On Jan. 24, 2007, President Bush issued Executive Order 13423, Strengthening Federal Environmental, Energy and Transportation Management, which directs agencies to adopt sustainable practices in 10 areas.

Among those is the acquisition of green products and services, including the purchase of biobased products. This provision has direct relevancy to the acquisition community. It has even greater importance to the Agriculture Department as we are the lead agency for the federal biobased procurement preference program, titled BioPreferred.

In their purchasing, agencies are directed to give preference to biobased products, designated under the BioPreferred program by the Agriculture secretary. Biobased products are defined as commercial or industrial goods, excluding food and fuel, composed in whole or in significant part of biological products, forestry materials or renewable agricultural materials, including plant, animal or marine materials.

The designation of products under BioPreferred occurs after the products have been subjected to extensive review and testing to determine content and comparisons to environmental and human health considerations. The preference does not apply if agencies determine the product is not reasonably available within a reasonable time; fails to meet reasonable agency performance standards; or is not reasonably priced.

The process of designating products for preferred procurement has been streamlined and is expected to result in the availability of many more products for federal procurement. As a large consumer of goods and services, the government can stimulate the growth and viability of new industries through an active federal biobased acquisition program. It is envisioned that the BioPreferred program will: lessen the country’s dependence on foreign oil; create new jobs and increase economic activity in our rural communities; and help the environment.

According to Iowa State University researchers, nearly 8 percent of a barrel of oil is used in the production of products, including plastics and other petroleum-based products. Put another way, 25 billion gallons of oil per year are used in petroleum-based products. Accordingly, substitution of renewable agricultural feedstock for petroleum-based products will have a significant impact on domestic petroleum consumption.

Biobased products are gradually finding their place in the marketplace. Agriculture and other federal agencies are using these products in a number of ways, including: biobased cleaning products in janitorial contracts; biobased paints and insulation in construction and renovation contracts; biobased engine oil and lubricants in maintenance contracts; and in the Agriculture’s headquarters cafeteria contract, as part of the zero-waste project, including the composting of kitchen waste and biodegradable cutlery with the plan to either recycle or compost all cafeteria waste.

Agriculture is working diligently to lead by example in the acquisition of biobased products. First, the department drafted the language amending the Federal Acquisition Regulation to direct acquisition personnel to give preference to designated items under the BioPreferred program. Second, the department has issued to its more than 1,000 acquisition professionals new departmental regulations mandating all service contracts include a requirement that contractors use BioPreferred products where available and encouraging the use of biobased products generally. Third, through the department’s new Acquisition Strategy Review process, all pre-prospectus contracts of $1 million and greater are required to address whether they have considered biobased products. Fourth, to help acquisition professionals find biobased products, the department has developed a Web-based listing of biobased products with manufacturer contact information, www.usda.gov/da/BiobasedProducts. And fifth, Agriculture will hold its first BioPreferred Biobased Product Showcase and Training, in conjunction with the 2008 GSA International Products and Expo on April 21-24 in Anaheim, Calif.

Finally, as Agriculture works to meet the goals of Executive Order 13423, we are realizing the benefits of the interrelationships among the various goals. By increasing our purchases of biobased products, the department will reduce its use of toxic or hazardous chemicals, reduce waste from its facilities and reduce the environmental impact of building materials used in new and renovated facilities — at the same time it gains health and economic benefits by reducing the federal government’s use of petroleum-based products.

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