University of Winnipeg, Manitoba Green Procurement Policy
University of Winnipeg, Canada
Type: Policy
Effective Date: 1/1/07
Source File: http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/index/cms-filesystem-action?file=pdfs/admin/policies/90-0005.pdf
Text:
Purpose:
The University of Winnipeg (the “University) Green Procurement Policy (“Policy”)
establishes a framework within which the University will incorporate more environmentally
and socially sustainable procurement practices (Green Procurement) into its procurement
activities.
Scope:
This policy applies to the facilities and activities as specified in Appendix “A” – Scope of the
Sustainability Policy.
Legal Authority:
The legal authority for this Policy includes, but is not necessarily limited to, the following
acts and regulations:
Manitoba Sustainable Development Act
Manitoba Sustainable Development Act Green Procurement Guidelines
Manitoba Waste Reduction and Prevention Act
Responsibilities:
The Vice-President (Human Resources, Audit & Sustainability) is responsible for the
maintenance, communication and administration of this Policy so that the University and
the companies it employs:
• Use full-cost / life-cycle accounting in making procurement decisions.
• Provide for training of administration, faculty and students about green procurement issues and conservation methods.
• Regularly review technologies for their applicability to this procurement policy. Develop procedures, at both the institutional and department level, that achieve the commitments described in this policy.
• Develop, maintain and monitor information useful for tracking progress, identifying priorities, evaluating the impact of any initiatives and ensuring accountability.
• Establish and maintain an Accountability Structure.
• The Executive Director, Financial Services is responsible for maintaining, reporting and analysis of all procurement records and for updates to the Procedures in this Policy.
• The Campus Sustainability Office, in collaboration with the Campus Sustainability Council and relevant departments, is responsible for preparing an annual report on sustainable procurement objectives, targets and performance.
• Purchasing Agents are responsible for implementing the Procedures specified in this Policy in Purchasing Department activities.
• Departmental Staff responsible for purchasing activities are also responsible for implementing the intents of this Policy in their purchasing decisions and activities.
Definitions:
Environmentally Preferable Products – means goods and materials that have a less adverse
impact on human health and the environment when compared with competing goods and
materials. This comparison shall consider raw materials acquisition, production,
manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, and waste
management of the good or material.
Environmentally Preferable Services – means services that have a more beneficial or less adverse impact on human health and the environment when compared with competing services.
Full-cost Accounting – means accounting for the economic, environmental, land use, human health, social and heritage costs and benefits of a particular decision or action to ensure no costs associated with the decision or actions, including externalised costs, are left unaccounted for.
Health – means the condition of being sound in body, mind, and spirit.
Practicable – means sufficient in performance and available at a reasonable price.
Procurement – includes the purchase, lease, rental, use or disposal of goods, materials, facilities and services, including the acquisition of goods, materials, facilities and services by construction, renovation or otherwise.
Reasonable Price – means the price for a good, material or service which one is willing to pay.
Recycled Products – are goods or materials manufactured with waste goods or materials that have been recovered or diverted from the waste stream.
Sustainability – means the capacity of a thing, action, activity or process to be maintained indefinitely.
Toxic Substance – means a substance whose quantity, concentration or the conditions under which it is managed poses an elevated risk to the environment or human health.
Goals:
1. Continuously reduce demand for goods, services and materials by rigorously
evaluating needs, exploring alternative, lower consumption methods of delivering the
same utility, and progressively “dematerializing” University operations and programs.
2. Ensure that procurement activities evaluate performance and value of goods, materials and services using full-cost accounting.
3. Protect human and ecosystem health and well-being by selecting goods, services and materials that comply with environmental and safety and health standards, are the least toxic alternatives available, and by ensuring proper management of toxic substances for which no alternatives or substitutes are available.
4. Promote environmentally sustainable economic development by procuring goods, services and materials that encourage local industries and markets for environmentally preferably products and services and, to the extent feasible, procuring goods and services from the University neighborhood.
5. Conserve resources, prevent pollution and avoid waste by procuring goods, materials and services that require less material and energy to manufacture, package, and transport, are durable, reusable, recyclable and use renewable forms of energy during production, transport, delivery and use.
6. Encourage training and research programs which increase awareness and encourage adoption of more sustainable procurement practices among students, faculty, administration and support staff at the University.
7. Include provisions in all contracts, tenders, and RFPs which implement the intents of this Policy with respect to all suppliers of goods, services and materials hired or purchased by the University.
8. Develop and implement procurement policies and procedures which comply with or exceed the ISO14001-2004e standard for such systems.
9. Establish and maintain a measurement system to monitor its progress towards these commitments.
10. Report its green procurement performance to internal and external stakeholders.
Methods of Ensuring Accountability
• The University will set and review green procurement objectives on a regular basis.
Targets will be publicly available and in a format amenable to quantification. So far as practicable, the University will use standards, definitions and indicators that are consistent with the requirements of both federal and provincial legislation and those necessary to secure and maintain ISO 14001-2004e registration.
• Progress will be audited against the targets established in the objectives.
Related Policies
Air Quality Management Policy
Energy Management Policy
Land Use and Planning Policy
Purchasing Policy (Draft)
Risk Management and Emergency Response Policy
Sustainability Policy
Waste Management Policy
Water Management Policy
Policy Review
This Policy is to be reviewed at least once every five years.