Best Practices and Success Stories for Environmental Procurement, Recycling, and Waste Prevention -- Success Stories

ENVIRONMENTAL ACQUISITION
Defense Supply Center Richmond

Defense Supply Center Richmond (DSCR) is taking a step towards accomplishing its mission of giving the customer "What it wants, when it wants it, and at the best value." This progressive new program called "Closed-Loop" involves re-refined oil with an added value -- when the customer orders re-refined oil from DSCR, they will have pick-up of their used oil included as part of the service provided by the contractor. Traditionally, purchase of a product and disposal of the spent product are handled as separate budget items, which require separate contracting actions. The DSCR Closed- Loop program will do away with the need for separate contracts for disposing of used oil and will save the customer money. This new contract also encourages federal facilities to close the recycling loop by turning their spent oil into a new lubricating product.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACQUISITION
The Teaming of the Department of Defense with the Environmental Protection Agency

The following best practice emphasizes shared responsibility between government agencies, the use of commercial products, and the use of products with multiple environmental characteristics. In 1996, the Department of Defense (DOD) decided to team with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in developing contract language encouraging the use of environmentally-preferable products in parking lot repairs. In 1997, the DOD awarded a 5-year, multi-million dollar contract for maintenance and repair of several parking lots, including the Pentagon parking lots. The contract includes unique features to encourage the contractor to identify and use products with multiple environmental attributes. For example, the contract includes price differentials that provide incentive for the contractor to search for these products. Environmental attributes were identified such as recycled content or low volatile organic compound content for 20 products. The price differential allows the contractor to earn up to 10 percent more for identifying and using products with additional environmental attributes beyond those initially identified. Within a month after the first task order was issued under the contract, the contractor had already identified several products with additional environmental attributes and earned a price differential. Environmental benefits have included the reuse of 3328 tons of recycled asphalt and the recycling of 4380 tons of asphalt.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACQUISITION
GSA Decision

An important aspect of procurement reform is leveraging the government's buying power to achieve lower prices and obtain greater value. GSA has made the decision to purchase and sell only 20 percent postconsumer recycled-content copier paper to federal agencies (30 percent postconsumer as of 12/31/98.) This decision was reached by GSA management as a result of discussions with the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive and federal agencies representatives. Copier paper accounts for over 28 percent of all the paper purchased by the federal government with approximately 10 million sheets being used every work hour. Total government purchases of recycled content copier paper almost doubled in FY 1997 to 39 percent, as compared with 20 percent in FY 1996. This effort has also been hailed as a major step forward in efforts to green government purchasing.

ENVIRONMENTAL ACQUISITION
DOI's Procurement of Environmentally Preferable Cleaning Products and Supplies

In November 1998, in an effort to procure RCRA-designated recycled-content and environmentally-preferable products, and to address concerns over the indoor air quality in its Main and South Interior Buildings in downtown Washington, DC, the Department of the Interior initiated a contract for custodial services using environmentally preferable cleaning products and supplies. DOI decided to make environmental preferability a major factor in the selection of the new contractor. This made for a little more work during solicitation evaluation, but DOI expects that having a contractor who is committed to being "green" will make a big difference in how well this works. The 5-year, $6.28 million award fee contract (including option years), for cleaning 1.5 million square feet of office space, was awarded in August 1999.

DOI established both "mandatory" and "desirable" characteristics for evaluating five categories of cleaning products and additional recycled-content products such as bathroom tissue and paper towels. Mandatory characteristics were rated on a pass or fail basis. Desirable characteristics were those above and beyond mandatory requirements that DOI determined would result in a more environmentally favorable product. In determining which characteristics to require of the products used under the contracts, DOI considered those that were relevant locally, those that would make a difference to the greater environment, and those that would be healthier for its employees.