Overview: The Department of General Services, in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency proposes to develop a partnership with the Department of General Services and the California Integrated Waste Management Board and other major stakeholders. The partnership will establish a program to provide state agencies with information and assistance regarding environmentally preferable purchasing.
Justification: Implementation of Assembly Bill 498 (Chan, Chapter 575, Statutes of 2002) requires the procurement of goods and services that have a reduced effect on human health and the environment in comparison to competing goods or services that serve the same purpose. The increased emphasis on environmentally preferable purchasing requires the Department of General Services, in consultation with the California Environmental Protection Agency, to comprehensively evaluate the environmental aspects of its purchasing programs to ensure they are consistent with achieving environmental preferable purchasing.
Objectives: Accordingly, per AB 498, the partnership between the DGS and CIWMB shall include, but is not limited to, activities that:
- Promote environmentally preferable purchasing.
- Develop and implement a strategy to increase environmentally preferable purchasing, including the development of statewide policies, guidelines, programs and regulations.
- Incorporate in purchasing decisions life cycle considerations, to the extent feasible, including raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, disposal, energy efficiency, product performance, durability, safety, the needs of the purchaser and cost.
- Coordinate efforts with other federal, state, and local entities; institutions of higher education; industry; and public health and environmental organizations interested in environmentally preferable purchasing.
- Develop and implement, to the extent fiscally feasible, training programs designed to instill the importance and value of environmentally preferable purchasing.
- Develop, to the extent fiscally feasible, an environmentally preferable purchasing best practices manual for State purchasing employees.
- Designate a single point of contact for State agencies, suppliers, and other interested parties to contact regarding environmentally preferable purchasing issues within existing resources.
Deliverables: Specific partnership activities will:
- Identify roles and responsibilities.
- Establish a project plan that describes process, work deliverables, and a schedule for accomplishing program objectives.
- Develop, consistent with available resources, a centralized mechanism to simplify identifying and purchasing environmentally preferable products.
- Establish an “interested parties” mailing list to contact regarding environmentally preferable purchasing issues.
- Establish and implement measures and tools to evaluate program performance.
Responsibilities: The Environmental Preferable Purchasing Task Force will:
- Be chaired by the Undersecretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency in conjunction with the Executive Director of the California Integrated Waste Management Board and the Deputy Director of Department of General Services Procurement Division.
- Establish and maintain a periodic forum with appropriate agenda and notes to discuss initiatives, progress, issues, and disseminate information.
- Establish subgroups or working groups to research and or develop assigned tasks in support of the EPP Task Force objectives.
- Encourage participation by all state agencies in all related initiatives to improve the environment.
Resources: The EPP Task Force will:
- Be principally populated with volunteer representatives.
- Funding for special initiatives will be provided or budgeted by participating agencies/departments as resources and fiscal constraints allow.
Principal Sponsors:
- Department of General Services
- California Environmental Protection Agency
(Signed on Earth Day 2003 by)
CLARK KELSO, INTERIM DIRECTOR
Department of General Services
MARK LEARY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
California Integrated Waste Management Board
(For the California Environment Protection Agency)
For more information contact: Office of Public Affairs, opa@calrecycle.ca.gov