Guide to Completion of the Green Procurement Templates

							Guide to the Completion of
the Green Procurement Plans
Guide to the Completion of the Green Procurement Plans
     The information included in this Guide is intended to describe, in detail, the
          requirements for each section of the Green Procurement Plans.




                                               Table of Contents

Part I: Resources - Forms and Weblinks .......................................................... 2
Part II: Completing the Plan Part A: Questionnaire ......................................... 2
Commodity ............................................................................................................ 2
Solicitation/Contract Number ................................................................................ 2
RESEARCH .......................................................................................................... 3
Section A: Key Environmental Impacts Associated with the Good or Service ...... 3
Section B: Mitigation Initiatives ............................................................................. 3
Packaging ............................................................................................................. 3
Industry Capacity .................................................................................................. 4
Standards and Certifications that can be consulted when developing
environmental criteria............................................................................................ 4
IMPLEMENTATION .............................................................................................. 5
Section C: Existing Green Procurement Initiatives – included in existing
procurement instruments ...................................................................................... 5
Section D: Green Procurement Initiatives for the Upcoming RFX ......................... 6
Section E: Environmental Criteria and Specifications that have been identified in
research but that will not be implemented in the upcoming RFx ........................... 7
Section F: Contacts............................................................................................... 7
Part III: Completing the Plan, Part B: Scorecard .............................................. 7
Initiatives ............................................................................................................... 8
Criteria and Technical Specifications .................................................................... 8
Part IV: The Completed Plan ............................................................................ 10
Part I: Resources - Forms and Weblinks
Current (April 2009) versions of the Green Procurement Plan are provided here:

Part A: Questionnaire      Part B : Scorecard


The Acquisitions Branch Publiservice site hosts the most up-to-date versions of
these files as well as all completed Green Procurement Plans, which may serve
as examples when completing your own. The Guideline for Integration of
Environmental Performance Considerations in Federal Government Procurement
and the Environmental Awareness Toolkit provide general information on Green
Procurement principles and implementation, as well as links to additional
resources that may prove helpful when completing the plan.

The plan should be completed using resources within the Commodity Team. For
general support within Acquisitions Branch, contact:

Cindy O’Driscoll, Green Procurement Specialist                819-956-8441

Following completion of the plan by the Commodity Team, expert advisors from
EC, NRCan and OGGO, as well as OSME and Acquisitions Branch stakeholders,
will review the plans from a technical and feasibility perspective and provide
comments. The Commodity Team will then use the comments to finalize the
strategy for applying Green Procurement to the Commodity and completing the
Green Procurement Plan. The plan is to be started prior to initiating industry
consultations, to ensure that suppliers are aware of Green Procurement
requirements in advance of the RFx release. Once consultations are completed,
the plan can be finalized.

Part II: Completing the Plan Part A: Questionnaire
See the link to the ‘Questionnaire’ provided in Part 1 above. Each section of the
questionnaire can be completed by following the instructions below.

Commodity
Identify the Commodity of goods or services for which the green procurement
plan is being prepared and provide a description of the Commodity. This
description will help green procurement expert advisors understand your
commodity and therefore better support you.

Solicitation/Contract Number
Provide the Solicitation/Contract number for the commodity for which the green
plan is being prepared.




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                                  RESEARCH

Section A: Key Environmental Impacts Associated with the
Good or Service
Identify major environmental impacts associated with the good or service, based
on the information provided. This can usually be identified by:
     Researching the product’s environmental impacts on the internet;
     Reviewing environmental product certification criteria on sites such as the
        Environmental Choice program; and,
     Discussing features with suppliers.

See also the OGGO Website’s Environmental Awareness Toolkit and the
Guideline for Integration of Environmental Performance Considerations in
Federal Government Procurement for further resources.

Section B: Mitigation Initiatives
In collaboration with your commodity team, research and identify current green
procurement actions being taken. These should include tips, lessons learned,
best practices and recommendations related to demand management, asset
management, operational/use practices, maintenance and disposal that could be
implemented to improve environmental performance. The following questions
should be considered:

In this section, consider the environmental impact of the good/service being
procured. Identify features of the most environmentally preferable alternatives.
Ideally, this section should include a list of the criteria that would be used to
specify the most environmentally preferable good/service on the market today.

Highlight information that suppliers should be able to provide regarding the
environmental attributes of their products, processes, and initiatives.

Key resources to obtain this information are listed in the Environmental
Awareness Toolkit and Guideline for Integration of Environmental Performance
Considerations in Federal Government Procurement and include:
    Environmental certification programs, such as Environmental Choice;
    Suppliers;
    Industry associations;
    NRCan and EC technical experts.

Packaging
List actions taken related to packaging (Questions 1 through 4):
     requirements for suppliers to reduce packaging, recycle or take-back
       packaging
     restrictions placed on suppliers in terms of hazardous material contained
       in packaging


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      responsibility for recycling/disposal

Industry Capacity
Question 5:
Address suppliers’ capacity to meet environmental criteria. Ideally, environmental
criteria should be introduced as mandatory wherever feasible. In some cases, a
number of suppliers will not have the technical capacity to meet the criteria or the
cost premium associated with the criteria may be too high. In these cases,
environmental specifications are often introduced as optional, point-rated criteria.
As prices fall and/or suppliers gain capability, future RFXs can incorporate the
criteria as mandatory. Key to this conversion to mandatory criteria is
communication with the supplier base, to ensure that they make modifications to
their processes or products to enable them to meet the criteria.

Question 6:
Some departments have made decisions to select environmentally preferable
suppliers, wherever possible. These departments need information on supplier
attributes to be able to make appropriate choices. Some commodity groups post
supplier descriptions to make it easier to identify appropriate suppliers. Some e-
procurement tools also facilitate searches for items that meet environmental
requirements.


Standards and Certifications that can be consulted when
developing environmental criteria
Question 7:
List references to environmental good or service criteria relevant to the
commodity. A number of organizations publish environmental criteria associated
with specific goods or services. Suppliers who demonstrate compliance with the
criteria are ‘certified’ and allowed to display the organization’s certification label.
The specification of an environmental certification can facilitate the
implementation of Green Procurement. Where this is not possible, the
certification criteria, which are usually publicly available via the Web, can offer
excellent insight into key environmental issues associated with goods and
services as well as appropriate mitigation actions. Selected criteria can be
incorporated into bid solicitations.

Some key environmental certification programs or ‘eco-labelling’ programs
include Environmental Choice (Canada) and Green Seal (US). See the
Environmental Awareness Toolkit on the OGGO website for further resources.

Question 8:
List commodity-specific standards. Many industry associations seek to develop
guidance for their members in better managing their environmental performance.


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A good example is EPEAT (Electronics Product Environmental Assessment
Tool), a set of 51 environmental criteria that apply to IT hardware. Other broader
guides, such as EnergyStar, also address energy consumption of electronic and
electric products.

Question 9:
Some commodities will be subject to specific policies or legislation that impact
their environmental performance. For example, vehicle purchases within the
federal government are affected by the Alternative Fuels Act. In addition, a quick
search of industry initiatives will often provide an idea of the key environmental
issues associated with purchases.

                              IMPLEMENTATION

Section C: Existing Green Procurement Initiatives – included in
existing procurement instruments
Questions 1 to 4:
To answer the first four questions, identify current internal government initiatives
related to the commodity:
     Are efforts being made to reduce consumption?
     Are surplus assets being better managed to ensure that they are used
       rather than acquiring new assets? Ex. Check on the availability of surplus
       furniture assets prior to buying new.
     Rationalization of assets: are studies being conducted to determine how
       asset use could be optimized? For example, could two older inefficient
       cars be replaced by one new hybrid car?
     What alternative goods or services are available that might have a lesser
       environmental impact? For example, furniture that has recycled content or
       a multi-function device that incorporates printing, faxing, scanning and
       photocopying rather than selecting several individual devices.
     Are initiatives being taken to reduce the impact of acquiring the goods,
       such as e-procurement?

Question 5:
Review existing standing offers, supply arrangements and contracts for
mandatory and optional/point-rated environmental criteria. Review technical
specifications that may incorporate elements such as Energy Star or ecolabels
and Annexes that may be specific to environmental features. Criteria might
include product specifications, such as:
     Low VOC emissions
     Recycled content of metal, plastic, fabric parts
     Use of low toxicity raw materials
     Eco-label certification
     EnergyStar


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And supplier specifications, such as:
   ISO 14000 certification
   Use of chain-of-custody methods
   Low emissions of GhGs

Note requirements included within the RFX for suppliers to manage
environmental aspects of the acquisition, use/maintenance and disposal phases
of the procurement. These can be either mandatory or optional criteria. For
example:
     Delivery by high-efficiency vehicles, to minimize GhG emissions
     Reports printed in double-sided format on recyclable paper from a certified
       source
     Recyclable consumables (ex. re-manufactured toner cartridges)
     Take-back programs for end-of-life goods to ensure proper recycling

Question 6
Note when each of the above mandatory or optional criteria was initially
incorporated into the bid specifications (this will facilitate the completion of the
scorecard).


Section D: Green Procurement Initiatives for the Upcoming RFX
In this section, note green procurement clauses and conditions that will be
incorporated in the upcoming RFx’s.
List also the specifications used in the Statement of Work (SOW) related to green
procurement.
List the environmental criteria used in the evaluation grid.
Describe the financial evaluation as it pertains to green procurement. The costs
that will occur throughout the entire lifecycle must be considered.
The prices for the environmentally preferable options, once requested, could
potentially be lowered by suppliers, when more weighting is given to these
options in the evaluation.
.
Finally, demonstrate how the green options within the procurement instrument
are identified and communicated to users (client departments). This is to make it
easier for clients to use the procurement instruments, and know in what way they
are green and how to pick the right procurement instruments and the right line
items.




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Section E: Environmental Criteria and Specifications that have
been identified in research but that will not be implemented in
the upcoming RFx
Indicate the expected timelines for the implementation of the various initiatives
and/or criteria.

Issues exist when implementing Green Procurement. Key issues, and associated
solutions, may include:
           o Competition issues: too few suppliers offer the environmental
              feature or exclusion of Canadian companies
                  Solution: Establish point-rated desirable criteria;
                     communicate with suppliers to indicate that in future RFx’s,
                     these criteria may become mandatory.
           o Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs): will the use of mandatory
              environmental criteria exclude SMEs?
                  Solution: Consult with SME office to incorporate provisions
                     to avoid exclusion of SMEs.
           o Higher upfront costs for environmentally preferable goods.
                  Solution: Demonstrate lower or equivalent cost over
                     lifecycle. Address initial cost increment by allocating a
                     portion of the budget to compensate for these costs, with
                     expectation of cost recovery in later years. For high
                     expenditures, consider alternative financing arrangements.
           o Questions regarding performance of environmentally preferable
              goods and/or services
                  Solution: Require that suppliers demonstrate the
                     performance of their goods/service

Section F: Contacts
Indicate the names of the individuals who participated in the completion of the
plan.

Part III: Completing the Plan, Part B: Scorecard
The Scorecard is to be completed using information gathered during the
completion of the questionnaire, particularly Sections C, D &E , and in the course
of conducting general supply analysis.

A copy of a blank sample scorecard is provided in Part 1 at the beginning of this
document.

The purpose of the scorecard is to provide a visual snapshot of:
    The Best In Class criteria for the particular commodity; in other words,
      what features characterize the most environmentally preferable
      good/service that can be procured within this commodity?;


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       The status of implementation of green procurement, for the commodity,
        within the Government of Canada, as it relates to:
            o Existing procurement instruments in place (if applicable)
            o Current RFXs being prepared
            o New initiatives to be considered in future RFXs
       Progress made to date on the implementation of Green Procurement and
        planned actions for future RFXs.

The initiatives (Section A) and technical specifications/criteria (Section B) listed
within the scorecard will vary from commodity to commodity and between
services and goods. The elements to be included in the list should be identified
through the normal supply analysis conducted by the Commodity Team when
determining sourcing options.

Initiatives
In this section, government initiatives relating to green procurement of the
commodity are listed. These include all initiatives that do not involve direct
purchase of the item, for example:
     Action taken to reduce consumption
     Improvements to warranty usage to encourage repair and reduce new
        purchases
     Better use of surplus assets
     Alternative goods identified that are environmentally preferable

In addition, initiatives taken related to engaging suppliers should be identified.
These might include the:
        Completion of surveys to identify capacity amongst suppliers to provide
           environmentally preferable goods and services
        Regular communication of increasingly stringent environmental
           objectives to potential suppliers
        Bidders’ environmental information made readily available to client
           departments

Criteria and Technical Specifications
This section lists the various criteria that can be applied to the good or service
being procured. Criteria should address environmental impacts associated with
all phases of the lifecycle (planning, acquisition, use/maintenance, and disposal).

Examples of criteria are provided below:
    Product design
        o Design for disassembly
        o Replaceability of wear-susceptible parts
    Suppliers’ commitment to sound environmental practices
        o Environmental Management System in place
        o ISO 14001 accreditation



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           o History of community environmental initiatives
      Resources used in the production of goods or supply of services
           o Low volatility compounds used in the production process or service
              delivery
           o Avoidance of hazardous chemicals
           o Recycled content of raw materials (i.e. metal, plastic, paper, wood)
      Efficiency of the manufacturing process/service delivery
           o Minimization of waste in the manufacturing process/delivery of
              service
           o Minimization of energy use during the manufacturing
              process/delivery of service
           o Recycling of waste generated
      Packaging and distribution
           o Minimization of packaging materials
           o Recycled content within packaging materials
           o Recyclability of used packaging materials
           o Take-back/reuse programs for packaging materials
      Use and maintenance of goods/services
           o Goods accompanied by clear maintenance and repair instructions
           o Materials used in maintenance are non-hazardous and minimize
              waste
           o Indoor Air Quality is not adversely affected by use of good/delivery
              of service
           o Warranty increases lifetime of goods
           o Warranty information is clearly marked on item
      Disposal of goods or waste generated by the good/service
           o Waste is minimized
           o Used goods can be returned to supplier for reuse/recycling
           o Used goods are recyclable

  For services, initiatives, criteria and technical specifications are slightly
    different. Soon to be released is a guideline for Greening services
                           Procurement, Stay tuned.

             Status of Initiatives, Technical Specifications and Criteria

For each initiative and specification listed on the scorecard, the status should be
indicated for the old solicitation, the current solicitation being prepared, as well as
plans for future solicitations.

A ‘traffic light’ system determines the colour coding:

       Mandatory specification or fully implemented initiative

       Optional specification or partially implemented initiative



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       Identified as a potential specification or initiative; not yet incorporated into
       GOC procurement.


Part IV: The Completed Plan
The Green Plan needs to be completed and directed to AB – Strategic Relations
Branch (SRB) prior to internal and supplier consultation meetings. SRB will
initiate the technical review process and collect finalized plans for upload to the
web.

See the ‘Delineation of Roles and Responsibilities Flow Chart for the Completion
of the Green Procurement Plan’ for further details of the responsibilities for
completion of the Green Procurement Plans.




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