, other products. Purchasing Section staff will review
and compare costs of sustainable products with conventional products to determine if
purchasing the sustainable product is practical as defined by the policy.
The City of San Jose adopted an environmentally preferable purchasing policy and recently
bid a new office supply contract. They expect a cost increase of less than 1 percent over the
previous contract. While comprehensive cost data from other cities is not available, price
differentials vary by product, making it difficult to project the overall financial effect of the
proposed policy on the procurement of products. Similar to the City of San Jose policy,
Mountain View's Purchasing Section will review costs associated with this policy every two
to three years or as warranted and recommend changes to Council if appropriate. The first
review period would not occur until after a Purchasing Handbook is created.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
As part of the City's Environmental Sustainability Program, a green purchasing program was
proposed. The City's current Purchasing Policy for the procurement of recycled paper
products was adopted in 1990 as an environmental strategy. The proposed policy builds on
the 1990 Policy by making environmentally preferable purchasing the standard for all City
purchases.
City staff from the Finance and Administrative Services Department-Purchasing Section and
Public Works Department have collaborated on the new policy called the Environmentally
Preferable Purchasing Policy. The policy documents the City's practice of a preference for
AGENDA:
PAGE:
October 28, 2008
2
sustainable products that perform well, are readily available at a reasonable price and comply
with the City's specifications, operational needs, goals and objectives. When new recycled or
recyclable products become available, existing supplies will be exhausted before new
products are ordered. The Purchasing Section will include new suppliers or companies with
sustainable products in vendor procurement outreach efforts and continue to work with staff
on special requests to obtain the most appropriate product for the job.
The proposed policy sets the framework upon which staff will develop a Purchasing
Handbook for use by all City employees. The handbook will include information on which
products qualify as environmentally preferable and be specific enough so each City
department's routine purchases can be achieved with sustainability and cost as important
considerations.
Other cities in the County with environmentally preferable purchasing policies include Palo
Alto, Sunnyvale and San Jose, with many others under development. Most of the cities'
policies are similar to the proposed Mountain View policy, which is a combination of the best
ideas of those reviewed by the Purchasing Manager.
PUBLIC NOTICING-Agenda posting.
Prepared by:
~~
Transportation and Policy Manager
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StephenP. Attin~g-Y
Environmental Sustainability Coordinator
Approved by:
~~
Public orks irector
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TinaN. Yoke
Purchasing and Support Services Manager
Patty .
Interim Fina an
Services Director
~~~
City Manager
JJ-SPA-TNY /7 /CAM/907-10-28-08M-E^
Attachment: 1. Resolution
cc: TPM, PSSM, ESC, F
Attachment 1
CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW
RESOLUTION NO.
SERIES 2008
A RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING
AN ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
WHEREAS, the City of Mountain City Council established an Environmental
Sustainability Program in 2007; and
WHEREAS, the City wishes to reduce its impact on the environment by reducing
its use of virgin materials and increasing its use of recycled and recyclable materials;
and
WHEREAS, an environmentally preferable purchasing program has been
identified as an early sustainability action and is an integral part of an Environmental
Sustainability Program; and
WHEREAS, the Finance and Administrative Services Department and Public
Works Department staff have prepared an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Policy (Exhibit A), which has been reviewed by the City Green Team, department
directors and other staff; and
WHEREAS, the policy establishes the broad framework to guide City purchases
while protecting the environment in a practical and useful manner; and
WHEREAS, the policy will be augmented by a Purchasing Handbook for use by
staff to include environmentally preferable product information, so routine and other
purchases can be made in an environmentally sensitive and cost-conscious manner; and
WHEREAS, the Purchasing Section will provide training to staff when the
handbook is complete;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of
Mountain View that Council Policy A-20, entitled "Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing Policy," is hereby adopted.
Exhibit A: Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy
JJ /8/RESO /907-10-28-08R-E^
Exhibit A
CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Effective Date:
REVISED:
Resolution No.
SUBJECT: CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW ENVIRONMENTALLY NO: A-20
PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
Environmentally preferable purchasing ensures that services and products procured:
· Conserve natural resources, materials and energy;
. Eliminate or reduce toxics that create hazards to City workers and the community;
. Eliminate or reduce potential release of pollutants into the natural environment;
. Minimize environmental impacts, such as pollution, and reduce use of water and
energy; and
· Maximize recyclability and recycled content.
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this policy is to make environmentally preferable purchasing the
standard for the City of Mountain View (City) and also to support markets for recycled
goods and other environmentally preferable products and services.
This policy will support the City's commitment to environmental stewardship and
human health and safety. By incorporating environmental considerations into public
purchasing, the City of Mountain View will positively impact human health and the
environment.
POLICY:
DEFINITIONS
The following terms apply to this policy:
A. Eco-Iabeling refers to product labels that display the logo of a third-party
certification organization (e.g., Energy Star, Electronic Product Environmental
Assessment Tool (EPEAT), Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), Green Seal, Quality
Assurance International (QAI)).
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CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Effective Date:
REVISED:
Resolution No.
SUBJECT: CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW ENVIRONMENTALLY NO: A-20
PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
B. Environmentally Preferable Products and Services are products and services that
reduce negative effects on human health and the environment when compared
with competing products. A comparison of products/ services may consider raw
materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse,
operation, maintenance or disposal, along with the complete cost of a product
throughout its life, when practical.
C. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) places responsibility on the
manufacturer, rather than the City, for taking back a product after it is no longer
needed. By shifting costs and responsibilities of product recycling/ disposal to
manufacturers, EPR provides an incentive to eliminate waste and pollution
through product design and packaging changes.
D. Life Cycle Cost means the amortized annual cost of a product, including capital
costs, transportation costs, installation costs, operating costs, maintenance costs
and disposal costs discounted over the life of the product.
E. "Practical" !!leans whenever possible and compatible with local, State and Federal
law, regulations and/ or City of Mountain View policy, without reducing safety,
quality or effectiveness and where the product or service is available at a
reasonable cost in a reasonable period of time.
F. Recyclable Product means a product which, after its intended use, can be used as
raw material in the manufacture of another product.
G. Recycled Material means material that has been recovered and used in place of
raw or virgin material in manufacturing a product. Recycled material is derived
from post-consumer waste, manufacturing waste, industrial scrap, agricultural
waste and other waste material.
H. Virgin Material means any material occurring in its natural form. Virgin material
is often used as raw materials in the manufacture of new products.
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CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Effective Date:
REVISED:
Resolution No.
SUBTECT: CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW ENVIRONMENT ALL Y NO: A-20
PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
The City of Mountain View commits to:
1. Procure environmentally preferable products and services where practical and
where criteria for such products and services have been established by govern-
mental or other widely-recognized authorities (e.g., Energy Star, Environmental
Protection Agency (EP A) Eco Purchasing Guidelines, EPEA T, FSC, Green Seal,
QAI).
2. Integrate environmental factors into the City's buying decisions, such as:
Replacing disposables with reusables or recydables;
Buying products bearing eco-Iabels;
Taking into account life cyde costs and benefits; and
Evaluating, as appropriate, the environmental performance of vendors in
providing products and services and taking products back at the end of their
life.
3. Raise staff awareness regarding the environmental issues affecting procurement by
providing relevant information and training to City staff and vendors interested in
doing business with the City.
4. Encourage vendors to offer environmentally preferable products and services at
competitive prices.
5. Encourage service providers to consider all possible environmental impacts of
providing their services.
6. Comply with applicable environmental legislative and regulatory requirements in
the procurement of products and services, e.g., Extended Producer Responsibility.
Nothing in this policy requires a department or vendor to procure products that do not
perform adequately or are not practical.
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CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Effective Date:
REVISED:
Resolution No.
SUBJECT: CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW ENVIRONMENTALLY NO: A-20
PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
Procedures and guidelines will be established and updated as necessary to ensure the
continuation of a strong, environmentally preferable purchasing policy.
RESPONSIBILITIES
All departments shall identify and purchase the most environmentally responsible and
practical products and services. Factors to consider when evaluating an
environmentally preferable product or service include, but are not limited to:
. Minimization of virgin raw materials in product or service life cycle.
. Minimization of materials regulated by Federal or State permits or other City
policies.
. Maximization of recycled content in product life cycle.
. Reuse of existing products or materials in product or service life cycle.
· Recyclability of product.
. Minimization of packaging.
. Reduction of energy /water consumption.
. Reduction or elimination of product or service toxicity.
. Long durability and low maintenance of product.
. Disposal, recycling and take-back of product.
. Local sourcing of product or service, whenever possible.
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CITY COUNCIL POLICY
Effective Date:
REVISED:
Resolution No.
SUBTECT: CITY OF MOUNTAIN VIEW ENVIRONMENTALLY NO: A-20
PREFERABLE PURCHASING POLICY
Purchasing Section Responsibilities:
1. Develop and maintain information about environmentally preferable products.
2. Provide training to staff and vendors regarding the City's environmentally
preferable purchasing policy and provide implementation assistance.
3. Incorporate specifications (e.g., requirement of recycled content or Energy Star
rating) into City bid solicitations where practical.
4. Provide vendors with information about the City's environmentally preferable
product/ service procurement requirements and specifications.
5. Encourage vendors to use electronic invoices, whenever possible.
6. Review policy and costs every two to three years or as warranted and recommend
changes to Council, if appropriate.
CNLPOL
A20-916CP^
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