Procurement of goods and services by the State of California is driven by State agency needs. An agency needing a product or service submits a request to the California Department of General Services, Procurement Division (DGS/PD) which then conducts an open competitive solicitation to acquire that good or service on their behalf.
How to Increase EPP Sales to the State
Businesses attempting to sell environmentally preferred products/services (EPP) to State agencies can increase their market exposure in the following ways:
- Increase credibility by documenting product quality and performance in accordance with customer documentation need. Conduct demonstration projects, laboratory and field tests, third party validation, life cycle cost analysis, and provide references.
- Market products/services to State agency procurement officers; provide them with detailed qualitative and quantitative information on EPP features of each product/service so these can be incorporated in State procurement specifications.
- Register as a supplier in the State of California’s BidSync e-procurement database. The Procurement Division notifies registered suppliers in this database of State product or service bid solicitations. Notification is triggered when key words in a supplier’s BidSync e-procurement profile match words in the State’s bid solicitation description field. (In the supplier product description field under “Contract Item Information,” enter verifiable EPP attributes or Department of General Services specs such as “postconsumer recycled content.”)
- eProcurement is the portal for the California State Contracts Register (CSCR), the State Contracting and Procurement Registration System (SCPRS), the online Small Business and Disabled Veteran Business Enterprise (DVBE) queries and the statewide Leveraged Procurement Agreements (LPAs). These systems have a new look and feel and can only be accessed through the new, web-based eProcurement system. For assistance, please contact DGS SA’s at eprocure@dgs.ca.gov or (916) 375-2000 or visit eProcurement.
- Sell EPP products to State agencies through an available master or sourced contractor (such as Office Depot or Grainger Supply) or through leveraged procurement agreements. Leveraged Procurement Agreements allow state agencies and other government entities in California to buy directly from suppliers through existing contracts and agreements.
- Self-list products made in California that meet mandated State agency purchasing requirements for postconsumer recycled content in CalRecycle’s RecycledContent Product Manufacturer Directory Products are identified according to their postconsumer recycled content and if they are made in California.
- Identify products’ postconsumer recycled content in specifications and sales information so it is readily available to purchasers and can be found in internet searches or online catalogs.
Additional Resource:
Meeting Department of General Services Procurement EPP Specifications
All goods and services purchased by the Procurement Division on behalf of State agencies must meet minimum specifications. This Division takes into account technical, environmental and cost advantages during its Invitation For Bids and Request For Proposals evaluation process.
When evaluating bids for products and services with EPP specifications, the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program assesses the ability to meet both mandatory EPP specifications and non-mandatory environmental and human health impact criteria. EPP specifications address the lifecycle environmental impacts of the product or service from cradle to cradle, including supply chain and end-of-life impacts. The EPP Program develops EPP specifications for procurement contracts on a prioritized basis, giving highest priority to product and service sectors with documented environmental impacts of concern.
The Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program looks for the following when evaluating bids for products/services with EPP specifications:
- Does the product/service offer comparable performance, pricing and availability to competing goods or services that serve the same purpose? (e.g. as demonstrated by a complete Life Cycle Assessment and/or Life Cycle Impact Analysis.)
- Does the product’s/service’s environmentally preferable characteristics meet existing recognized environmental consensus standards such as ANSI, ISO, IEEE or ASTM standards that are supported by independent third party testing/ certification?
- Does the business have a company-wide, broad-based Environmental Management System (EMS) Plan in place with the goal of reducing environmental impacts? Such a plan should meet the criteria for EMS defined in the International Organization of Standardization’s ISO 14001 Standard and include measured baseline environmental impact s and tracking of footprint reductions for the following manufacturing and supply chain impacts:
- Climate change metrics including green house gas emissions generated from the product, service facilities and transportation.
- Water usage
- Toxic use and emissions
- Waste generation
Does the business track the company-wide or supply chain environmental impact reductions of their product/service according to the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)?
For more information contact: Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov