BUYING GREEN

Think Green!!

SAIC-Frederick, Inc. continuously looks for ways to improve our business processes to help in protecting the environment. Our goal is to develop strong customer and supplier partnerships that support our initiatives that will have positive environmental outcomes.

“Buying Green” means purchasing products or services that will reduce environmental impact. Executive Order 13423 – Strengthening Federal Environmental, energy, and Transportation management was signed by President Bush on January 24, 2007. The order sets goals in the areas of acquisition, toxics reductions, recycling, fleet management and water conservation.

FAR 13.201(f) says “The procurement requirements in the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act apply to purchase at or below the micro-purchase threshold”. This means Green Procurement applies to the Purchase Card, Blanket Orders and purchase requests submitted through the Purchasing Department.

A Usage Report of the most frequently purchased toners at the NCI-Frederick campus was accomplished through both SmartStream and the P-Card Reconciliation Program reporting features. Office product procurements are one of the largest expenditures at the NCI-Frederick facility. Numerous green product items are available through office vendors. The Purchasing Department has compiled a cross walk for remanufactured toner cartridges utilizing the above reports. All toners listed have a 30 day guarantee from the contracted vendors. Program areas can save up to 60% by buying remanufactured toners.

Recycling Information for NCI-Frederick...the following link through the EHS website will assist with all recycling questions for the NCI-Frederick campus. http://home.ncifcrf.gov/ehs/recycling/faq.asp.

Purchase Cardholders - GSA Advantage

GSA Advantage offers recycled, Energy Star Compliant, biobased and other environmental products on their website. The site is user friendly and allows you to search each of the categories listed. Prior to purchasing items, it will require you to set-up a user ID and password. Once you have completed this action, go to the advance search feature and you will see all of these categories listed for search purposes. https://www.gsaadvantage.gov/advgsa/advantage/search/advsearch.do

UPDATE: The following janitorial green products which are Green Seal Certified (GS37) are now available in the Central Supply Warehouse:

SPWH-79300503 – Towels, c-fold, Bay West, #49300
SPWH-79300221 – Cleaner, all purpose, All Kleen, #102201
SPWH-85400400 – Tissue, toilet, Bay West, #54900
SPWH-79300340 – Tissue, facial, 2 ply, #6831
SPWH-71050240 – Cleaner, window, Klear View, #LA51
SPWH-79300505 – Towels, single fold brown, #5K1850E

The intent of Green Seal’s environmental requirements is to reduce, to the extent technologically and economically feasible, the environmental impacts associated with the manufacture, use and disposal of products and to focus on significant opportunities to reduce a product’s environmental impact.

Green Tips: What you can do

1. Produce double-sided documents whenever possible.
2. Encourage communications by e-mail; read e-mail messages onscreen to determine whether it is necessary to print them. If it's not, don't!
3. Turn off equipment at the end of the day if possible; this can reduce energy consumption by as much as 50%.
4. Buy copier paper w/minimum 30% post consumer recycled content (SPWH-75105815).
5. By consolidating orders, we can help:
1. Reduces multiple deliveries and green house gases on campus
2. Reduce the usage of fossil fuels
   
6. Reduce order process time by using blanket orders with contracted vendors or placing orders electronically using the Purchase Card. This will also:
1. Reduce paperwork and saves on raw paper materials
2. Reduces duplicated work processes
7. Purchase multiple-item packs
1. Reduces waste from packaging materials