Sustainable Procurement in Nova Scotia, and What it Means for Vendors Lynda Rankin, Procurement Internal Services Department

Government Purchases …

Sustainable Procurement Policy Mandated under EGSPA (2007) Sustainable Procurement Policy since 2009 How and what we purchase can play a key role in creating a clean environment and a prosperous economy First provincial policy of its kind in Canada

What Does it Mean ? Key Features Emphasis on obtaining “best value” for Nova Scotia Lifecycle cost instead of lowest first cost Environmental and social factors are considered Category by category approach to implementation

Sustainable Procurement

What Are We Considering ? Fiscal Responsibility Life Cycle Costing Local Economy Toxics Use Reduction Waste Reduction Greenhouse Gas Reduction Health and Safety Inclusiveness and Fair Wage Health Promotion

Benefits to Government Sustainable procurement supports the many mandates of government protection of public health safer work environment environmental protection workforce development economic development and many more …

Specification Development

For Goods Sustainability requirements may include: consideration of life-cycle cost also durability, reparability, warranty, interoperability environmental attributes (toxins, waste, greenhouse gasses, packaging ) third party certification of environmental attributes, human/social consideration (health and safety, ergonomics, nutrition value )

Life-cycle Costing The initial purchase price often represents only a small portion of the total cost of owning something. Life cycle costing is typically used for equipment or services that you will be using for awhile that require some level of upkeep that require on-going power/fuel supply that use consumable supplies and replacement parts

Certifications Environmental and human health concerns are complex Green marketing is rampant vague and unsubstantiated claims misleading info We use third party certification to help ensure that we are purchasing what we think we are purchasing

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Energy and fuel efficiency The Province of Nova Scotia is an Energy Star Participant and many of the products we purchase are Energy Star qualified

Some Current Examples All of our core task seating is Green Guard certified to be low chemical emitting and meets a CSA Ergonomic Standard Our school furniture is Green Guard certified to have low chemical emission and help protect the air quality in schools. Its also fully repairable and parts are readily available. Our compostable waste bags are certified to be compostable and to break down in composting facilities Our computers and laptops are all EPEAT registered (note: Energy Star is embedded in EPEAT) Lifecycle costing was used to make the business case for LED highway lights used on 100 series highways

Approach to Services goods tend to have a defined specification some services are well defined (janitorial, landscape etc.) for other services, we may be going to market looking for options or solutions to address the requirements rather than box vendors in with detailed sustainability criteria we may ask about more general questions how the business operates - if you operate in a sustainable manner then you can probably bring that perspective to the work you do for us how are you going to deliver project in a sustainable manner

What are we Looking for ? Vendors who understand sustainability and, operate in a sustainable manner and deliver services in a sustainable manner (janitorial, property maintenance, courier, printers etc.) propose solutions that include consideration of sustainability proposed added value and sustainable delivery of large projects ensure any goods that are recommended meet sustainability goals

What Will You See in Tenders? Depending on the service you may see any or all of the following defined requirements for sustainable service delivery for some services (e.g., janitorial, concession operator etc.,) “Proponent Sustainability Assessment” (usually mandatory when included) policy, commitment or vision use of environmental or sustainability criteria in your own purchasing working with other local business and suppliers training, mentorship, or apprenticeship opportunities OHS programs and practices Question asking you to describe how the service will be delivered sustainable manner

Responding to an Open Question corporate approach to sustainability how are you ensuring H&S how does your firm support inclusiveness and diversity in the workforce value adds training/knowledge transfer local apprentices, interns etc. other environmental attributes of the products included in bid

Selling Sustainability How is your service /product sustainable ? Is sustainability part of the mission/vision/value of your business? How is the this communicated to staff? Do you walk the talk – with products, service delivery, staff training, procedures? How can you best highlight your attributes with concrete claims?

The Sustainable Marketplace 46% of the companies on the S&P global 1200 have an environmental supply chain policy – (Conference Board of Canada) 93% of CEOs believe that sustainability will be important to the future success of their business (Accenture study)

New Developments - USA Executive Order Planning for Federal Sustainability in the Next Decade. It includes … US Federal Government to purchase “environmentally preferable” products or services that: meet or exceed EPA specifications, programs, standards (e.g., Energy Star, Water Sense, Safer Choice etc.) Or, where these do not exist, meet “environmental performance criteria developed or adopted by voluntary consensus standards bodies … ” (e.g., 3 rd party environmental certifications and standards) This will impact the market - the only question is how fast … Game Changer ?

Lynda Rankin Manager Sustainable Procurement Procurement, ISD