The greenest product is the one that isn’t purchased. Elimination of unnecessary purchasing, as well as reuse and refurbishment, are critical to reduce toxic chemicals throughout the life cycle of products.
Proposed procurement goals and metrics:
- Before You Buy checklist created and consulted before all major contracts
- Metric: Percent spend on products and services on major contracts that have first been evaluated using the Before You Buy checklist
Before You Buy Checklist
Consider these questions prior to making a purchase:
- Is the item still needed? Is it on a standard purchase order? Has the need been assessed recently?
- Does this item need to be new, or can it be purchased used or from surplus sources?
- Can the item be rented or leased?
- Can this item be purchased from a qualified rehabilitation facility?
- Has the durability and longevity of this item been considered and the most durable option chosen?
- Is this product reusable and recyclable? Are there reusable and recyclable alternatives for this item?
- Are product take-back options offered by vendors for this item or its alternative?
- Has the total cost of ownership been evaluated for this item and compared to other options?
- Have product disposal costs and concerns been considered at end-of-life? Did you compare this product with alternatives when considering end-of-life?
- Can this item be purchased from a cooperative contract?
Stretch goal:
- Were durability and minimization of waste in product design, materials content, manufacturing processes, packaging, distribution, and end-of-life management considered?
Case studies:
- Multnomah County’s before you buy checklist:
- Before you decide to buy anything, is what you need available:
- Through surplus property?
- Through Multco MarketPlace?
- To be leased or be rented?
- From a QRF (Qualified Rehabilitation Facility)?
- From a cooperative contract?
- Palo Alto, CA’s Environmentally Preferred Purchasing Policy provides that the evaluation of prices for goods and services “shall factor in life-cycle costs, total product cost over the lifetime of the product (use, maintenance, disposal), risk management, regulatory requirements and penalties for non-compliance.” RPN
- Denver, CO’s sustainability policy requires "assessing the total cost of ownership by including initial cost, operating costs, and disposal or end of life cost, with due consideration of leasing as an alternative to outright purchase." RPN
- San Jose, CA’s Environmentally Preferable Procurement Policy states that the City will include product specifications that address:
- Durability and minimization of waste in the product design, materials content, manufacturing processes, packaging, distribution, and end-of-life management.
- Areas of consideration include the use of virgin material, water, energy, hazardous substances, product longevity, recycled content, recyclability, and product take back.
- Free or low-cost product take back services (e.g., collection, recycling, remanufacturing, and proper disposal of their products).
- Documentation that products previously purchased or leased are in fact reused, recycled, or otherwise safely managed at the end of their useful lives. RPN
Resources
- Model Contract Language: All contracts should include sustainable purchasing language, such as this model contract language. This example language is aimed at making a plan to eliminate chemicals of concern when a supplier does not offer a safer alternative.
- CIP Project Scoring Protocols: The City of Ann Arbor has included sustainability into this CIP project scoring matrix so projects with greener components score higher and are more likely to be funded.