>
United States
Environmental Protection
Pollution Pr
and Toxics
(7409)
bruary 2004
/w.epa.gov/oppt/epp
Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Buying Green Online
Greening Government
E-Procurement of Office Supplies
Printed on process chlorine free, minimum 50 percent postconsumer content paper.
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CONTENTS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS HI
DISCLAIMER v
FOREWORD:~THE GENESIS AND PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT ... .VH
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ix
DEFINITIONS & ACRONYMS xi
SECTION I INTRODUCTION I
Status of Government Office Supply Purchasing 2
Drivers for E-Procurement of Office Supplies 4
Drivers for Greening Online Ordering System 7
Representative Federal Agency-Specific E-Catalogs 9
SECTION 2 ESTABLISHING A GREEN
OFFICE SUPPLY CONTRACT 15
Agency Working Group 15
Considerations for Multiple BPAs vs. a Single BPA 15
Considerations for the Source Selection Process 17
Considerations for Mandatory vs.Voluntary E-Catalog Use 18
Socio-Economic Considerations 19
SECTIONS CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE PRODUCTS 21
Reliable Green Purchasing Criteria 22
Price of Green Products 25
Performance of Green Products 26
Purchasing Restrictions 27
SECTION 4 MONITORING GREEN PURCHASES 29
Tracking Green Purchases 29
Transaction Data 30
Vendor Role in Tracking and Monitoring 30
CONTENTS
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SECTION 5 ENHANCING GREEN PURCHASING 33
Employee Training 33
Outreach to Customers 34
SECTION 6 CONCLUSION 37
APPENDIX A—EPA GREEN PURCHASING CRITERIA 39
APPENDIX B—EPA RFP FOR GREEN
OFFICE SUPPLY VENDOR 47
APPENDIX C—FEDERAL AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL
POINTS OF CONTACT 59
APPENDIX D—EPA ANNOUNCEMENT .61
BUYING GREEN ONLINE.
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>
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) would like to thank all of
the agencies and individuals who shared lessons learned and encouraged
us in the development of this document. In particular, the foresight and
innovation of Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) and the Naval Undersea
Warfare Center (NUWC) in Newport, RI inspired EPA—as a purchaser and as
an encourager of other purchasers—to explore the green purchasing opportun-
ities that agency-specific e-catalogs coidd provide to federal agencies. These two
organizations helped us immeasurably in understanding how an agency could
go about developing an agency-specific, green e-catalog.
We greatly appreciate the assistance and valuable editing input of the
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE) and the Executive
Order 13101 Interageucy Advisory Group (EOIAG). We want to thank the
former Procurement Executives Council (PEC) for helping to identify agencies
with e-catalogs in place. Thanks also to EPAs Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines Program whose staff were key partners in the development of
EPAs Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Criteria for office products
(included as Appendix A to this report) and to the Integrated Acquisition
Environment E-Marketplace Group (including representatives from GSA and
DLA) for review of this report.
We also offer our sincere thanks to EPA's Office of Acquisition
Management, particularly, Kerrie O'Hagan, Karen Lee, Cheryl Upton and
Kristin Wright. Their interest in and commitment to creating a Blanket
Purchase Agreement (BPA) for green office supplies at EPA provided the
impetus for this report.
Other Agencies and individuals whose expertise informed the contents of
this report include:
Agency
Department of Agriculture
(USDA)
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Defense (DOD)
Department of Energy (DOE)
Facility
Office of Procurement and Property
Management
Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC)
Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC)
Idaho National Engineering and
Environmental Lab (INEEL)
Department of Energy (DOE) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Contact Person
J.R. Holcombe, Jr., Procurement Analyst
richard.holcombe@usda.gov
(202) 720-8484
John Mix, Intramart Manager
hixje@npt.nuwc.navy.mil
(401)832-4820
Kim Gossett,
Kim.Gossett@wpafb.af.mil
Timothy Inman, eGPC Project Manager
Timothy.lnman@wpafb.af.mil
(937) 904-0424
Heather Merrill, Buyer/Affirmative Procurement
Program Administrator
Contractor: Bechtel BWXT Idaho
merrhj@inel.gov
(208) 526-0499
Marty Stunkel,
pcs@llnl.gov
(925) 423-3448
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS * in
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Agency
Facility
Contact Person
Department of Energy (DOE)
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
(PNNL)
Department of Energy (DOE) Rocky Flats Environmental Technology Site
Department of Energy (DOE) Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
Department of the Treasury
Department of the Treasury
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA)
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
Internal Revenue Service
Office of the Comptroller of the Currency
Region 8
Langley Research Center (LaRC)
National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA)
National Institutes of
Health (NIH)
Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC)
Smithsonian Institution
State of California
Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Principal
Center for Recycling and Affirmative
Procurement
State of California
U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
Department of General Services
California Integrated Waste Management
Board (CIWMB)
Sandra Cannon, EPP Coordinator
Contractor: Battelle
sandra.cannon@pnl.gov
Jim Worthy, E-Procurement Administrator
Contractor: S.M. Stoller Corporation
jim.worthy@rfets.gov
(303) 966-3786
James Romero, Buyer
jromero@sandia.gov
(505)844-3411
Anastasia Richardson, P2 Coordinator
Contractor: Shaw Environmental
arichar@sandia.gov
(505) 284-3983
Joe Gregory
Joe.Gregory@irs.gov
(202)283-1254
Frank Sutherland, Contract Manager
FrankSutherland@occ.treas.gov
(202) 874-4987
DianneThiel, Federal Facilities Coordinator
thiel.dianne@epa.gov
Kristin Poultney, Environmental Contract Mgr: SAIC
k.k.poultney@larc.nasa.gov
Mike Stubbs, Contracting Officer
m.t.stubbs@larc.nasa.gov
Richard Siebel, NASA Bank Card Manager
Richard.J.Siebels@nasa.gov
Linda Fitzgerald—LaRC Credit Card Manager
l.p.fitzgerald@larc.nasa.gov
Susan McClain, Small Procurement Contract Manager
s.e.mcclain@larc.nasa.gov
Shannah Trout, Affirmative Procurement Coordinator
Contractor: Dynamac Corporation
shannah.trout-1 @ksc.nasa.gov
(321)867-8443
JeffWeiner, IT Enterprise Architecture Manager
jweiner@nih.gov
(301)496-7058
Steve Eslin, Property Management
JSE@nrc.gov
(301)415-2050
Charlotte Davis, Asst. Manager, Procurement Division
DavisC@si.edu
(202) 275-1258
Roberta F. Hinchman, CAL-Card Prog. Statewide
Administrator
Roberta.Hinchman@dgs.ca.gov
Robert Riola, Lead Buyer
Bob.Riola@dgs.ca.gov
Kimya Lambert
klambert@ciwmb.ca.gov
Karen Kallipolites
karen.e.kallipolites@usps.gov
Lee Crane, Supply Management Division
lee.s.crane@usps.gov
iv * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
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DISCLAIMER
This report provides an overview of recent federal government office
supply e-procurement initiatives and includes references to specific
products and technologies. These references are included to provide
additional details and do not constitute endorsement of or recommendation
for use of these products by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA). This report features representative federal government online
purchasing activities. It does not represent the online purchasing efforts of
every federal government agency initiating such activities and it does not
describe every activity initiated by the agencies highlighted.
DISCLAIMER + v
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FOREWORD
government agencies green their The I"11'!'""- »«" thi* "V"" * '" M' government a^iine,
*m%" I|M'"' ("lr'' MII'P'> !»««n-l,a^ In sharing mlon,,alioii
THE GENESIS AND PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT
The purpose of this report is to help
government agencies green t
purchases of office supplies.
Mr i i . fp- • i about Jitm EP\ and oilier lederol
lederal procurement officials ...
i i IT .• r\ i in'oducl^ fhroiiyh ay;i'iK"\ -^iM-i'ii'ic
are required by rLxecutive Urder * >- >- . i
(E.O.) 13101 and the Federal
Acquisition Regulation (FAR) to engage in Environmentally Preferable
Purchasing (EPP), the practice of buying products and/or services that have
a lesser or reduced impact on the environment and human health, when
compared to competing products or services that serve the same purpose.
However, identifying greener products or services and educating agency
purchasers on which products and/or services to buy has been challenging.
Concerns about access to accurate product information and increased
decentralization of government purchasing have limited green purchasing.
This is particularly true for office supplies, many, if not most, of which are
obtained via small purchases made with Purchase Cards.
In 2002, the EPA launched an effort to purchase all non-electronic office
supplies bought with Purchase Cards via one nationwide BPA. This BPA
gives EPA access to a commercially
owned, agency-specific e-catalog, an r . , „ „ ,, , , n , . /-i-nrn r
. Jbii virorinieiitally i referable l ureliasing (Jbi I ) refers to
online directory of products and ,, . . ,-. , " . , i/ • ,1,1
J „ J the practice oi buying products and/or servic.es Ilia! nave
services available for sale based on , , ," . , , . . . ,
a lesser or reduced irripacl. on I he environrnenl and liuirian
customer-specific requirements , , , , , . ,
1 1 Iieallli. \vheiic.oinpai-rd lo romnrliujj prnduc.ts or s>er\ ices
under a p re-negotiated contract , , , ,,
'_, ^ lhal sene Ihr same
vehicle. EPA made a commitment.
to maximize the number of reen 5,.;«<««««««««««««««««««««««^^^
products available for purchase through this e-catalog. Toward this goal, EPA
reviewed existing criteria, standards and guidelines used by a variety of U.S.
organizations to define green office products. EPA then developed its own office
product green purchasing criteria (See Appendix A).
In preparation for launching this e-catalog, EPA identified and
interviewed procurement and environmental staff representing a variety of
government agencies who provide access to office supplies through agency-
specific e-catalogs. EPA selected these interviewees based on recommenda-
tions from the E.O. 13101 Interageiicy Advisory Group (EOIAG), the
Procurement Executives Council (PEC) and government office supply
vendors. Learning about the various approaches agencies took to developing
their catalogs and the ways some agencies have made green products available
to their purchasers through these e-catalogs lias greatly informed EPAs
efforts. Through this report EPA will share the lessons learned to help other
government agencies green their office supply purchases made via current or
future agency-specific e-catalogs.
FOREWORD * vn
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The intended audience for this report, includes federal government staff
who may be involved in the development and/or maintenance of their
agency's Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for office supply purchases,
accessed by an agency-specific e-catalog. This includes federal government
Information Technology (IT) managers, Purchase Card Program Managers,
Acquisition Managers, advocates of green purchasing and staff participating
in the development of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for
government facilities. This report also may apply to efforts by public or
private purchasers to green the e-procurement of other categories of products
and services.
For additional information related to the contents of this report, please
contact Holly Elwood of the EPAs Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
Program at (202) 564-8854. For additional information on the EPP Program
or to access existing resources that can help you identify and purchase green
products, please visit the EPP Program's website at .
via • BUYING GREEN ONUNE
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A
s a result of the research conducted to complete this report, EPA has
learned that:
Many Federal agencies currently are purchasing office supplies via
agency-specific e-catalogs, based on both national and facility-
specific contracts.1 Agencies cited cost savings through group
discounts, reduced time spent on routine processing of orders,
improved tracking and monitoring capabilities and increased ability
to direct purchasers to products meeting agency purchasing
priorities as the main reasons for providing access to office products
through these vehicles.
Some agencies have made an effort to increase the number of green
products available for purchase via their e-catalog (see Chart 1, page
10). Certain agencies limit the products available for purchase to
those that meet EPA's recycled content guidelines. As a result of
offering only products compliant with the Comprehensive
Procurement Guidelines (CPG) in specific product categories, the
Department of Energy's Sanclia National Laboratories reported
that purchases of recycled content products increased from less than
50 percent of overall purchases in FYOO to more than 80 percent in
FY 02.2
Some agencies have made the agency-specific e-catalog the only
authorized mechanism for the purchase of office supplies. Between
FY 01 and FY 02, NASA's Kennedy Space Center noted a 20 percent
increase in purchases of recycled products as a percentage of total
purchases via their mandatory e-catalog.3
Federal agencies use government Purchase Cards for most of their
non-electronic office supply purchases. According to the Office of
Management and Budget, slightly more than 400,000 Purchase
Cards were in circulation as of April 2002 and government agencies
spent more than $15 billion dollars via government Purchase Cards
in FY 02. While exact figures for annual office supply purchases do
not exist:
* EPA estimates annual office supply expenditures of $5 million,
or about 14 percent of its $35.8 million total purchases via
2,000 Purchase Cards.4
xSee Charts 1 arid 2, pages 10—13 for a list of federal agencies using online ordering systems
contacted for this report.
^Personal communication, Jimmy Romero, SNL, September, 2003.
'Personal communication, Shannah Trout, KSC, September, 2003.
*EPA BPA for Office Supplies Technical Evaluation Team
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <*• ix
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•» The Department of Energy's laboratories recorded more than
$34 million in Purchase Card transactions for office supplies,
about 16 percent of their total $207.5 million in Purchase Card
activity.5
* The Army spends approximately $100 million on office supplies
each year or about 6 percent of their $1.7 billion dollars in
purchases via more than 100,000 Purchase Cards.6
* In FY 2001, the U.S. Postal Service spent $125 million for office
supplies, nearly 5 percent of their $2.6 billion total procure-
ment of goods and services.7
* The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has estimated
that its 170,000 employees spend $85 million per year on non-
electronic office supplies. DHS currently is developing green
purchasing specifications for a forthcoming solicitation.8
In addition, the Federal Procurement Data Center reports $141
million in contracted transactions (greater than $25,000) for Office
Supplies arid Devices for fiscal 2002.9
EPA's green purchasing criteria (see Appendix A) are more compre-
hensive than any other known federal government effort, to elate, to
provide greener office products to agency staff. For those product
categories for which EPA has established green purchasing criteria,
products that meet or exceed EPA's standards for positive environ-
mental attributes (including recycled content, processed chlorine free
paper, reduced toxicity and non-ozone depleting) will be the pro-
ducts of choice. The green purchasing criteria will be altered and
strengthened as office products with additional positive environ-
mental attributes become available.
EPA's office products contract requires recycling of all used toner
cartridges and batteries.
Vendor evaluation criteria used in the award of EPA's Office Supply
BPA included having an Environmental Management System(EMS)
in place or in development and green fleet purchase and
maintenance programs.
'Data on government Pin-chase Card use from Federal Supply Service, GSA Smart Pay
Program Office, included in the Federal Procurement Report. The Federal Procurement
Report is available at
'
7GAO-03-230 Contract Management, January 2003.
"Meeting between EPA and DHS Office Supplies Commodities Council, October 28, 2003.
'Federal Procurement Data Center Agency summary for FSC Group 75, Office Supplies and
Devices
x •* BUYING GREEN ONLINE
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DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS
Agency-specific e-catalog—An online directory of products and services
available for sale only to staff of the agency.
Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)—a simplified method of filling antici-
pated repetitive needs for supplies or services by establishing a contract or
contracts with qualified sources of supply.
Commercially owned e-catalog—A vendor owned and maintained online
directory of products and services available for sale and purchase from that
vendor.
Commercially owned, agency-specific e-catalog—An online directory of
products and services available for sale and purchase by staff of an agency,
based on customer-specific requirements under a pre-negotiated contract
vehicle with a commercial vendor.
E-procurement—The sale and purchase of products and services via the
internet.
Federally owned, agency-specific e-catalog—An online directory, main-
tained by a federal agency, of products and services available for sale and
purchase by staff of that agency based on customer-specific requirements
under pre-negotiated contract vehicles with multiple commercial vendors.
Federally managed e-catalog—A federally managed online directory of
products and services available for purchase by staff of federal agencies via
negotiated commercially owned e-catalogs and the federal catalog of managed
National Stock Numbers (e.g., DOD E-Mail).
Federally owned e-catalog—A federal government owned and operated
online directory of products and services available for sale and purchase by
staff of federal agencies based on pre-negotiated contract vehicles with
multiple commercial vendors (e.g., GSA Advantage).
BPA Blanket Purchasing Agreement
CPG Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines
DHS Department of Homeland Security
DOD Department of Defense
DDE Department of Energy
DOT Department of Transportation
E01AG E.O. 13101 Interageucy Advisory Group
EMS Environmental Management System
EO Executive Order
EPA Environmental Protection Agency
EPP Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation
FEMP Federal Energy Management Program
DEFINITIONS AND ACRONYMS * xi
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CSA
INEEL
IT
JWOD
KSC
LaRC
NASA
NIB
NUWC
OARM
OEM
OFEE
OFPP
0PM
OSDBU
RCRA
PEC
PNNL
SNL
LISDA
VA
General Services Adrninist.ration
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory
Information Technology
Javits Wagner O'Day Act
Kennedy Space Center
Langley Research Center
IN ational Aeronautics and Space Administration
National Industries for the Blind
Naval Undersea Warfare Center
Office of Administration and Resources Management (EPA)
Original equipment manufacturer
Office of the Federal Environmental Executive
Office of Federal Procurement Policy
Office of Personnel Management
Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
Procurement Executives Council
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Sandia National Laboratories
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Department of Veterans Affairs
xu * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
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I INTRODUCTION
Government procurement officials have an increasingly challenging job.
They must fulfill ongoing and immediate demands for goods and
services, while navigating an increasingly varied and complex array
of procurement vehicles, methods,
and practices. In addition, they The introduction of e-catalogs offers an opportunity to
must continually integrate new simplify access to environmentally preferable products
federal requirements into both and. thus, to increase their pim-hase.
ongoing and planned procurements.
Incorporation of environmental considerations into the federal
government purchasing process has been a requirement for more than twenty
years. Various federal laws, Executive Orders and the FAR require federal
agencies to buy green. All federal procurement officials are required by the
Federal Acquisition Regulation and Executive Order 13101, Greening the
Government through ^aste Prevention, Recycling and Federal Acquisition, to
assess and give preference to those products and services that are
environmentally preferable. Environmentally preferable products and services
are defined as those which "have a lesser or reduced effect on human health
and the environment when compared to other products and services that
serve the same purpose. This comparison may consider raw materials
acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse,
operation, maintenance or disposal of the product or service."10 The FAR
Part 23 addresses government policy on acquisition of recycled content,
biobased, environmentally preferable and energy efficient products and
services; Part 7 emphasizes consideration of the environmental and energy
impacts of acquisition. EO 13101 requires agencies to consider the following
factors in acquisition planning for all procurements and in the evaluation and
award of contracts: "elimination of virgin material requirements; use of
biobased products; use of recovered materials; reuse of product; life cycle
cost; recyclability; use of environmentally preferable products; waste
prevention (including toxicity reduction or elimination); and ultimate
disposal."11 Section 6002 of the 1976 Resource Conservation and Recovery
Act (RCRA) requires federal agencies to purchase EPA-designated products
with recycled content and Section 9002 of the 2002 Farm Security and Rural
Investment Act directs federal agencies to purchase USDA-designated
biobased products.
The chart found on page 10 indicates that a variety of federal agencies
and facilities are using BPAs to purchase office supplies. Most BPAs give
Agencies access to e-catalogs tailored to meet their needs. Agencies have
demonstrated that the introduction of e-catalogs offers an opportunity to
simplify access to environmentally preferable products and, thus, to increase
their purchase.
10E.O. 13101, Section 201
UE.O. 13101, Section 401
INTRODUCTION
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This document illustrates how federal agencies have
incorporated green purchasing into the e-procurement
of office supplies by and for government workers. As
noted in the acknowledgments, this report is based on
interviews with procurement and environmental staff
from a diverse group of government agencies and
installations, many of whom already purchase green
products through agency-specific e-catalogs. According
to these agencies, some with several years experience
with e-procurement, the benefits include: ease of use,
reduced transaction costs, reduced product costs, supply
chain efficiencies, enhanced tracking and reporting
capabilities, quick and simple payment of invoices,
enhanced controls over spending and authorizations, and reduction or
elimination of the need to warehouse commonly used products.
The report is organized around five major topics:
* The Status of Government Office Supply Pun*liases
A discussion of how federal facilities currently purchase office
supplies;
* Establishing a Green Office Supply Contract
How agencies have integrated green requirements into their BPAs
and provided access to office supplies via agency-specific e-catalogs;
«• Choosing Green Office Products
How agencies identify and select green products;
Monitoring Green Purchases
How agencies are tracking the purchase of green products; and
* Enhancing Green Purchasing
Examples of green purchasing program outreach arid training
efforts
Status of Government Office Supply Purchasing
At the forefront of changes in government procurement is the way govern-
ment agencies and facilities purchase office supplies. These changes are due to
the typical small dollar value of individual office supply orders, the off-the-
shelf availability of office supply products, access to these products via e-
catalogs, and increased reliance on government Purchase Cards. Although
individual office supply purchases are small, the overall size of this federal
government market is huge. According to the Federal Procurement Data
Center, the total dollar value of contracted transactions (greater than
$25,000) for Office Supplies and Devices for fiscal year 2002 was nearly $141
million.12 However, since most office supplies are obtained via micro purchases
12Federal Procurement Data Center :/Av\v\\.fjxk'.<;<« /fjxk'/rjxk'Ji°tii<'.l
summary for FSC Group 75, Office Supplies and Devices.
2 + BUYING GREEN ONLINE
lm>, Agency
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(less than $2,500) made with Purchase Cards, the market actually is much
larger than this figure indicates. EPA, for example, estimates annual office
supply expenditures of $5 million, or about 14 percent of its $35.8 million
total purchases via nearly 2,000
Purchase Cards. The Department A recent trend in federal office supply purchases is the
of Energy's laboratories recorded development of BPAs with office supply vendors who
more than $34 million in Purchase provide access to products via agency-specific e-catalogs.
Card transactions for office The BPA consolidates access to product offerings from a
supplies, about 16 percent of a large number of manufacturers and suppliers under a
total $207.5 million in Purchase single contract.
Card activity.13 The Armv spends ''.u^.u^.u^.u^.u^.u^.u^.u^.u,i^^^
j j i
approximately $100 million on office supplies each year, or about 6 percent
of their $1.7 billion dollars in purchases via more than 100,000 Purchase
Cards.14 In FY 2001, the U.S. Postal Service spent $125 million for office
supplies, nearly 5 percent of their $2.6 billion total procurement of goods
and services.15 The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has estimated
that its 170,000 employees spend $85 million per year on non-electronic
office supplies. DHS currently is developing green purchasing specifications
for a forthcoming solicitation.
Agencies buy office supplies from a variety of sources including GSA
Advantage, DOD E-mail, commercially owned catalogs, and brick and mortar
stores. A recent trend in federal office supply purchases is the development of
BPAs with office supply vendors who provide access to products via agency-
specific e-catalogs.
The BPA allows procurement staff to use the contracting process to pre-
select one or more vendors from whom workers purchase all office supplies.
The BPA consolidates access to product offerings from a large number of
manufacturers and suppliers under a single contract. The individual customer
is able to look through all of the product offerings and use an identification
number or Purchase Card to order the exact quantity of each item they need,
when they need it. Customers may select products from paper or e-catalogs
and purchase via telephone, fax, or the internet. The contracted vendor may
become a partner in the design and maintenance of an agency-specific
e-catalog, to ensure that the selection and presentation of products meets the
current needs of the organization and is capable of responding to future
changes in procurement requirements. The vendor also may provide a single
point of contact who will work with a federal client to provide staff training
in e-procurement and to resolve any problems. The contracted vendor under a
BPA is usually paid by a percentage of sales of the products sold through the
BPA.
13Data oil government Purchase Cards from Federal Supply Service, GSA Smart Pay Program
Office, included in the Federal Procurement Report. The Federal Procurement Report is
available at de.goWf|>dclf>
14
15GAO-03-230 Contract Management, January 2003.
INTRODUCTION * 3
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Drivers for E-Procurement of Office Supplies
According to federal agency staff interviewed for this report, the following
drivers led them to establish office supply BPAs and provide access to office
supplies via agency-specific e-calalogs:
* Cost savings;
* Reduced time spent on routine processing of orders;
* Improved tracking arid monitoring capabilities;
«• Increased availability of up-to-date product information;
* Ease of use;
* Increased ability to meet mandatory source-of-supply requirements;
* Increased ability to meet agency-specific purchasing goals; and
* Improved satisfaction of customers and procurement professionals.
Cost Savings
Micro-purchasing is the bane of any organization, since it involves high
volume purchases of low dollar value items. As much as 80 percent of an
organization's purchasing volume may constitute only about 20 percent of
the dollars spent, so procurement staff often spends an inordinate amount of
time processing purchase orders and billing for small purchases. The National
Association of Purchasing Management estimates the administrative cost of
processing a typical paper purchase order is between $120 and $150, for an
order usually worth less than $500. 1() The Institute for Supply Management
estimates that the cost of an online transaction from requisition to receipt of
product is 90 percent less than the cost of the same transaction via paper
purchase order.17
BPAs allow contracting officials the opportunity to negotiate competitive
pricing, such as a given percentage reduction from the retail price for each
item. Due to guaranteed volumes, contracted prices should be lower than
GSA schedule prices. For example,
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) negotiated a
BPA that offers office supplies at up to 69 percent below
list.
the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) negotiated a BPA that offers
office supplies at up to 69 percent
below list.18 The State of California
established a BPA which gives them
office supplies at 63 percent below list. The contract includes a one percent
price incentive for payments made via Cal Card.
To compete with brick and mortar stores, more and more BPAs incorpor-
ate Just-In-Time (JIT) delivery provisions. As its name implies, a JIT agree-
ment indicates that the vendor will deliver specific office supply items within
an established time period. For example, in their Master Purchase Agreement
Gor7ec/i Magazine, 1998,
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for office supplies, the State of California requires the vendor to deliver the
most commonly ordered office products to the customer within 24 hours.19
BPAs with JIT delivery also offer substantial cost savings by eliminating
the need for onsite warehousing. The Naval Undersea Warfare Center
(NUWC) discovered that elimination
of warehousing and secondary Flit' l\Ta\a! Undersea \\arlart'Center dis< overed ilial thrir
delivery of common supplies saved BP\ eliminated the need for nnsite warehousing and
NUWC $0.36 per $1.00 on locally MM tmdary deli\er\ of common supplies. sa\ ing IN L[\\ <,
stocked items. $0.36 per $1.00 on localh slocked items.
./. Ilix. Intramart Manager. A I If C
Improved Tracking and .,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.>_,.>_,.>.,.>_,.
Monitoring of Procurement
Activities
Federal agencies have established vendor tracking and reporting requirements
in their office supply BPAs, since merchants have line item detail (Level-3)
reporting capability. Contracted
vendors provide transaction data in From the data we receive, we can monitor all recycled,
a configuration that can be accessed, mandatory source, small business, minority owned and
consolidated and formatted to help best buy purchases from the BPA holder. We currently are
agencies manage, analyze and re- running at. about. 65 percent, of all purchases falling within
port on their procurement activities. these areas.
Access to these data significantly J. Hix, Intramart Manager, NUII'C
improves an agency's ability to ^^^^^^^
document performance against green
purchasing requirements and socio-economic goals, such as purchases from
Javits Wagner O'Day (JWOD) program sources or small businesses. These
data also may assist in identifying areas where improvement may be needed.
John Hix, Intramart Manager at NUWC in Newport, RI, noted that
NUWC is using their commercially-owned, agency-specific e-catalog to pro-
vide data on the dollars spent on green products, as well as products pur-
chased from small, minority or woman-owned businesses and the National
Industries for the Blind.
One of NUWC's BPAs includes the following reporting requirements:
* Daily download including procurement request number, originating
code, job order number, originator's name, location and total amount
of the procurement, as well as a description, unit price, quantity
extended price, serial number and category of each line item.
* Monthly usage/sales reports which detail in chronological order each
individual purchase including date, account number, item(s)
description, and quantity.
* Quarterly electronic report of the above information organized by
department.
•* Quarterly electronic report of the above information organized by
account or organization.
19Personal communication, Robert Riola.
* 5
-------
* Quarterly report on purchases of recycled products by category
(i.e., paper ) and quantity.
* Quarterly report on purchases from small, disadvantaged and
women-owned businesses.
The Department of Energy's Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) in New
Mexico has established separate BPAs for the purchase of printer toner car-
tridges, office paper, and janitorial paper products (toilet paper, tissues, paper
towels etc.) with small (8A), local businesses. SNL purchases all other office
supplies via a BPA with national vendor, Boise Office Solutions. SNL staff
purchases from all of these contracts via a single, federally owned, agency-
specific e-catalog.
With SNL's Oracle-based online ordering system, all of the necessary
tracking information (item, price, recycled content, vendor etc.) is already
captured in the database through the ordering process. SNL staff reduces the
data by performing key word searches in the Item Description field (i.e.
searching for paper, toner, binder, etc.) and then downloads that data into a
separate program that matches the unique product item number with the
associated requirement(s).20
Increased Availability of Up-to-Date Product Information
Vendor catalogs contain a wide range of information including product
descriptions and prices, vendor and manufacturer names, parts numbers and
any unique attributes associated with the product. Several agencies cited the
benefits of e-catalogs when compared to paper catalogs. They found that
paper catalogs are cumbersome to search and frequently out-of-date. Since
vendors update both commercial and agency-specific e-catalogs several times
, . i i- x- i i i - each year, adding new products and
Anyone can place an order online, You choose the prodiH I . "'
. . . . , . i price adjustments, e-catalogs are
you want, put il. in your shopping earl, nil. approve and n • i-
; . . .' , ", , , , • usually up-to-date and can indicate,
it's ordered. You don t liave to keep any paperwork. •' . i- i • • •
, ,; " * -,-,,,,,-,,<-,^ , immediately, whether an item is in
J. Korncro. Buyer. l)OrJ!^-\L ..."
the warehouse inventory or must be
back ordered. In addition, while
paper catalogs are vendor specific, agency-specific e-catalogs may provide
access to thousands of items on multiple contracts in a searchable database.
Some agencies still use both paper and e-catalogs; others, such as NUWC,
allow purchases of office supplies only via the e-catalog.
Ease of Use
E-catalogs are easy to use. Agency customers place orders from their desktop
computers using screens that are familiar to them. Depending on how the
agency-specific e-catalog is developed, each customer may be able to create a
quick reference, personal list for those items ordered frequently Contracted
vendors generally guarantee desktop delivery of most items within 24 hours, and
can process "no questions asked" returns online, as well. Procurement policies
and restrictions can be built into the system, freeing the customer from concerns
about buying prohibited items. In addition, procurement staff may have
reduced responsibilities for initiating and managing micro-purchases.
20Personal communication, Stacy Richardson, SNL, December, 2003.
6 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
Drivers for Greening Online Ordering Systems
The federal government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the
world. Federal agencies can leverage this purchasing power to encourage the
«> *- use of products and services that minimize
"T" ' * < ' ' f',' '
' * consumption of raw materials, reduce waste and
improve the quality of the environment. Federal
I ................................ »'
"""
_..._ -«;K agencies that have established BPA's based on
' :, < |V* *V' green criteria for office supplies have taken two
"•;,,: ;,,, , s.^, ,;*.'«, ''; ' approaches to incorporating these environmen-
'_ _ ,.'••'"'' ,, tal criteria into their e-catalogs:
* Identifying green products within a larger universe of products
available by placing a symbol next to the environmental product's
entry in the catalog, or
» Limiting offerings to only those products with positive
en vironmen tal a t tribu I es .
The following drivers were cited by agencies successful in greening the
product offerings in their agency-specific e-catalogs:
» Legal requirements;
* Improved access to green products;
* Increased purchase of green products;
•» Improved tracking and monitoring of green purchases; and
* Improved environmental performance for the agency.
Meet Legal Requirements
As noted in the introduction, all federal procurement officials are required to
assess and give preference to those products and services that are environ-
mentally preferable. E.O. 13101 requires each agency to create goals for
purchasing environmentally preferable products and to document progress
toward meeting these goals. Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA) directs federal agencies to purchase those recycled
content products designated by EPA in the Comprehensive Procurement
Guidelines (CPG).21
The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 directs the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to designate biobased products and provide
guidance for purchasing those products, similar to the buy-recycled program
under RCRA. USDA plans to designate products in multiple categories which
may include fibers, paper and packaging, inks and plastics. Federal agencies will
be required to purchase biobased products when price and performance equal
that of competing products. Biobased products currently used by Federal
agencies include soy-based inks, citrus-based and other biobased cleaning
products, compostable food service products, absorbents, ethauol, biodiesel,
lubricants, compost, and mulch. USDA also will establish a voluntary biobased
21For additional information on the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) visit
< w\\"\v. e | >a.»'(>v/c| >
-------
products labeling program.22 Government agencies will track their purchases of
biobased products and report on them to the Office of Federal Procurement
Policy (OFPP) and the Office of the Federal Environmental Executive (OFEE).
EO 13123 specifies that Agencies shall select, where life-cycle cost-
effective, ENERG\ STAR* and other energy-efficient products. For product
groups where ENERG\ STAR® labels are not yet available, agencies shall
. select products that are in the upper
Purchases ol recycled content products increased by " ,,_ ,, „„. .
. • ' - 25 percent ot energy etticiency as
$106.000 in Ihe Iiseal year alter the iMaval Undersea , . , , T_,_,x.'r. . ."in
_ , designated b\ rEMP. Agencies shall
W'arlare Center s Intrainart became the mandatory source '• . " „„....
,,, ,, • t,i incorporate eiiergy-eiiicient criteria
lor office supplies. \'[ ... . . ' T
11 . I, consistent with ENERGY STAR®
,/. nix. liitrttmnrl Manner. \ i It (, -'! , . -r.T-n,ir. i - i
i and other l^EMr-designated energy
* efficiency levels into product
specification language developed for Basic Ordering Agreements, Blanket
Purchasing Agreements, Government Wide Acquisition Contracts and all
other purchasing procedures.23
Under EO 13221, Agencies that purchase products that use external
standby power devices or products that contain an internal standby power
function should select those that use no more than one watt in their standby
power consuming mode. If compliant products are not available, agencies
should purchase products with the lowest standby power wattage.
Improve access to and purchase of green products
According to Kerrie O'Hagau, EPA's National Purchase Card Program
Manager, "EPA decided to make the agency's BPA 'green' because of the
opportunity to use our purchases to actualize our mission—to protect the
environment. In addition to providing bulk discounts and improved tracking,
our new BPA will make it easier for EPA Purchase Card users to buy green
office supplies every time they make a purchase, increasing our overall green
product purchases. It's a win-win-win situation for us."
Some agencies have worked with their contracted vendor(s) to ensure that
the products offered in their agency-specific e-catalogs meet or exceed all
relevant environmental criteria specified in the BPA and to identify those green
products for agency customers. Creating an e-catalog in which the available
product offerings meet applicable agency green purchasing criteria eliminates
the challenge of depending on each individual purchaser to select green products
from the range of products available for purchase. The customer simply orders
what he or she needs, confident that the selection is environmentally sound.
John Hix reports that purchases of recycled content products increased
by $106,000 in the fiscal year after the IN aval Undersea Warfare Center's
Intramart became the mandatory vehicle for purchasing office supplies.24
NASA's Kennedy Space Center reported a 20 percent increase in purchases of
recycled content products via the agency-specific e-catalog over one year.25
22For further information on these reporting requirements, visit rod,lihul>
23For further information visit
^Personal communication, John Hix, NUWC, June, 2003.
25Personal communication, Shannah Trout, KSC, September, 2003.
8 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
Improve Tracking and Monitoring of Green Purchases
As slated previously, agencies are required to track and report on their green
purchases. To comply with Section 6002 of the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), beginning in , . ,,. T ,r ^., „.,, . . .
T^--,™; „ ,- i , ? -„ , .Mm Hi\, Tntramarl Manager a! IMl'VSC. n..t^ thai lie is
b i 2004, all federal agencies will be , '
;?„„„ able lu inonilor i>urrha>e>- ol iv.rxclm coiilcnl nrnuiirl.s
required to report.to (Jt \\ and . • • MITIV/-.- .••- • i
J, * using daia rr-rrn (, s oliirf Hinph %ci)dur.
Or EE on their purchases ol pro-
ducts that meet the recycled content
standards in EPA's Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines.26 In addition, federal
agencies will be required to report on their purchases of biobased products once
those products are designated by USDA. These data will assist in the govern-
ment's annual review and monitoring of the buy recycled and buy bio efforts.
The ability to generate reports that include line item (Level-3) detail on
purchases of specific kinds of products will be essential to agency compliance
with these enhanced reporting requirements. See Section 4.2, Transaction
Data, for a complete description of procurement item details for Level-1,
Level-2 and Level-3 data.
Some agencies have found that having a BPA for office supplies simplifies
the generation of reports of purchases of specific kinds of products since
vendors can track and report on all purchases made through the pre-negotia-
ted contract vehicle. An e-catalog makes it easy for vendors to generate line
item detail (Level-3) reports on specific kinds of products purchased online,
such as detailed reports on an agency's green purchases. For example, John
Hix, Intramart Manager at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center notes that he
is able to monitor purchases of recycled content products using data received
from NUW'C's office supply vendor. It is important for management and staff
to understand the potential to use these data to identify opportunities for
increasing green purchasing.
Improve Agency Environmental Performance and Meet Agency Goals
Many government agencies have established green purchasing programs and
green purchasing goals as part of new or enhanced programs targeting sus-
tainability, environmental stewardship and EMS. Individually, and in combin-
ation, these internal requirements create opportunities to add environmental
attributes to product performance, availability and cost as key factors in gov-
ernment office supply purchasing decisions.
Representative Federal Agency-Specific E-Catalogs
While many of the federal government's office supplies are purchased through
GSA Advantage or directly from major office product company commercial
e-catalogs or brick and mortar stores, the charts which follow summarize the
findings from EPA's research with representatives of federal agencies known
to be purchasing office supplies through agency-specific e-catalogs, either at
one facility or nationwide. Some of these agency-specific e-catalogs offer
office products that meet green criteria, as established by that agency, for
specific product categories. Most have focused on ensuring that the office
products they buy meet EPA's CPG recycled content levels.
16For further information on these reporting requirements, visit
INTRODUCTION * 9
-------
o
CD
O
Representative Federal Agency-Specific Green Office Product E-Catalogs
Agency
DOD
DOE
Facility
Naval
Undersea
Warfare
Center
(NUWC)
Idaho
National
Engineering
and Environ-
mental
Laboratory
(INEEL)
Pacific
Northwest
National
Laboratory
(PNNL)
Sandia
National
Laboratory
(SNL)
Vehicle
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
BPAs
(Master
Agreements)
with multiple
vendors
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
Primary
Office
Supply
Vendor(s)
Office Depot
Corporate
Express
Bangs Office
Products
Mower Business
Systems (toner
cartridges)
Unisource
(paper products)
Guy Brown
(local supplier
for Boise Office
Solutions) and
Pacific Office
Solutions (local
supplier for
Corporate
Express)
Boise Office
Products
Document
Solutions (toner
cartridges)
Sandia Paper
(paper products)
Voluntary/
Mandatory
Mandatory
Mandatory
Voluntary
Voluntary
Green
Standard
CPG
CPG
Farm Security
Act 9002-
EOI3I34
RCRA 6002-
EOI3IOI
Energy Act-
EOI3I23
CPG
Attributes
Recycled
content
Recycled
content
Remanu-
factured
Biobased,
Energy /Water
Efficient,
recycled
content
Recycled
content
Remanu-
factured
Restrictions
More than 2,500
products default
to a CPG-
compliant,
recycled -content
option
Only the CPG-
compliant
recycled content
product is
available through
the e-catalog
Green products
are promoted
on vendor
websites, PNNL
offers Green
Guide to
Purchasing, and
staff are trained
on need to
purchase green
products
Only the CPG-
compliant
recycled content
product is
available through
the e-catalog
Tracking/
Reporting
Vendor reports
by CPG pro-
duct category
and quantity
purchased
Vendor reports
"green"
purchases as
percentage of
total purchases
All purchases via
Purchase Card
and the reasons
for any inability
to purchase
CPG items are
tracked and
reported
electronically in
the software
system
Database tracks
each purchase.
Data reviewed
quarterly to
determine total
recycled content
purchases and
recycled as
percentage of
total purchases
Training
General
awareness only;
system restric-
tions limit
customers to
recycled items
Buyers and
Purchase Card
holders trained
in Affirmative
Procurement,
restrictions and
use of software
Green
purchasing is a
component of
the Purchase-
Card training
Green
purchasing
information on
website;
quarterly print
and online
reminders
Increased
Purchase of
Green
Products
Recycled content
paper purchases as
a percentage of
total paper
purchases
increased from
72% in FY 00 to
77% in FY 02.
yes
Purchased recycled
paper for high
speed machines
since 1993; today
purchasing almost
1 00 percent of
CPG items incl.
justified exceptions
Purchases of
recycled content
products increased
from less than 50
percent of overall
purchases in FYOO
to more than 80
percent in FY 02.
-------
o
o
Representative Federal Agency-Specific Green Office Product E-Catalogs (continued)
Agency
EPA
NASA
NASA
Facility
Agency-
wide
Kennedy
Space
Center
(KSC)
Langley
Research
Center
Vehicle
BPA with a
single
vendor
BPA with a
single
vendor
BPA with a
single
vendor
Primary
Office
Supply
Vendor(s)
Corporate
Express
Boise Office
Products
Boise Office
Products
Voluntary/
Mandatory
Mandatory
Mandatory
Voluntary
Green
Standard
Multiple
standards:
CPG, EPA
Paper Policy,
Green Seal
Choose Green
Report Office
Supplies,
others
CPG
CPG
Attributes
See Appendix
A
Recycled
content
Recycled
content
Restrictions
Only the green
product is
available through
the e-catalog,
where feasible.
Emphasis on
green products
manufactured by
JWOD and/or
small businesses
Employees must
file waiver
request to justify
purchase of
products that
are not CPG-
compliant
Environmental
Policy specifies
use of a waiver
for non-
compliant
purchases
Tracking/
Reporting
Vendor reports
quarterly on
purchases of
products that
meet EPP
specifications,
including CPG
Vendor reports
total purchases
and total
compliant
purchases by
CPG product
category
Vendor
required to
report total
purchases and
total CPG-
compliant
purchases
Training
Online training
will be available
for all users and
Purchase Card
holders.
Purchase Card
holder training
includes green
purchasing
Only trained
buyers use the
system. Online
training in EPP
and AP under
development
Procurement
Office provides
a list of recycled
products. Some
guidance on
website
Increased
Purchase of
Green
Products
Pilot program in
winter, 2004 with
goal of nationwide
availability by close
of FY04
Purchases of
recycled products
as a percentage of
total purchases
increased from
56%inFYOI to
76% in FY02.
yes
-------
CD
o
Chart 2: Representative Federal Agency and Quasi Federal Agency Online Office Supply Systems
Agency
National Institutes
of Health (NIH)
DOE
USDA
DOD
Facility
1 3 of 26
Institutes
Rocky Flats
Environmental
Technology
Site
Agency-wide
Air Force
Materiel
Command
Vehicle
NIH Intra-Mall
BPA with single
vendor
BPA with single
vendor
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
Primary
Vendor(s)
All major vendors
of products used
by NIH, including
office supplies
Faison Office
Products
Boise Cascade
Air Force
Advantage (GSA)
DOD Email and
four NIB
organizations
Use is
Voluntary/
Mandatory
Voluntary
Voluntary
Voluntary
Voluntary at this
time, but a switch
to mandatory pur-
chasing of all office
supplies online is
being considered
for 2004
Restrictions
To the extent that
participating vendors
offer their products,
mandatory sources
come up first and are
marked with a flashing
green light
Must obtain
permission and
complete a
justification to make
purchases outside the
e-catalog
Block purchase of
commercial items that
are "essentially the
same" as JWOD item.
\fendor's electronic
matching process
automatically
substitutes the JWOD
item and notifies
customer. Each bureau
has goals to increase
purchases from JWOD
and small businesses
Encourage access to
JWOD and small
business sources.
Tracking/
Reporting
Online system populates a
log for each user with
Level -3 data.
A separate NIH tracking
system tracks by category
and dollars spent
Can run a report on
purchases by project or
commodity class.
Boise tracks all orders
and reports on dollars
spent in each commodity
category by Bureau. Use
metrics to negotiate with
Boise and to compare
Bureau performance and
progress toward goals.
In two years, use of the e-
catalog has grown from
$100,000 in the first
quarter to $2 million per
quarter
Pilot tracking program
being tested at 1 2 AF
bases
Training
Training in the
use of the system
offered several
times each
month.
Training room with
computers running
web-based system.
1 0 percent of staff
are registered
users who receive
training.
Included in initial
training when
Purchase Card is
issued. Each
Bureau has a
Purchase Card
Manager who
encourages staff
to use the online
system
Staff is trained on
procurement
rules and policies
Greening
system
Not yet
Recycled paper,
remanufactured
toner
cartridges
available
Not yet Look-
ing forward to
considering
green
specifications
based on EPA
guidance. Will
incorporate
bio-based
products based
on pending
USDA guidance
Affirmative Pro-
curement items
will be identified
by a symbol.
Considering
green specifica-
tions based on
EPA guidance.
-------
o
D
fi
*
Uj
Chart 2: Representative Federal Agency and Quasi Federal Agency Online Office Supply Systems (continued)
Agency
DOE
Smithsonian
Institution
Treasury
Treasury
U.S. Postal Service
Facility
Lawrence
Livermore
National
Laboratory
Agency-wide
Comptroller
of the
Currency
Internal
Revenue
Service
Nationwide
Vehicle
BPA with single
vendor
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
Contract with
single vendor
BPAs with
multiple
vendors
Modified
Requirements
Contract with
single vendor
Primary
Vendor(s)
Boise Cascade
Boise Cascade
George W.Allen
Corporate
Express
Corporate
Express
Office Depot
Boise Cascade
Use is
Voluntary/
Mandatory
Voluntary
Voluntary
Voluntary
Voluntary
Mandatory
Restrictions
Default to JWOD
products is built into
the system.
JWOD items are
marked in each
online catalogue.
Default to JWOD
products built into
system
Default to JWOD
products is built into
the system
Default to JWOD
products built into
system
Tracking/
Reporting
Individual customers
record their purchases
in the system. Can run a
report by commodity or
project.
Vendor reporting
capability is a
requirement of the
contract. Capable of
tracking by item
number.
Vendor reports JWOD
purchases as percent of
total expenditures
USPS eBuy System
incorporates 20
different vendor
catalogues. Can run a
report by small business
purchases, recycled
content purchases,
specific products etc.
Training
Three times/year
as part of training
for Purchase
Card holders
In-house small
purchase training
for Purchase Card
users. Contractor
provided one-time
training in use of
e-catalog. Contrac-
tor representative
trains new users.
Online training in
the use of the
USPS eBuy
System
Greening
system
Compliance
with AP is a
DOE policy.
Green
products are
identified in the
system
Recycled
content
products are
marked in
e-catalog
Copy paper
orders default
to recycled
content
product
Copy paper
orders default
to recycled
content
product
Currently
under
discussion. Do
purchase paper
products with
recycled
content.
-------
-------
SECTION 2 A OFFICE SUPPLY CONTRACT
Federal agencies have found that green contracting language can easily be
incorporated into an RFP (see example green criteria and contracting
language in Appendices A and B). Some vendors already have
experience offering access to green products via an agency-specific e-catalog
through their work with the agencies featured in this report. Vendors are
prepared to work with federal agencies to establish a green office supply BPA
accessed via an agency-specific e-catalog that encourages and supports green
purchasing. Through the contracting process, each agency can incorporate
green criteria for the appropriate office products into a Request for Proposals
(RFP) and evaluate potential office supply vendors on the basis of their
ability to provide products that meet price and performance standards, as well
as these environmental criteria. Our research has demonstrated that the
following contracting considerations helped the agencies interviewed for this
report develop green office supply contracts that are successfully serving the
needs and goals of each agency's purchasing culture.
Agency Working Group
The agencies interviewed for this report established contracts that resulted in
agency-specific e-catalogs that meet the needs of all of their staff. This was
accomplished by encouraging input from agency staff representing a wide
range of diverse viewpoints. Each organization selected staff from
appropriate organizations to participate in designing the BPA, based on the
agency's mission and agency procurement goals and targets. For example,
within an organization, representatives of Environmental, Purchase Card,
Procurement, Contracting, Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization,
(OSDBU) and Information Technology staff may work together to develop
the criteria for the most effective mechanism to support e-procurement of
green office supplies for that organization.
Considerations for Multiple BPAs vs. a Single BPA
EPA has selected a BPA with a single, nation-wide vendor for its office supply
purchases. EPA anticipates that overall contract management, including
tracking of purchases and updates
to the offerings on the system, will KPA aul.icipal.es l.liat overall contract management, ;• •
be more cost- and time-efficient including tracking of purchases and updates to the >', >,
with a single BPA. EPA also is offerings on the system, will be more cost- and time-
hoping to get the largest group clis- efficient with a single BP\.
count possible for the office supplies ;,>,s-<,^x>^x>^x>^x>^x>^x>^^^^
they purchase by buying them through a single vendor. A potential
disadvantage of a single BPA, however, is reliance on the resources of a single
vendor for access to products.
Other organizations, such as DOE's Sandia Labs and DOD's Naval
Undersea Warfare Center, have established agency-specific e-catalogs for office
supplies backed by a series of BPAs with both local and national vendors.
ESTABLISHING A GREEN OFFICE SUPPLY CONTRACT * / 5
-------
Each of the contracted vendors provides a specific product or group of pro-
ducts, and contractual arrangements ensure that vendors provide only those
products that meet, the agency's environmental criteria. The system is
invisible to the customer who purchases through one agency-specific e-catalog
that provides access to all available products.
NUWC established The Intramart
The Department, of Energy's Sandia National Labora-
tories (SNL) in New Mexico established separate BPAs for
printer toner cartridges, office paper, office supplies and
janitorial paper products because t.hey already had estab-
lished positive relationships with local vendors of green
paper products and reinanufactured toner cartridges and
wanted to maintain those relationships. SNL staff pur-
chases from these con tracts via a federally-owned, agency-
specific e-catalog where employees select among only those
products that meet. SNL's green criteria.
to manage facility e-procuremeut. The
office supplies section of the In Ira -
mart is based on BPAs with Office
Depot and Corporate Express.
Customers select products from
commercially owned, agency specific
e-catalogs offering more than 20,000
items, of which more than 4,000 are
recycled content products. Use of the
Intramart is mandatory; NUW;C staff
__,J jg jjOj- permitted to purchase office
supplies from other sources. Purchases are limited to individual orders of less
than $2,500 and the BPAs clearly state that the seller "shall not honor orders
exceeding this limitation."
One Purchase Card is embedded into the e-procurement system and all
NUWC purchases are recorded onto ibis single Purchase Card. When placing
an online order, the individual customer enters a job order number, which
coincides with the procuring organization's account. Both Office Depot and
Corporate Express provide monthly reports on purchases. One staff person
reconciles the vendor reports with the Purchase Card invoice. JIT delivery
requirements ensure desktop delivery of office supplies within 24 hours,
which enabled NUWC to eliminate costly warehousing of office products.
At the Department of Energy's Saiidia National Laboratories (SNL) in
New Mexico, purchasing staff worked hand-in-hand with the environmental
program to establish separate, sole source, JIT BPAs for printer toner
cartridges, office paper, office supplies and janitorial paper products (toilet
paper, tissues, paper towels etc.). Office paper, janitorial paper products, arid
toner cartridge vendors are separate local small businesses; the office supply
contract is with a national vendor, Boise Cascade. SNL staff decided to adopt
multiple local BPAs because they already had established positive relation-
ships with local vendors of green paper products and remanufactured toner
cartridges and wanted to maintain those relationships. In addition, SNL
requires delivery only to Albuquerque, NM locations. Direct local purchase
reduces overhead and transportation costs and the environmental impacts of
moving goods over long distances.
SNL staff purchases from these contracts via a federally-owned, agency-
specific e-catalog where employees select among only those products that
meet SNL's green criteria. A staff pollution prevention specialist identified
green products and developed purchasing specifications that were incorpor-
ated into the bid documents and the final contracts. The contract mechan-
isms are invisible to the customers. The customer simply chooses from among
the products offered, enters a Purchase Card or project charge number and
sends an electronic order directly to the appropriate vendor. Although use of
16 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
the e-catalog is voluntary, ease of use makes the e-catalog the most popular
purchasing mechanism for SNL staff.
SNL owns its e-catalog and, thus, manages the purchase data from
multiple vendors. Some agencies may find it more challenging to compile and
manage all office supply purchase data when the information comes from
several sources. However, SNL is pleased that they have significantly
increased their purchases from small (8A), local businesses through their
agency-specific e-catalog.27
Considerations for the Source Selection Process
Price, performance, availability, and JIT delivery are common procurement
standards. In addition, EPA and other federal facilities have created agency-
appropriate specifications for green office products for inclusion in their
Request For Proposals (RFP). Vendor selection requirements may include
green criteria for the products in the e-catalog, vendor environmental
performance and vendor ability to meet tracking and reporting requirements.
For example, EPA's RFP for a green online ordering system, issued on
October 24, 2003 (see Appendix B),
incorporates the existing Federal Our con tracts generally are awarded on a "best, overall
requirements (e.g., CPG and EPP) value" basis, not low net price. One of the best value
pertaining to green office supply criteria was the vendor's ability to help us meet our green
purchases. It also allows for changes purchasing goals.
to be made as green purchasing J. Romero. Buyer. DOE/SIM.
knowledge advances—for example,
adding biobased products after
USDA's biobased products list becomes available. Other agencies have
requested that vendors provide evidence that they will:
* offer access to an acceptable range of green products;
* offer products that meet the agency's green purchasing criteria;
* provide an acceptable level of detail concerning each product's
environmental attributes;28
* provide icons or other indicators in both paper and online catalogues
to help staff identify and purchase environmentally preferable
products;
* guarantee that the products offered meet price and performance
considerations; and
•» continually add more green products to the system.
SNL awards contracts on a "best overall value" basis, rather than net low
price. One of their best value criteria was the vendor's ability to assist SNL in
meeting its green purchasing goals. Vendors are asked to provide the names of
"'Personal communication, Jimmy Romero, SNL, September, 2003.
28EPA's contracted office supply vendor requires its suppliers to self-certify that their
products meet or exceed the agency's green specifications.
ESTABLISHING A GREEN OFFICE SUPPLY CONTRACT * / 7
-------
clients who can speak to their past performance in meeting similar green
requirements for other customers.
In addition to establishing green requirements for the products that will
be available in the e-catalog, agencies have included other green selection
criteria including whether the vendor:
* has trained key contract staff, including buyers, in green purchasing;
» can provide line item detail (Level-3) reports, including reports
outlining CPG and EPP purchases;
* purchases green products for their own use;
* has an internal recycling program for appropriate materials;
* incorporates environmental considerations into contracts for
janitorial services (e.g., less toxic cleaning products) and vehicle/fleet
purchase and maintenance (e.g., use of alternative fueled and/or
high MPG vehicles, re-refined or biobased oils, retread tires, aqueous
degreasers etc.);
* has adopted an ISO 14001 or other Environmental Management
System (EMS) or issued a corporate environmental policy; and
« participates in any Federal Agency voluntary environmental
programs, such as ENERG\ STAR®, WasteWise, Performance
Track, or the SmartWay Transport program.29
NU"WC Intramart Manager, John Hix, noted that they queried each
vendor's willingness to partner with NU'WC in establishing and managing the
agency-specific e-catalog. NtCWC also asked how the vendor would measure
results, improve reporting and increase the availability of green products.
NU"WC also considered whether the vendor's point of contact would be
readily accessible.
Considerations for Mandatory vs. Voluntary E-Cotalog Use
At most agencies interviewed for this report, management has supported
establishing purchasing restrictions to ensure that the vendor contracted
through their office supply BPA, accessed via the agency-specific e-catalog, is
the preferred source of supply. Since the e-catalog generally is easy to use,
reduces administrative require-
You will never be able to provide an accurate evaluation of >- ments, offers preferred pricing and
how well you are doing in meeting your environmentally ',\* can provide access to products that
preferable purchasing goals if you are missing vital ;:|; comply with green purchasing
information from purchases not recorded or unknown £"*: standards, making use of the
purchases. ^ e-catalog mandatory has not been
J. Hix, Intramart Manager. NUWd 1% found to create a hardship for
-i'J'| customers or procurement
29For more information on the ENERGY STAR® program visit vise./>; for Performance Track,
; for Smart.Way,
18 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
personnel. John Hix, the Intramart Manager at IN UWC has found that
requiring that purchases be made via the e-eatalog supports efforts to gather
valid data to better manage required programs. He notes that "you will never
be able to provide an accurate evaluation of how well you are doing in
meeting your green purchasing goals if you are missing vital information
from purchases not recorded or unknown purchases." Implementation of a
mandatory e-catalog can reduce or eliminate the potential for loss of vital
data if staff fails to document purchases and target increases in green
purchasing.
Some agencies where use of the agency-specific e-catalog is voluntary
have found that a significant amount of additional staff time is needed to
identify and track purchases made outside the system. In addition, these
agencies have limited ability to ensure that staff obtains the lowest possible
price or selects green products. Also, reduced purchase volume via the BPA
may affect the agency's leverage, in terms of system changes, prices etc., with
the contracted vendor.
Socio-Economic Considerations
The federal government has established certain mandatory sources from
which federal agencies must purchase products and services, if they are
available. The Javits-Wagner-O'Day (JWOD) Program, for example, creates
jobs and training opportunities for people who are blind or who have other
severe disabilities. JWOD sells a variety of office products via their com-
mercially owned e-catalog (), and some agencies list TWOD
products first in their agency-specific e-catalog, to encourage the purchase of
these items. Some agencies block the purchase of products from other
suppliers and automatically switch purchases to the item offered through a
mandatory source of supply
Some purchasers have expressed
concern that limiting purchases to Soine purchasers have ^pressed concern lhal limiting
green products might reduce the use purchases to green products might reduce the use of
of JWOD arid other preferential J WOD and olher Preferential purchasing programs, such
purchasing programs, such as small, a8 srnall< women-owned or minority-owned businesses. In
women-owned or minority-owned faet, environmental considerations readily co-exist with
businesses. In fact, environmental lh("M' ol l"'r P''«-tVren<-»- programs.
considerations readily co-exist with ;i;?www«^^
these existing preference programs. Through agency specific e-catalogs,
agencies have been able to improve tracking and monitoring of their dollars
going to JWOD and/or small business vendors, and even increase these
purchases while simultaneously meeting their green purchasing goals. One
federal facility, PNNL, purchases office supplies from small, minority-owned
(and, in one case, local) suppliers of products from national office supply
companies. This allows PNINL to meet their small business purchasing goals,
while providing staff with access to the large suite of products and low prices
available from nationwide distributors.
J"WOD has worked hard to ensure that many of their office products meet
the CPG recycled content standards. JWOD offers many common office sup-
plies manufactured with recovered material, including: hanging file folders,
clipboards, steno pads, pens, pencils, notebooks, binders, paper towels, nap-
ESTABUSH/NG A GREEN OFFICE SUPPLY CONTRACT * / 9
-------
kins, and other paper products. Like any business, JWOD responds to
customer demand. The more federal agencies request green JWOD products,
the more JWOD will work to incorporate environmental attributes into its
products and to communicate that information to potential purchasers. If
agencies establish BPAs that include JWOD products that meet their green
criteria, JWOD purchases may even
At. Sandia Labs, all loner cartridges are purchased via a • , increase. Agencies can continue to
contract with a small, local business. The contract only jv identify JWOD products as
allows the vendor to provide reniaiiiifactured toner f mandatory source items, meaning
cartridges thai meet llie agency's green criteria. Those ;' that customers must purchase those
JWOD cartridges that do not meet these criteria are not , !• JWOD it.ems that meet required
available for purchase by Sandia staff. ^ , green specifications.
,/. Romero, Buyer. DOE/5:\ L r/• Some of the leading
vwvwvwvwvwvwvwvw^^ ff f *t in ctiiuicictiirers oi or ecu 13 rod nets
^&s&s&s&^ «««« ' J ^ *-
are small businesses. Some agencies
have required office supply vendors to only sell green products made by small
businesses for certain product categories via their agency specific e-catalogs.
Others have created period of performance extension incentives for vendors to
ensure that a certain percentage of dollars spent via their BPA goes to small
business vendors selling green products. A potential resource for locating
green small, women and minority-owned businesses is the Small Business
Administration's searchable Pro-Net database, which can be accessed at
. In addition, small businesses that manufacture
CPG-compliaiit products are now indicated on the EPA's CPG Supplier
Database at. .
20 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
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SECTION 3
CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE PRODUCTS
As we have noted, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, or EPP,
refers to the practice of buying products or services that have a lesser
or reduced impact on the environment and human health, when
compared with competing products or services that serve the same purpose.30
The purchase of green office products can have a significant positive
environmental impact. The table, below, demonstrates the annual benefits to
EPA of shifting from virgin paper to paper with 30 percent post-consumer
recycled content and the increased annual benefits associated with the shift to
paper with at least 50 percent post-consumer content in October, 2001.
Environmental Impacts of Increased Post-consumer
Recycled Content in EPA Paper Purchases
Change in percentage
of recovered content
in paper
0 to 30% post-consumer
30% to 50% post-
consumer
0 to 50% post-consumer
Trees Preserved*
5,711
1 1 ,348
1 7,059
* based on Conservatree calculations at
ex,[it:ui>
Green purchasing makes my job more exciting. I'm doing
more than just purchasing; I'm trying to help protect the
environment.
J. Romero. Stiver. DOE/S.YL
Green purchasing may be as simple as buying paper with recycled content
or as complex as considering the environmental impacts of each product at
each stage in its life cycle—from
manufacturing through use to
disposal. Office products are made
from many materials—paper,
plastics, metals and a range of
combinations and composi tes. As a ,
result, the environmental impacts of
the manufacture, use and disposal of office products are varied and complex.
Agencies have taken a variety of approaches to buying green products. Some
do the minimum to ensure that they meet the legal buy recycled require-
ments; others establish a broad range of green office supply specifications
that emphasize the purchase of recycled content, less-toxic and less wasteful
products. Each agency must determine its own green purchasing criteria.
"For additional information on EPP visit
CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE PRODUCTS * 21
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Reliable Green Purchasing Criteria
There are certain attributes that distinguish green office products from their
alternatives. Green office products may be, for example, durable, recyclable,
reusable, remaiiufactured, rechargeable, energy-efficient, and/or less toxic.
Green office supplies may be
EPA offers information, training and other resources on , | manufactured with biobased or
procurement, of environmentally preferable products at \\> recycled content. Reduced
V packaging and recyclable packaging
,, .-• -, also are attributes of green office
supplies.
Green purchasing is a dynamic concept that, depending on the product
category, will not necessarily be implemented in the same manner from
agency to agency or even within one agency. But, there already are excellent
green purchasing criteria established by federal, state and local government
pioneers who have implemented pilot green procurement projects. Agencies
have found that determining which environmental attributes to consider
when making a purchasing decision depends on both federal requirements and
the goals of their Green Purchasing Program. As the charts beginning on
page 10 indicate, agency environmental staff assisted in establishing green
purchasing criteria at DOE labs and NASA's LaRC and K.SC. See Appendix C
for a list of federal agency environmental contacts.
The following resources provide accurate, reliable information concerning
green purchasing criteria currently used by federal agencies:
EPA RFP
EPA's Request for Proposals (RFP) for an office products vendor, included as
Appendix B to this report, provides reliable, up-to-date (as of October 2002)
criteria for negotiating green purchasing standards for office supplies. EPA's
green purchasing criteria assure
EPA's Reqnesl for Proposals (RFP) for an office produel.s* ^ that each product offered via the
vendor, in el tided as Appendix B to this report, provides , agency-specific e-catalog complies
reliable, up-to-date (October 2002) eriteria for negotiating ,'} with the requirements of RCRA
green purchasing standards for an agency-specific e- ',; Section 6002 and E.G. 13101. To
catalog. , ensure that their green purchasing
Vu, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, a, ,'i,'' Criteria maximized information Oil
products readily available for
purchase in the U.S., these green purchasing standards are based on existing
standards or guidelines established by U.S. organizations or government
agencies. It is understood that these criteria will be updated as the market-
place expands, as new environmental attributes of concern arise, and/or when
new standards/guidelines or other information become available.
Agency personnel have begun to consider what will happen to a product
at the end of its useful life, as part of the procurement process. They recog-
nize the importance of determining whether a material is recyclable in an
agency or community recycling program and whether there is a collection or
drop-off program to ensure that it will be separated for recycling. Many
organizations are aware of products that the manufacturer will take back for
disassembly and reuse. For example, SNL purchases toner cartridges that
have been diverted from disposal, remaiiufactured, and resold by their
22 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
contracted vendor. The vendor also collects used cartridges for recycling from
SNL. EPA has included toner cartridge collection and rernanufacturing
requirements in their green office supply BPA, as many office supply vendors
have experience operating toner cartridge recovery and remanufacluring
programs.
Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG) Program
The CPG Program is a reliable source of information on buying products
manufactured with recycled content. RCRA requires EPA to consider a
variety of criteria to determine which items it will designate in the CPG:
availability, the potential impact on the solid waste stream, economic and
technological feasibility of producing the item, and other uses of the recover-
ed material. EPA also considers comments from end users, manufacturers and
other interested parties.
The CPG provides a recommended range of recycled content for paper,
paper products and non-paper office supplies. While many agencies are
purchasing copy paper with 30 percent post-consumer recycled content, it's
important to recognize that EPA has recommended recycled content levels for
a variety of office papers, including writing tablets and envelopes. EPA also
has recommended recycled content percentages for non-paper office products.
Non-paper office products include items such as binders, clipboards, file
folders, presentation folders, plastic desktop accessories, office waste and
recycling receptacles, printer ribbons and toner cartridges. New products are
added to the list frequently. To comply with RCRA Section 6002, 100 percent
of an agency's purchases of these products should meet or exceed the EPA
guidelines. Additional information is available from the CPG website
. To view a database of product brands
that meet the CPG recycled content guidelines go to .
Green Seal Choose Green Report: Office Supplies
The independent, non-profit certification organization Green Seal
has issued the Choose Green Report: Office Supplies, which is
available online at . The report
addresses 11 product categories including: binders, clipboards,
highlighters, markers and correction fluid, envelopes, file folders,
index cards, labels, pens and pencils, presentation transparencies,
self-stick notes, and toner cartridges. The Office Supplies report
includes life cycle criteria; a listing of recommended products that
meet these criteria, by brand and manufacturer; and sources
where the environmentally preferable product is available. EPA
has incorporated the Green Seal recommendations into its RFP.
Green Seal recommendations for recycled content meet, or exceed
the CPG, and Green Seal also considers other environmental
attributes, including durability and toxicity.
Exposure to toxics can cause minor health problems, such as
headaches or nausea, or can lead to long-term problems. There
may be economic impacts for an organization when workers are
absent due to illness or when chronic health problems affect their
CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE PRODUCTS * 23
-------
daily performance. It's hard to imagine that common office products contain
hazardous chemicals, but some do. Certain markers use aromatic solvents, for
example, while others are water based. Some agencies have specified solvent-
free markers, highlighters and
The average compact, fluorescent bulb lasts 8 to 10 rimes |; ' correction fluid as well as PVC-free
longer than any incandescent bulb.
Green Seal Choose Green Report:
Compact Fluorescent Li
. green seal.org/cgrx>
binders and chlorine-free paper and
paper products.
Use of more durable products
reduces the quantity of waste and
the environmental impacts of
disposal in incinerators and
landfills. Procurement staff recognize the importance of reusable, refillable,
rechargeable, rernanufactured or otherwise more durable products and often
compare warranties for office equipment to determine which products will
provide the best service. The purchase of a product with a higher initial
purchase price, such as rechargeable batteries or low-mercury compact
fluorescent lamps, may be justified through a comparison of life cycle costs.
Additional durable products include refillable pens, erasable wall calendars
and reusable shipping containers.
USDA
As noted earlier, USDA will designate biobased products and provide guidance
for purchasing products with biobased content in categories which may
include: adhesives, construction materials and composites, fibers, paper, and
packaging, fuels and fuel additives, inks, landscaping materials and
composted livestock and crop residue, lubricants and functional fluids, paints
and coatings, plastics (monomers and polymers), solvents and cleaners and
sorbents.
Many Federal agencies already purchase and use biobased products includ-
ing biobased food service items, biodiesel, ethanol, cleaning products, and
compost "tea" for golf courses. For additional information visit
or .
ENERGY STAR®
Under E.O. 13123 and 13221, those agencies that incorporate electronic equip-
ment in their e-catalogs also should include energy efficiency in their green
purchasing criteria, in particular, energy-efficient standby power devices.
ENERG\ STAR* is a voluntary partnership between EPA and the
Department of Energy (DOE). More than 35 product categories qualify for
the ENERG\ STAR® label, indicating that they use less energy and reduce
both energy costs and environmental impacts. Consider EPA's ENERGY
STAR® criteria and specifications for energy efficient office products such as
copiers, printers, fax machines, and other electrical equipment. Product
procurement information is available at . Information
on products with low standby power is available from the Federal Energy
Management Program (FEMP) at .
24 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
Other green purchasing resources such as case studies are available at
. EPA's Database of Environmental Information for
Products and Services is a searchable
database of product-specific environmental standards and guidelines, as well
as a vendor list of products that meet these standards. The database also
provides links to contract language and specifications from a variety of gov-
ernment sources.
Price of Green Products
Prices of green products vary depending on the volume of the purchases and
the purchaser's location but, overall, the purchase and use of green office
supply products offers positive
financial incentives for most federal In 2()02_ Kjng Counlj, m plirchased O80 remailufac_
agencies. Indeed, there may be |;ured loner rart|,idg,;, for ,aser prillters. These plirchases
measurable cost reductions savfi(J ^ Cmjnt $28(U)()0_ as the cos(; of the remanu.
associated with the purchase of faf;t»red loner carlridses is approximately one-third the
certain green office supplies. cogl of (;he new carlrklges ,;hey previously purchased.
For example, in 2002, King Knri,tl Hamilton, king
County, "WA purchased 4,380 reman- v,,,
ufactured toner cartridges for laser
printers at a cost of approximately $140,000. The remanufactured cartridges
meet original equipment manufacturer's (OEM) standards and provide full
performance guarantees. These purchases saved the County $280,000, as the
cost of the remanufactured toner cartridges was approximately one-third the
cost of the new cartridges they previously purchased.31
DOE's SNL, in calendar year 2002, saved approximately $154,000 by
purchasing rernauufactured toner cartridges from a small, local supplier. The
cost savings was calculated based on SNL's negotiated rate for virgin toner
cartridges.32
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has found that, depending on the
model, the purchase of a remanufactured printer toner cartridge can save as
much as 60 percent over the cost of a new cartridge.33 The Massachusetts Buy
Recycled Business Alliance notes that the cost of an original equipment
cartridge for an HP Laser Jet 4 is $145 while the cost of the remanufactured
option is between $65 and $80. Additional cost savings arise through the
avoided disposal costs associated with recovering and reusing the toner
cartridges.
The common perception is that recycled copy paper costs significantly
more than comparable virgin paper. However, EPA purchases processed
chlorine free paper with a minimum of 50 percent post-consumer recycled
content at per carton prices comparable to those of virgin paper. John Hix at
NU"WC notes that he has been able to keep the price of recycled paper close
"Personal communication, Karen Hamilton, Environmental Purchasing Program, King
Country Procurement & Contract Services, December 26, 2002.
32Personal communication, Stacy Richardson, S1NL, September, 2003.
""Recycled Product Fact Sheet #3. Massachusetts Operational Services Division, February,
1999.'
CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE PRODUCTS * 25
-------
to the price of virgin paper for six years.34 The actual costs for the purchase of
recycled copy paper manufactured with 30 percent or higher post-consumer
content are determined by each agency or facility's supply and delivery
requirements. In cases where the green product is more expensive, agencies
may be able to bring the cost down through volume purchases via an agency-
specific e-catalog. In addition, as demand for green products increases, the
prices for these products are likely to decrease.
Products that are reusable, more durable, or repairable may have a higher
initial purchase price, yet the cost of these products over their useful life may
be significantly less than disposable or single-use alternatives. Depending on
the initial cost of a bulb, for example, the Federal Trade Commission
estimates that it costs $2.60 less per year to power a compact fluorescent bulb
than an incandescent bulb.35 The purchase and use of less toxic products may
reduce costs by minimizing potential health impacts and lost worker
productivity.
Performance of Green Products
Many government agencies still remember the first recycled paper products
introduced in the late 1980s. The paper was a darker color and did not per-
form very well in printers and copiers. Some agencies also had negative
experiences with the first
fclPY Region 3 uses <•<>[»} paper AS illi l*iU pen-fill posl- '/;* rernanufactured toner cartridges.
coiir-iimer recycled content and has- had no problems uilh !{•< However, green products have come
this paper in printers or copiers. i,' a long way since the initial
Today the U.S. Government
Printing Office (GPO) maintains a list of qualified high-speed recycled copy
papers that meet stringent specifications including: a minimum of 30 percent
post-consumer recycled fiber, being free of lint and fuzz, and having not more
than one paper-caused jam per 5,000 continuous copies.
EPA Region 3 uses copy paper with 100 percent post-consumer recycled
content and has had no problems with this paper in printers or copiers. The
State of North Carolina's Division of Pollution Prevention and Environ-
mental Assistance reports that, in blind tests, 100 percent post-consumer
recycled content paper actually performed belter in copiers and printers than
paper with 30 percent post-consumer recycled content.36
The six federal agencies (DOD, DOE, GSA, NASA, VA and DOT) that
were required to report on their purchases of recycled products indicated that
34 percent of toner cartridge purchases specified a rernanufaclured cartridge.
According to Karen Dickersou, Computer Specialist with EPA, "the
rernauufactured toner cartridges we purchase are nationally rated for print
quality and offer performance above and beyond many other companies. If
you get a bad cartridge, the company replaces it free of charge. In the four
34Personal communication, John Hix, NUWC, June, 2003.
^Green Seal Choose Green Report: Compact Fluorescent Lighting, p. 1
-------
years that. I have been buying cartridges, I have had four defective cartridges
(which is one a year)." Staff at New "York City's Department of City wide
Administrative Services found that remanufactured toner cartridges they
tested actually printed a higher number of quality pages than their OEM
conn terpar ts ,3'
Many agencies have involved staff in product testing before making a
commitment to a green product. Kristin Poultney of SAIC, the Environ-
mental Contract Manager at NASA LaRC, found that product testing helped
to break down a lot of barriers with people who thought recycled products
were inferior. "It's difficult to get people to change from a familiar product to
something new; it's easier to show them—to buy the product and let them try
it. We had blind product testing with evaluation criteria and forms to fill out
and they couldn't tell the difference between the virgin product and the
recycled product."
Purchasing Restrictions
T.r . - At I\U\\'C. the system shows von all of the available
Many organizations restrict -
", , , , . products. However, if you try to purchase an item mat
purchases to those that meet their j ,,"'".„
, . • /e /-'i lias a green substitute, the system notifies vou thai, the
environmental criteria (See Charts, p -
in i o\ T i TT- a- ^i a. product is restricted and directs you to the green
pages 1U—to). John Hix reports that ' ,
4 TVTTTwr1 i-iti 11 alternative.
at N U VvC the system shows all
., , , ! \ Tf t t ,/. Hix. Inlramart .-laministralor. /Y f' »C
available products. It you try to
purchase an item that has a green '•'' .-.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.-•.-•.-•:-•.--.-•.-•:-•.-•;-•:
substitute, the system notifies you that you are trying to purchase a restrict-
ed product and directs you to the green alternative.
At DOE's SNL, the vendor contracts are limited to green products. Buyer
James Romero notes, "We have control over what is and isn't entered on our
supplier's catalogs. Thus, each supplier customizes their on-line catalog for
Sandia. In the case of office products, the vendor is instructed not to include
certain blocked items in their catalog."
Sandra Cannon of DOE's Pacific
Northwest National Laboratory We did not resl.ricl the online system to only the CPG-
stated: "We did not restrict the on- products, which means thai, staff can choose a virgin
line system to only the CPG pro- instead of a recycled product. Some federal organizations
ducts, which means that staff can have made that restriction and their life is much easier.
choose a virgin instead of a recycled Sandra Cannon
product. Some federal organizations DOE. Pacific North iwsl \alional Laboratory
have made that restriction and their , „ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„ ,„,, .,
life is much easier."
At NASA Langlev Research Center. Kristin Poultnev, SAIC. Environ-
~ ^' »'
mental Contract Manager, noted, "If someone tries to buy the virgin product,
it automatically goes to the product with recycled content. The purchaser has
no idea that the block is in place."
Decisions about how much information to provide to customers may be
driven by the agency's mission. EPA, for example, has elected to market to
EPA purchasers the fact that EPA's agency-specific e-catalog will offer only a
green product in those product categories for which green products are
37Memo from Carol Green, DCAS, 1999.
CHOOSING GREEN OFFICE. PRODUCTS * 2 7
-------
available. Other agencies have taken the opposite approach and give pur-
chasers no indication of the environmental attributes of the products on their
system, although only green products are offered. DOE's SNL staff is
concerned that purchasers who are
aware that they are buying green
will focus on product performance
flaws. Buyer James Romero points
out: "People don't even realize, as
much as possible, that we've
converted to recycled [products]. All
they see is this is the product, these
are the colors you can pick, this is the price, enter your project and task
number and it will arrive on your desk in three days. "We don't market that
this is a way to buy green products. As long as it works for them, as long as it
meets their quality standard, they don't care whether it's recycled or not."
We don'l market that this is a way to buy green products.
As long as it works for them, as long as it meets their
quality standard, they don't, care whether it's recycled or
not.
./. Romrro. llnycr. DOE/XM.
28 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
4 PURCHASES
The agencies interviewed for this report have given careful attention to
the reporting capabilities of their contracted office supply vendor or
vendors to ensure that they receive a range of data on what the organ-
ization purchases, who makes those purchases, and the dollar value of green
purchases as a subset of overall office supply purchases and procurement
expenditures. These data allow agencies to comply with the federal govern-
ment reporting requirements discussed earlier in this report.
In addition, agencies may
require that their individual ^ of Fl 2004. all fedora! a»vncifs niu?>l report on
facilities and installations comply [nnrliaM-h of ivr\rl.-
-------
Transaction Data
Vendors who accept Purchase Cards can provide different levels of data for
transactions. Level-1 includes only basic information such as the date, total
amount of the purchase and the vendor's name. Level-2 adds items such as
shipping charges, tax and purchase order number. Level-3 refers to line item
data which includes detailed specific purchase information, such as an item
description, quantity, unit-of-measure, per unit price, and sales tax, combined
with merchant information. Level-3 data provides significantly more informa-
tion about each purchase than a standard Purchase Card statement.
Generally, vendors provide only Level-1 or at most Level-2 data. Some office
supply vendors are able to provide Level-3 data for purchases made via an
agency office supply BPA.
For tracking and reporting purposes, the agencies interviewed for this
report collect Level-3 data for their office product purchases from the
contracted vendor. This includes information about the specific products
purchased (item name, manufacturer, quantity, per item cost) as well as the
green attributes of those products. If staff uses only the agency-specific e-
catalog for office supply purchases, the agency is able to use vendor supplied
data to track and report on all purchases.
If staff makes purchases from a variety of vendors outside the office
supply BPA, it is not always possible to obtain Level-3 data for those
purchases. In some cases, an agency
"We went to the trouble of selling up these green
contracts and our vendors expect a certain level of
business from us . . .People should be reluctant to use their
Purchase Cards to make purchases outside the system
when l.hev've gotten so spoiled with our e-eatalog."
poll
Jimmy Romero. S \ L
uses account numbers for tracking
purchases via the e-catalog, but also
allows individual customers to
purchase office supplies from brick
and mortar stores or other sources,
using a Purchase Card. These external
T»v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v0v,'.'", purchases may create cosily Iracking
and monitoring challenges. For
example, DOE's SNL tracks e-catalog purchases via project numbers. Buyer
James Romero notes that Purchase Cards provide a mechanism for
individuals to make purchases from vendors that do not have BPAs with
SNL. He notes, "we went to the trouble of setting up these green contracts
and our vendors expect a certain level of business from us. I'm positive that
the majority of our purchasers use the e-catalog; it works really well for us.
People should be reluctant to use their Purchase Cards to make purchases
outside the system when they've gotten so spoiled with our e-catalog."
At DOE's INEEL the customer is required to complete an electronic
receipt for each purchase made outside of the e-catalog and to indicate
whether the item purchased met the lab's environmental criteria. These
electronic receipts must be verified by procurement staff to document that all
purchases meet government guidelines. A significant outlay of staff time is
required to confirm that staff followed the INEEL purchasing guidelines.
Vendor Role in Tracking and Monitoring
Perhaps the easiest and most accurate method of tracking green purchases is
monitoring actual orders using data provided by the contracted office product
30 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
vendor. As we have noted, the major office supply vendors are familiar with
tracking and monitoring requirements and experienced in providing a wealth
of detailed information regarding office product purchases. Once particular
products have been tagged as green products, there are seemingly limitless
possibilities as to what can be tracked. This can include aggregating and
reporting green purchases at various organizational levels over various time
intervals (e.g., monthly; quarterly, or annually). With e-catalog data, it also is
possible for an agency to track and report on green purchases as a component
of overall purchases within a particular product category, and to generate
reports showing the volume of purchases of CPG compliant, biobased or
otherwise green products. It is even possible to identify opportunities for
additional green purchasing.
Tracking can best be accomplished using detailed information on indivi-
dual purchases, provided by the contracted office product vendor, based on
purchases via an agency-specific e-catalog. The issuing bank can provide a
consolidated record of purchases made with Purchase Cards, but these
records currently provide only the dollar amount spent with a particular
vendor. If your organization has
thousands of Purchase Cards in use,
the process of verifvin°- all The State of California's office supply contract, requires
purchases and confirming '''ie ven(^or l;° prepare a report on the quantity and dollar
compliance with green purchasing amoun t of green purchases for any office, on demand.
requirements creates an ' R- Riola> Lmd fiir>w< State °f California \
administrative burden. It's
important to note that if your organization still uses charge accounts to pay
for office supply purchases, the same approach to tracking by either product
name or key terms can be used. NASA currently is implementing an agency-
wide financial software system that will integrate with Purchase Card
Solutions software to track Purchase Card use. According to Kim Dalgleish,
former NASA Agency Credit Card Manager, staff are investigating
approaches to ensuring that green purchases are monitored within the new
system.
Agencies have found that their office supply vendor is the most critical
player in efforts to monitor green purchases. By establishing tracking and
reporting requirements as part of the vendor contract, the office supply
ordering system should be able to deliver the data to meet all monitoring and
reporting needs. The key to success is up-front planning. It includes working
with the vendor to ensure their understanding concerning products you waul
tracked, what information you want regarding individual purchases, and how
you want this information aggregated and reported.
MONITORING GREEN PURCHASES * 31
-------
-------
SECTION 5 ENHANCING PURCHASING
A
gencies have found it useful to work with the vendor as well as pur-
chasers and Purchase Card holders to ensure that everyone agrees on
kthe organization's green purchasing requirements, objectives and
expectations. Through the contracting process, each agency can decide
whether and how to ensure that the office supply vendor(s) identify the green
office products that are available
and block the purchase of non- EPA created a period of performance extension incentive
green products when green substi- to encourage their office supply vendor to continue to seek
tutes are available. A key provision out new products that meet EPA's Green purchasing
is the requirement that the vendor criteria and make them available for purchase through the
identify and test new green products contract.
so that they can be added to the (iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin...
e-procurement system. EPA created a period of performance extension
incentive to encourage their office supply vendor to continue to seek out new
products that meet the EPA green purchasing criteria and make them
available for purchase through the contract.
The key to a successful green purchasing program is cooperation. The
agencies participating in the development of this report recognize outreach to
the organization and staff training as key to continuous improvement in
green office supply e-procurement. Each agency's environmental staff is
familiar with green products and can be instrumental in continual improve-
ment and expansion of the green office products offerings through the BPA
and via an agency-specific e-catalog (See Appendix C for Agency contacts).
Procurement and contracting staff manage the tools that make green pur-
chasing possible. Green purchasing requires buyers and other procurement
staff to add detailed knowledge about the environmental impacts of pro-
ducts, materials and services to their proficiency in standard purchasing
evaluation criteria like price and performance.
Employee Training
If purchases are limited to the BPA, which offers only those office products
that meet all environmental criteria, staff may not require specific training to
allow them to select the green pro-
ducts. However, if agency staff 4l c v M ,• i T i n i <-> i i < i
0 •' At banana [National Labs, Purchase Lard holders niusl
selects among a wide range of pro- , , , , . . . . „,,
& . attend a mandatory two-hour training session. 1 he
ducts from a variety of vendors, and . . . . , ',. ,. , .' , . ,
training includes mlormation on what they cannot bu) as
only some of the products offered ,, , , ., , . ,. , , " i . ' i
1 well as a detailed presentation about green products and
are green (both recycled content and , ,, , . , , . .,, , , ,
. "' . whv they have to buv certain items with recycled content.
virgin paper products are available. " " c, ",,- , , no ,-, ,. '
f i i r ts, nicnarason. 12 Coordinator,
for example), then all customers
should be made aware of their ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
responsibilities under RCRA Section 6002 and E.G. 13101.
Some examples of federal agency training in green purchasing include:
ENHANCING GREEN PURCHASING * 33
-------
* The National Park Service, Pacific Region has initiated
Environmental Contracting training for 40 Pacific West Region
procurement/contracting officers and project managers.
* EPA offers an interesting online introductory EPP training that
introduces EPP concepts in a government procurement context at
.
* Shaunah Trout, Dynamac, Recycling and Affirmative Procurement
Specialist, reports that staff of Kennedy Space Center, NASA's
Principal Center for Recycling and Affirmative Procurement, are
responsible for keeping NASA personnel up-to-date on environ-
mentally preferable procurement. Some of the tools NASA uses to
increase awareness include:
* Procurement Information Circulars (PICs), the official NASA
procurement rules for buyers. Affirmative Procurement
requirements are addressed in PIC 01-20, 01-27 and 02-12, item
78 ;
•* Quarterly video conferences featuring new products arid EPP
success stories, attended by representatives of environmental,
procurement and property disposal from all NASA centers; and
•* Site visits to three NASA Centers per year to provide focused
environmental purchasing training for procurement and
contracts personnel, as well as staff in facilities and logistics.
«• The Office of the Federal Environmental Executive, in conjunction
with OFPP, EPA and DOE, is working with the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) to create an on-line green purchasing training
course with separate tracks for Purchase Card holders and contract
management officers/specialists. This course will be available in
calendar year 2004 on OPM's GoLearn e-learniug site.
Outreach to Customers
Federal agencies have used a variety of methods to notify top management
and all potential customers of the availability of a new opportunity to buy
office products from their desks via an agency-specific e-catalog. Here are
some recommended approaches:
Give potential users a heads up
EPA used Buylines, an electronic newsletter, to notify Purchase Card holders
nationwide of the green office supply BPA and the forthcoming agency-
specific e-catalog.
Hold a BPA Signing Ceremony
On Tuesday, December 9, 2003, EPA held a signing ceremony for their new
Green Office Products BPA with Corporate Express. The ceremony wras
attended by EPA's Assistant Administrators (AA) for Pesticides Prevention
and Toxic Substances and Solid Waste and Emergency Response, as well as
34 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
the Deputy AA for Administration and Resources Management and key staff.
The signing ceremony provided an opportunity for EPA to celebrate the
agency's commitment to buying green products, including ofice supplies.
Issue a policy statement
EPA has created a variety of green purchasing goals to reduce the agency's
environmental footprint. EPP goals for office supplies and other products
were distributed to all employees on Earth Day, 2003 via office-wide e-mail.
For more information, visit .
Keep employees informed of reduced environmental impacts from
their green purchases
Some agencies maintain a flow of information about green products and
green purchasing. NASA Ames Research Center, for example, keeps staff
informed of its efforts to increase the use of 100 percent post-consumer
content, processed chlorine-free paper through articles in Astrogram, center-
wide e-mails and special events.
Send regular green purchasing bulletins to all staff, contractors and
vendors
King County,"WA issues regular bulletins describing successful EPP efforts;
read them at . EPA sent an
E-mail from the Office of Administration and Resources Management
(OARM) to all EPA employees announcing their new office products BPA and
agency-specific e-catalog. A copy of this announcement is included as
Appendix D to this report.
Create an informational display or kiosk
EPA created a demo "green office" which was placed at the entrance to the
Agency's Office of Administration and Resource Management. NU"WC in
Newport, RI holds an annual Earth Day event to publicize the staff's green
purchasing options.33
Issue annual [or more frequent] reports on green office supply
purchases
NU"WC and Sandia National Labs use tracking data to create graphs and
charts that document green purchases as a percentage of total agency office
supply purchases as well as total procurement dollars.
Include green purchasing in training
Take advantage of new employee orientation and other regularly scheduled
agency training sessions, including required training for Purchase Card
holders, to promote your office supply BPA and the concept of green
purchasing.
38Many federal facilities host exhibits and events for Earth Day and/or America Recycles Day.
Past winners of the White House Closing the Circle Award for Education and Outreach use
these events to promote their facilities' green purchasing efforts.
ENHANCING GREEN PURCHASING •* 35
-------
Include green purchasing on the agenda
Agencies have begun to encourage staff to include green purchasing as a line
item oil the agenda for briefings to upper level management, and for regular
meetings of the Environmental Compliance or Quality Committee, Safety
Committee, Contracts Customer Relations Committee (CCRC) and other
organizations. At EPA, the Assistant Administrator for OARM distributed a
fact sheet describing the green office products BPA to all EPA AAs at their
regular monthly meeting and highlighted the Agency's green purchasing
efforts at the annual EPA Acquisition Conference.
Hold an interactive teleconference
Teleconferences are an excellent tool for sharing information with multiple
organizations within your agency. Staff from the NASA Principal Center
conduct quarterly video conferences with all NASA Centers to discuss affir-
mative procurement concerns. DOE holds monthly national green purchasing
teleconferences for their green acquisition advocates. EPA announced develop-
ment of their system on their Contracts Customer Relations Committee
teleconference and holds monthly national "Greening EPA" conference calls.
Recognize and reward efforts to enhance the online system
\our green purchasing efforts may be able to receive agency or government-
wide recognition. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 6 received a 2003
White House Closing the Circle Award based, in part, on initiating the use of
100 percent post-consumer recycled content, chlorine-free copier paper in the
regional office and the field stations and coordination with Region 6 contract-
ing and general services to ensure waste prevention and green procurement
are incorporated into all contract documents. NUW'C also received a Closing
the Circle award for their green office supply BPA. To apply for a Closing the
Circle award, go to .
36 •*> BUYING GREEN ONLINE
-------
SECTION 6 CONCLUSION
This report illustrates how representative federal agencies purchase
environmentally preferable products through BPAs accessed via
agency-specific e-catalogs. For those government agencies seeking to
establish or enhance BPAs for office supplies or other products, this report
hopefully has identified significant opportunities to increase and better track
and manage green purchases through these vehicles. In addition to increasing
green purchasing, e-procureruent through BPAs also allows federal agencies
and other institutional purchasers to reduce costs, streamline the small
purchase process, and improve tracking of purchases to meet green, socio-
economic and internal reporting requirements.
Research clone for this report found that at least 16 BPAs for office
supplies have been put in place by federal facilities or federal agencies to date.
Some of these entities, such as DOE's SNL, PNNL and INEEL, DOD's
NU"WC and NASA's KSC and LaRC, have successfully greened their office
supply purchases by greening their office supply BPAs. EPA is in the process
of implementing their new agency-wide BPA for office supplies, which builds
on the efforts of some of these early pioneers by limiting the products
available for purchase to those that meet the agency's green criteria (see
Appendix A).
EPA is anxious to learn more about federal agency efforts to buy greener
products and services through BPAs for office supplies and e-procurement.
Please contact Holly Elwood at elwood.holly@epa.gov to let us know how
you are greening the procurement process.
CONCLUSION * 37
-------
-------
A Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03)
Product Categories
on Core List
I. Cut Sheet and
Continuous Fold
Paper
2. Other Paper
Products
Products Included in This
Category
Copy paper
Green Standard/
Guidelines
EPA's paper policy
Commercial/Industrial Sanitary Tissue Products
Bathroom tissue CPG
Paper towels CPG
Paper napkins CPG
Facial tissue CPG
General purpose industrial wipers CPG
Miscellaneous Papers
Tray liners CPG
Newsprint CPG
Paperboard and Packaging Products
Corrugated containers CPG
Solid fiber boxes
CPG
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
Minimum 50% post-consumer
recycled content
Vendor List/
Further Information
Contact: Russell Clark 202-564-8856
Processed chlorine free
20-100% recovered content,
20-60% post-consumer content
40-100% recovered content,
40-60% post-consumer content
30-100% recovered content,
30-60% post-consumer content
30-100% recovered content,
10-15% post-consumer content
40-100% recovered content,
40% post-consumer content
100% recovered content,
50-75% post-consumer content
20-100% recovered content,
20-85% post-consumer content
<300 psi: 25-50% recovered
content, 25-50% post-consumer
content;
300 psi: 25-30% recovered content,
25-30% post-consumer content
40% recovered content,
40% post-consumer content
-------
EPA Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories
on Core List
2. Other Paper
Products
Products Included in This
Category
Folding cartons
Green Standard/
Guidelines
CPG
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
100% recovered content,
40-80% post-consumer content
Vendor List/
Further Information
Industrial paperboard
CPG
100% recovered content,
45-100% post-consumer content
Miscellaneous
CPG
90-100% recovered content,
75-100% post-consumer content
Padded mailers
Carrierboard
CPG
CPG
5-15% recovered content,
5-15% post-consumer content
10-100% recovered content,
10-15% post-consumer content
Brown papers
P
rinting and Writing Paper
Reprographic
Offset
Tablet
Forms bond
Envelopes
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
5—40% recovered content,
5-20% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
Wove: 30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
Kraft, white and colored:
10-20% recovered content,
10-20% post-consumer content
Kraft, unbleached:
10% recovered content,
10% post-consumer content
vww.epa.gov/cpg/avail. pdf/paper.pd'
-------
EPA Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories Products Included in This
on Core List Category
2. Other Paper
Products
*
-b.
Cotton fiber
Text and cover
Supercalendered
Machine finished groundwood
Papeteries
Check safety
Coated
Carbonless
Dyed filing products
Index and card stock
Pressboard
Tags and tickets
Post-it Notes
Green Standard/
Guidelines
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
CPG
Green Seal
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
10% recovered content,
10% post-consumer content
10% recovered content,
10% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
10% recovered content,
10% post-consumer content
10% recovered content,
10% post-consumer content
30% recovered content,
30% post-consumer content
20-50% recovered content,
20% post-consumer content
50% recovered content,
20% post-consumer content
50% recovered content,
20% post-consumer content
20-50% recovered content,
20% post-consumer content
Vendor List/
Further Information
100% recycled paper and
30% post-consumer material
-------
EPA Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
CO
o
I
Product Categories
on Core List
3. InkJet and Toner
Cartridges
4. Time Management
Systems
5. Ribbons (Printer)
6. Binders
Products Included in This
Category
Toner cartridges
Green Standard/
Guidelines
Green Seal
Printer ribbons
Plastic covered paperboard
Paper and binders
—CPG
CPG
Green Seal
Paper covered paperboard
Green Seal
Cardboard
Green Seal
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
All cartridges tested by remanufac-
turer, parts removed from spent
cartridges recycled, recycled content
in replacement parts
See Paper and Binders—CPG
Procure printer ribbon reinking or
reloading services or procure
reinked or reloaded printer ribbons
Plastic at least 25% total recycled
content, paperboard at least 90%
total recycled content, with 75%
post-consumer. At a minimum
paper bleached without elemental
chlorine, but preferably paper that is
free of both elemental chlorine and
chlorine derivatives or unbleached.
90% total recycled content with at
least 75% post-consumer. At a
minimum paper bleached without
elemental chlorine, but preferably
paper that is free of both elemental
chlorine and chlorine derivatives or
unbleached.
100% post-consumer content. At a
minimum paper bleached without
elemental chlorine, but preferably
paper that is free of both elemental
chlorine and chlorine derivatives or
unbleached.
Vendor List/
Further Information
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
(includes list of vendors meeting
these requirements)
< http://www.greensea I .org/cgrs/
OfficeSupplies_finalCE.pdf>
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
-------
oduct Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories
on Core List
6. Binders
7. Writing
Instruments
8. Diskettes
9. Magnetic and
Optical Media
10. Other Office
Products
Products Included in This
Category
Solid plastic
Green Standard/
Guidelines
CPG
Pens and pencils
Highlighters and markers
Floppy disks
CDs
Plastic envelopes
Plastic trash bags
Plastic desktop accessories
Green Seal
Green Seal
Green seal
Green seal
CPG
CPG
CPG
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
HOPE: 90% post-consumer content,
90% total recycled content
PE: 30-50% post-consumer recycled
content, 30-50% total recycled
content
PET: 100% post-consumer content,
100% total recycled content
Miscellaneous plastics: 80% post-
consumer content, 80% total
recycled content
100% total recycled content with
60% post-consumer content
water base, certified AP nontoxic,
conforming to ASTM D-4236
dry erase: low odor
Recycled
Recycle old disks
Recycle old CDs
25% post-consumer recycled
content and 25-35% total
10-100% post-consumer recycled
content
25-80% post-consumer recycled
content
Vendor List/
Further Information
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
-------
EPA Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories
on Core List
10. Other Office
Products
Products Included in This
Category
Office waste receptacles
Office recycling containers
CP
o
I
Clipboards
File folders
Clip portfolios and presentation folders
Green Standard/
Guidelines
CPG
CPG
Green Seal
CPG
plastic clipboards
HOPE:
P.S.
Misc. plastics
Green Seal
CPG
Plastic clip
portfolios
HOPE
CPG plastic
presentation
folders
HOPE
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
Plastic 20-100% post-consumer
Steel: 16% post-consumer, 25-30%
total
Corrugated paper: 25-50% post-
consumer, 25-50% total
Solid fiber boxes: 40% post-consumer
Industrial paperboard: 40-80% post-
consumer, 100% total
100% recycled content with at least
50% post-consumer content. At a
minimum paper bleached without
elemental chlorine, but preferably
paper that is free of both elemental
chlorine and chlorine derivatives or
unbleached.
90% post-consumer, 90% total
50% post-consumer, 50% total
15% post-consumer, 15-80% total
100% recycled content with at least
30% post-consumer content. At a
minimum paper bleached without
elemental chlorine, but preferably
paper that is free of both elemental
chlorine and chlorine derivatives or
unbleached
90% post-consumer, 90% total
90% post-consumer, 90% total
Vendor List/
Further Information
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
Choose Green Report: Office Supplies
-------
oduct Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories
on Core List
10. Other Office
Products
Products Included in This
Category
» Corrugated
* Solid fiber boxes
* Industrial paperboard
Labels
Padded mailers
Batteries
Battery rechargers
Correction fluid
Green Standard/
Guidelines
CPG
CPG
CPG
Green Seal
(see envelopes)
INFORM
INFORM
Green Seal
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
25-50% post-consumer recycled
content, 25-50% total
40% post-consumer recycled
content
40-80% post-consumer, 100% total
50% total recycled content with
30% post-consumer
rechargable where applicable, long
lasting, product takeback for
rechargable batteries bought,
exploration of nonrechargable
batteries bought
chargers can recharge several types
of batteries
non-ozone depleting, water based,
non-toxic
Vendor List/
Further Information
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
-b.
Ln
-------
•*.
O-.
en
o
I
EPA Product Specific Green Purchasing Criteria (as of 1/20/03) (continued)
Product Categories
on Core List
10. Other Office
Products
Products Included in This
Category
Transparencies
Desk calendar
Plastic desktop accesories (desk
organizers, sorters, trays, and memo, note
and pencil holders)
Cleaning products
Green Standard/
Guidelines
Green Seal
(Canada's
Environmental
Choice also has a
standard)
CPG
CPG
Green Seal GS 37
standard
Standard Environmental
Attributes Thresholds
50% recycled content,
25% post-consumer
see paper
25-80% post-consumer recycled
content
Vendor List/
Further Information
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
Choose Green Report Office Supplies
-------
APPENDIX B STATEMENT OF WORK
PURCHASE AGREEHENT
FOR SUPPLIES WITH EMPHASIS
ON EPPAND JWOD PRODUCTS
A. Background
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will enter into a Blanket
Purchase Agreement (BPA) for two-clay delivery of office supplies to approx-
imately 2000 Purchase Card Holders within approximately 70 EPA facilities
located in the 48 contiguous United States. A BPA issued pursuant to this
Statement of Work (SOW) will provide EPA personnel with a source for use
as the mandatory first option for satisfying the majority of the EPAs office
supply requirements, and will place special emphasis on providing EPA users
with EPP and JWOD office products. For the purpose of this BPA, "EPP" or
"Environmentally Preferable Products" is defined in Executive Order 13101
as "...products or services that have a lesser or reduced effect on human
health and the environment when compared with competing products or
services that serve the same purpose..." See Attachment 2 for the EPA Green
purchasing criteria for products purchased under this system.
The vendor, hereafter referred to as "the contractor," selected for a BPA
shall be a current holder of a General Services Administration Federal Supply
Schedule (GSA/FSS) 75 II A, Office Supplies Products and Equipment.
B. Specific Requirements
1. The contractor shall fully comply with all specifications, clauses and
terms and conditions in the contractor's GSA/FSS 75 II A, and the specific
terms and conditions contained in this BPA. This BPA shall include all gen-
eral office supplies offered under Special Item Number (SIN) 75 200 only.
Office Services under SIN 75 210 will not be ordered via this BPA. New or
improved office products offered under SIN 7599, New Products/Techno!ogy,
may be ordered at the discretion of the EPA. Users will not purchase business
machines and computers, computer software, or office furniture using this
BPA.
2. The contractor shall fill all orders placed before 2:00 p.m. within two
business days. The contractor shall also provide the option of next day
delivery. The contractor shall acknowledge all orders via facsimile, telephone,
or electronically. If an item is not available for delivery, the contractor shall
notify the EPA cardholder prior to delivery of the other items, and give the
user the option to cancel the order or place the item on back order.
3. The contractor shall ensure that all costs for performing under this
BPA, including desktop delivery; payment by credit card, reporting, and any
other deliverables or requirements set forth in this BPA, are included in the
prices for the supplies ordered. The 1 percent Industrial Funding Fee required
by GSA and shipping costs are to be included in the prices for supplies. Unless
APPENDIX B » 47
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specifically authorized in the BPA, EPA will not be responsible for paying for
any costs or prices other than those for the supplies ordered, received and
accepted by EPA. The contractor shall not bill EPA for any items on back
order until such items are shipped.
4. The contractor shall retain the order history of all cardholders as a
means to assist them with repeat orders of the same products. The online
ordering system must offer users the option of viewing their previous
purchases, and a shortcut process to place repeat orders for the same items.
5. The contractor shall provide all reports electronically and/or in paper
form, as directed in writing by the Project Officer(s), in accordance with the
schedule identified in Section H, Deliverables.
6. The contractor shall offer cardholders the option of delivery to their
established location or another approved address to be specified at the time
the order is placed. Attachment 3 to this SOW is a listing of approximately
70 EPA order point locations to which the contractor may be required to
make delivery Personnel employed by the contractor to perform deliveries
must be able to obtain access to the required EPA facilities.
7. The contractor shall implement a toner cartridge and battery recycling
program at all delivery locations. The contractor shall collect used toner
cartridges and batteries and ensure that the used items are delivered to an
appropriate entity for recycling. The contractor shall publicize and promote
the recycling procedures to EPA users through the ordering system and other
means.
8. The contractor shall provide an electronic catalog and ordering system
accessible via the Internet that provides the following on-line capabilities:
a. Ordering by authorized EPA cardholders;
b. Status review of all orders placed within the last 90 days,
including:
Order Number
Date the order was submitted
Date of shipment in response to the order
Total amount of order
Line-item detail for each order
Return status
c. Immediate order verification and product availability;
d. Suggested substitutions for unavailable items;
e. Special identification and designation of those items which
meet Green purchasing criteria,
NIB/NISH and Unicor;
f. Cancellation of items due to non-availability upon request of
cardholder; and
g. Viewing capacity for those that are not authorized EPA
Purchase Card Holders.
9. The contractor shall provide EPA Project Officer(s) with electronic
access to cardholders' information to submit approved cardholder add,
change, and delete cardholder information or order point locations.
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10. JWOD(NIB/NISH) and Unicor items—the contractor shall provide all
items produced by NIB, NISH and Unicor vendors that fall under GSA
Supply Schedule 75 II A. To ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory
requirements, the contractor shall ensure the ordering system is designed to
easily identify such items on the system
11. Environmentally Preferable Products (EPP)—similarly, the contractor
shall provide an extensive selection of EPP or "green" products, which meet
the Environmentally Preferable Product (EPP) Criteria list contained in
Attachment 2. The contractor shall ensure that all products offered on this
system meet the appropriate EPP Criteria attached. The contractor shall
continue to work with EPA to identify new EPP products as they become
available, detailing these efforts, and actively market those products to EPA
cardholder personnel on the ordering system. The contractor shall offer on the
system a minimum of new EPP products each year of the BPA,
which will count toward the Award Term Incentive Goal for new EPP
products. The contractor shall adapt the on-line ordering catalogue to
promote EPA's efforts to utilize EPP office supplies. The system must not
show any items that are not available to EPA users, it must not offer
specifically non-EPP items when EPP items are available.
12. The contractor shall offer only recycled/remauufactured toner
cartridges on the system, unless a recycled cartridge does not exist for a
particular cartridge model. All toner cartridges offered on the system must be
supplied by small businesses, recycled/remanufactured toner cartridge sales
shall count toward the Small Business Supplied Goal on which the Award
Term Incentive is based, in part.
13. The contractor shall provide a customized, hard copy, EPA catalog at
the beginning of each option year. The catalog will contain EPA specific
ordering instructions and shall have a cover designed to be visually distinct
from the contractor's commercial or open market catalog. The contractor
shall clearly identify JWOD (NIB/NISH), UNICOR (Federal Prison
Industries), and EPP products within the catalog. The catalog must identify
those items offered to EPA users, and clearly indicate which items are not
available to EPA users under this system. The contractor shall update pricing
in the EPA catalog no less than twice a year. The first issuance will be at the
beginning of each Option "Year of the contract.
14. The contractor shall develop and implement an on-line training
module demonstrates the online ordering system and procedures to EPA card-
holder personnel. The training module must be in place within 45 calendar
days after BPA award. At a minimum, the contractor's training program shall
cover, but is not limited to, the following areas:
a. Instructions and specific details on how the contractor's
ordering system works;
b. A description of how to read the contractor's packing slip;
c. An explanation of the procedures for returning items;
d. An explanation of the procedures for recycling toner cartridges
and batteries
e. Procedures for the handling of situations when items are
reflected on the packing slip, but not delivered; and
APPENDIX B * 49
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f. A full description of the contractor's problem resolution process
which incorporates the established EPA Disputes Process
detailed in Attachment 7;
g. A full description of the customer service line.
15. All payments for purchases under this BPA will be made by the EPA
cardholders using a Government Purchase Card. The contractor shall provide
all EPA cardholders in all EPA locations with uniform service, in terms of
pricing, catalog, products, product codes and service levels. The contractor
shall provide the credit card vendor with sufficient information to enable
third-level billing. For the purposes of this BPA, level three billing includes,
at a minimum, specific order information which will allow the credit card
holder to reconcile the credit card statements with the orders placed. Such
information shall include the order reference number, a description of the
supplies ordered and the date ordered.
16. The contractor shall package supply orders separately for each order
placed by a cardholder, and label packages with specific addresses and room
numbers or drop points. The contractor shall ensure printed material
provided to the cardholders (labels, packing slips, etc.) are uniform regardless
of location.
17. The contractor shall maintain a toll free customer service and help
desk telephone line during the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday
through Friday. The hours of operation shall be those of the location of the
servicing area of the contractor. The customer service telephone line is not
required on the following Federal holidays:
New \ears Day
Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
President's Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Columbus Day
Veteran's Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day
18. Survey—The contractor shall work with the Project Officers to
develop Customer Satisfaction Survey questions, and distribute the survey to
all cardholders that have placed orders under the BPA on the following
schedule:
Three months after award
Six mouths after award
At the end of each contract period (base and options)
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The contractor shall ensure that the Project Officers have access to the
raw survey data. Additionally, the contractor shall compile the results of the
surveys and provide to them to the EPA Project Officers. The online ordering
system shall also identify an e-mail address where users can submit comments
regarding the online ordering system or products at any time. The contractor
shall forward all e-mail comments directly to the EPA Project Officers.
19. Database of EPA Purchase Card Holders and Order Point Locations—
Upon award of a BPA, EPA will provide the contractor with a cardholder
database with organizational information, and a list of EPA cardholder loca-
tions. The contractor shall maintain the cardholder database and order point
locations, at on a quarterly basis at minimum, to reflect changes in EPA card-
holder personnel and delivery locations. The database shall be maintained in a
version or release of Lotus 123, or other software deemed acceptable, in writing,
by the EPA Project Officer. The database is a deliverable under the BPA, and
shall be developed and maintained by the contractor as property of the Govern-
ment. An electronic copy of the database shall be provided to the Project
Officer(s) in accordance with the schedule of deliverables as set forth below.
C. Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA)
Estimated Amounts and Period of Performance
1. Estimated BPA Amounts—EPA estimates, but does not guarantee, that
the volume of purchases through this agreement may be $5,000,000 per year.
EPA is obligated only to the extent of authorized purchases actually made
under the BPA issued pursuant to this Statement of Work.
2. Period of Performance—The anticipated period of performance is
stated below. The period of performance of a BPA issued pursuant to this
Statement of Work cannot exceed the period of performance of the
contractor's GSA Federal Supply Schedule. Thus, the BPA will expire upon
the expiration of the GSA Federal Supply Schedule against which the BPA is
written, or at the expiration of the Period of Performance, whichever comes
first.
Base Year Award Date—Awrarcl Date + 12 months
Option Year 1 Award Date + 12 Months—Award Date + 24 Months
Option Year 2 Award Date + 24 Months—Award Date + 36 Months
Option Year 3 Award Date + 36 Months—Award Date + 48 Months
Option Year 4 Award Date + 48 Mouths—Award Date + 60 Months
Award Term Option 1 Award Date + 60 Months—Award Date + 63 Months
Award Term Option 2 Award Date + 63 Months—Award Date + 66 Months
A\vard Term Option 3 Award Date + 66 Months—A\vard Date + 69 Months
Award Term Option 4 Award Date + 69 Months—Award Date + 72 Months
Award Term Option 5 Awrard Date + 72 Months—Award Date + 75 Months
3. Award Term Incentive Options—This BPA contains Award Term
Incentive Options, which provide for five three-month options periods to the
Period of Performance, if the contractor meets the following goals:
Small Business Supplied Goal per year
APPENDIX 8*51
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(Expressed as a percentage of all purchase dollars):
Offering of New EPP Items per year
(New EPP items offered on system):
For each period that the contractors meets BOTH goals, the period of
performance will be extended by an additional three months (maximum
fifteen months). No extension will be awarded if the contractor meets only
one of the two goals for that year.
At the end of each base and option period, the Contracting Officer will
determine if the contractor met the incentive goals for that period. The
contractor must meet both goals during the appropriate period in order to
receive a three month extension. Prior to any Award Term extension of the
BPA, the Contracting Officer will make a determination that the need for this
requirement still exists and that funds are available.
D. Ordering Procedures
1. All purchases made under this BPA will be made by the use of Govern-
ment Purchase Cards by authorized cardholders. The preferred method for
ordering under this contract shall be electronic. The contractor shall, there-
fore, establish an electronic ordering procedure for orders placed under this
BPA. Such a procedure shall include a secure Internet site, receipt of orders,
and other processes such as a direct dial-in connection to the contractor's
system. The contractor shall also provide a means by which cardholders can
place orders by facsimile and telephone.
2. The contractor shall provide a pre-printed form to cardholders for their
use in preparing facsimile orders. Cardholders will place telephone orders only
in emergency situations. The contractor shall confirm all telephone orders via
facsimile or the EPA person placing the order will transmit the order by
facsimile as a confirmation of the telephone order. The contractor shall assign
a control number to all facsimile and telephone orders, and confirm all
facsimile and telephone orders, by return facsimile to the person placing the
order.
3. Authority to Place Orders—All orders placed with the contractor under
this BPA must be accompanied by an EPA Purchase Card account number.
EPA will provide the initial database of Purchase Card Holders. The con-
tractor shall maintain a current and accurate listing of the Purchase Card
Holders, and provide a copy of the order point database to the EPA Project
Officer, and provide quarterly updates to the database. These cardholders
have been granted the authority to place orders and commit Government
funds to the maximum dollar authority granted to the Purchase Card. The
contractor shall ensure proper electronic authorization is received for each
Purchase Card Order before filling the order.
£. Delivery Requirements
1. The contractor shall deliver all supplies ordered under this BPA to the
desktop location specified with the order. All deliveries shall be performed by
personnel with the requisite access/clearance for the specified EPA facility.
2. The contractor shall fill all orders placed under this BPA, including
orders containing NIB/NISH, Unicor and EPP items, within two days for
52 * BUYING GREEN ONLINE
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standard orders, or the next day, as requested at the time the order is placed.
If an item is not available for immediate delivery, the contractor will inform
the cardholder and offer to cancel the order, or place the item on backorder
status.
3. Delivery of all items under this contract shall be Free On Board (FOB)
Destination for standard two day delivery, and shall be shipped with all
transportation costs included in the cost of the item, unless otherwise
established at the time the order is placed.
4. Packing Slip—The contractor shall include a delivery ticket or packing
slip with each order placed under this BPA and provide it with the order. The
contractor shall ensure the delivery ticket or packing slip contains the
following information:
Name of Supplier
BPA Order Number
Order Number
Date of purchase (order) and the name of the cardholder or
customer number
Placing the order
Itemized list of supplies furnished, including total cost of the
order
Quantity, unit price, and extension of each item
Date of delivery of shipment
5. The printed name and signature of the EPA employee receiving the
supplies and two copies of the signed Packing Slip shall be given to the
person receiving the order and the original retained by the contractor.
F. Transaction Review and Disputes
1. All purchases made under this BPA will be made using the EPA
Purchase Card. Therefore, the traditional invoicing requirements do not exist.
The contractor shall utilize the alternative system on the EPA Intranet, for
Purchase Card reconciliation and cost allocation. This system was developed
by EPA's Financial Services Division and is the Agency's recommended
system for cardholders to review and allocate Purchase Card transactions.
The contractor shall ensure that each Purchase Card transaction contains
Level III data, which is required for cardholders to perform efficient
reconciliation.
2. Cardholders will review all electronic transaction data for accuracy. If
there is the need for a credit or debit, the cardholder will notify the
Contractor's Customer Service Department immediately. The cardholder
should attempt to resolve all product, delivery or quality discrepancies with
the vendor and to obtain a credit when appropriate. The Contractor shall
provide the cardholder with a tracking number for each transaction for
further reference or follow up.
3. The contractor shall have 30 days or one billing cycle to make the
correction. If the cardholder is unable to obtain a credit from the vendor
within 30 days or one billing cycle, then the item should be formally disputed
within 60 calendar days of the posted date on the account. Disputes
procedures are contained in Attachment 7.
APPENDIX 8 * 53
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G. Contract Administration Dota
1. Contracting Officer—The Contracting Officer is the only person
authorized to make or approve any changes in any of the requirements of
this BPA, and notwithstanding any clauses contained elsewhere in this
contract, the said authority remains solely with the Contracting Officer. In
the event the Contractor makes any changes at the direction of any person
other than the Contracting Officer, the change will be considered to have been
made without authority and no adjustment will be made in the Contract price
to cover any increase in cost incurred as a result thereof. The Contracting
Officer for individual orders will be noted on the orders.
2. The Contracting Officer responsible for administration of this BPA is
Kristin Wright
U.S. EPA, Mail Code 3803R
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Telephone: (202) 564-4467
Fax: (202) 565-2554
E-Mail: Wright.Kristin@epa.gov
3. The Contract Specialist for administration of this BPA is:
U.S. EPA, Mail Code 3803R
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
Telephone: (202)
Fax:(202)
E-Mail:
4. The EPA Project Officer(s) will represent the Contracting Officer in the
administration of technical details within the scope of this BPA. The Project
Officer is also responsible for final inspection and acceptance of all reports,
and such other responsibilities as may be specified in the BPA. The Project
Officer is not otherwise authorized to make any representations or commit-
ments of any kind on behalf of the Contracting Officer or the Government.
The Project Officer does not have authority to alter the Contractor's obliga-
tions or to change the BPA specifications, pricing, terms or conditions. If, as a
result of technical discussions, it is desirable to modify the BPA requirements
or the Statement of Work, changes will be issued in writing and signed by the
Contracting Officer.
5. The Project Officer assignment for this BPA may be changed at any
time by the Government without prior notice to the Contractor. However, the
Contractor will be notified of the change in writing. The Project Officer(s) for
this BPA are:
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Karen Lee
U.S. EPA/Mail Code 3802R
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-4378
(202) 565-2553—fax
Lee.Kareu@epa.gov
Alternate:
Cheryl Upton/Mail Code 3802R
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-6242
(202) 565-2553—fax
Uptoii.Cheryl@epa.gov
H. Deliverables
1. The contractor shall submit all deliverables to EPA in accordance with
the following schedule. Except for the Order Point Database, usage reports
identified below shall be submitted electronically using Lotus or Wordperfect.
The Order Point Database shall be submitted in Lotus.
Deliverable Description
Office Supplies
Cardholder Database
Reports:
25 Most Commonly
Purchased Items
Value and Percentage of
all purchases that are
NIB, NISH & Unicor
Items
Submit To
Address specified at
time of order
Project Officer
Due Date
Within two business
days to EPA locations
within the 48
contiguous states
Within two weeks of
receipt of cardholder
information from EPA,
quarterly maintenance
due on the fifth day
after the end of the
quarter
Fifth business day after Project Officer
the end of each month
Fifth business day after Project Officer
the end of each month
APPENDIX
* 55
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Deliverable Description Due Date
Value and Percentage of
all purchases supplied by
Small Businesses
Value and Percentage of
all Purchases that are
EPP items
Value and Percentage of
all CPG items purchased
Quarterly and Fiscal
"Year-to-Date Expendi-
tures detailed by func-
tion, office, REFM and
Business Units
Quarterly Summary of
expenditures by Order
Point Number and
Organization
Quarterly Report of
Activities to Identify.
•>'
Promote and Offer new
EPP items.
Number of new EPP
items offered on system
•>'
per year.
Delivery Report (on
time, late and back
orders)
Quarterly report on
toner cartridge and
battery recycling activity
Fifth business day after
the end of each month
and yearly on the fifth
business day after the
expiration of Base and
Option liear
Fifth business day after
the end of each month
Fifth business day after
the end of each mouth
Fifth business day after
the end quarter, and/or
fiscal year
Fifth business day after
the end of the quarter
Submit To
Project Officer &
Contracting Officer
Project Officer
Project Officer
Project Officer
Project Officer
Fifth business day of of Project Officer &
each quarter
Contracting Officer
Fifth business day after Project Officer &
End of Base or Option Contracting Officer
Period
Fifth business day of Project Officer
each month
Fifth business day of Project Officer
quarter
I. Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Rehabilitation Act Amendments of
1998, Section 508 Information Technology Accessibility Requirements—
Electronic and information technology products, if any, including Web-based
internet information and applications, provided under a BPA awarded
pursuant to their SOW shall comply with the information technology
accessability standards required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation
standards required by the Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998.
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(a) EPA has a legal obligation under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29
U.S.C. 791, to provide reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities
who wish to attend EPA programs and activities. Under this contract, the
contractor may be required to provide support in connection with EPA
programs and activities, including conferences, symposia, workshops,
meetings, etc. In such cases, the contractor shall, as applicable, include in its
draft and final meeting announcements (or similar documents) the following
notice:
It is EPA's policy to make reasonable accommodation to
persons with disabilities wishing to participate in the agency's
programs and activities, pursuant to the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, 29 U.S.C. 791. Any request for accommodation should be
made to the specified registration contact for a particular
program or activity, preferably one mouth in advance of the
registration deadline, so that EPA will have sufficient time to
process the request.
(b) Upon receipt of such a request for accommodation, the contractor
shall immediately forward the request to the EPA contracting officer, and
provide a copy to the appropriate EPA program office. The contractor may be
required to provide any accommodation that EPA may approve. However, in
no instance shall the contractor proceed to provide an accommodation prior
to receiving written authorization from the contracting officer.
(c) The contractor shall insert in each subcontract or consultant
agreement placed hereunder provisions that shall conform substantially to the
language of this clause, including this paragraph, unless otherwise authorized
by the contracting officer.
APPENDIX 8 * 57
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APPENDIX C FEDERAL AGENCY ENVIRONMENTAL POINTS OF CONTACT
DH S: bill .mcgo vem@dlis. gov
DOC: pwixted@cloc.gov
DOD: John.Coho@oscl.mil
DOE: clonald.leiitzen@eh.cloe.gov
DOHS: Brent.Paul@fema.gov
DO I: catheriiie_cesnik@ios.cloi.gov
DOJ: lieckerina@usdoj.gov
DOL: Clark-Patricia-C@clol.gov
DOS: holclforthje2@state.gov
DOT: catherine.johuson@jost.clot.gov
EPA: greeii.bucky@epa.gov
FBI: personnel.safely@fbi.gov
GSA: susaii.lyiich@igsa.gov
HHS: camille.beben@hhs.gov
HUD: Robert_E._Byrd@hud.gov
TWOD: jsniith@jjwocl.gov
NASA: niincneill@licj.nasa.gov
NRC: DMTl@jnrc.gov
NSF: mlhiggs@nsf.gov
OMB: vallina@iomb.eop.gov
OPM: rtcoco@opni.gov
SBA: Catherine, flet.cher@sba.gov
SSA: BeckyRenclell@ssa.gov
TREAS: les.sniitli@do.treas.gov
TVA: wpbehlau@tva.gov
UN IGOR: mcantl@ceutral.unicor.gov
USDA: sharon.holconibe@uscla.gov
USPS: nifaniiiiig@Jeniail.usps.gov
VA: barbara.matos@mail.va.gov
APPENDIX C * 59
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APPENDIX D EPA ANNOUNCEMENT
November 6, 2003
MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Agency Wide Blanket Purchase Agreement for Ordering
Green Office Supplies
FROM: Morris X. Wiiin/s/
Assistant Administrator
TO: All EPA Employees
As the EPA's Environmental Executive, I take great pleasure in announc-
ing the award of an Agency wide Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) for
Green Office Supplies. The new BPA with Corporate Express, which was
made possible through the joint efforts of the Office of Acquisition Manage-
ment, the Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics, and the Office of Solid
Waste, will enable the Agency to buy those products which meet or exceed
EPA's recycled content guidelines or are environmentally preferablein some
other way. The Agency Purchase Card will be your membership into the new,
user friendly, web based ordering system. In most cases, next day delivery of
ordered supplies will be available.
Using the BPA will dramatically increase the Agency's purchase and use
of green products which will, in turn, greatly help the environment. For
example, EPA conservatively estimates that our contract purchases of
recycled copy paper saved approximately 11,000 trees and resulted in solid
waste reductions of more than 500,000 pounds last year alone. By using the
BPA to increase our Purchase Card purchases of green office supplies, the
Agency will be able to significantly reduce atmospheric emissions, save energy,
reduce materials going to landfills, and improve the overall health and well
being of our employees and customers.
EPA is planning a phased implementation of the BPA throughout the
Agency. A web based training tutorial will be available, as well as a Help Desk
number, to assist our BPA users in placing orders. The Office of Acquisition
Management plans to have the first customers using this new acquisition tool
by Januarv, 2004. The use of this BPA will be made mandatory for
»' J *'
purchasing office supplies via Purchase Card by the end of F^ 2004. Details
for the full implementation of this BPA will be distributed shortly.
I want to challenge each of you to work together to be leaders in buying
"green." For additional information, contact Karen Lee, EPA Purchase Card
Team, at lee.karen@epa.gov or 202 564 4378.
APPENDIX D * 61
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FIRST CLASS MAIL
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
G-35
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