Federal Biobased Products Preferred Procurement Program

The Biobased Products and Bioenergy Coordination Council (BBCC) was established by the Secretary of Agriculture to provide a forum through which USDA agencies will coordinate, facilitate and promote research, development, transfer of technology, commercialization, and marketing of biobased products and Bioenergy using renewable domestic agricultural and forestry materials. This includes promoting information sharing, strategic planning and providing policy advice to the Secretary.

Agricultural and forestry resources provide renewable raw materials for a broad range of nonfood and nonfeed products, such as chemicals, fibers, construction materials, lubricants, and fuels. Development and commercialization of such biobased and Bioenergy products provide new and expanded markets for agricultural feedstocks, accelerate market penetration, reduce U.S. dependence on petroleum and other imports of critical materials, and diversify agriculture while fostering rural and sustainable development. Such products are friendlier to the environment than their petroleum-based counterparts.

The BBCC is an outgrowth of the USDA New Uses Coordination Council, which was created by the Secretary of Agriculture in 1995, renamed the Biobased Products Coordination Council (BPCC) in 1997, and formalized as the BBCC in 2002 by Departmental Regulation. About a dozen USDA agencies with programs related to biobased products and or Bioenergy participate in BBCC activities.

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