Attachment D

 

Definitions and Acronyms

 

Acquisition - acquiring by contract using appropriated funds for supplies or services (including construction) by and for the use of the Federal Government through purchase or lease, whether the supplies or services are already in existence or must be created, developed, or demonstrated and evaluated.  Acquisition begins when agency needs are established and includes the description of requirements to satisfy agency needs, solicitation, selection of sources, contract award and financing details, contract performance and administration, and those technical and management functions directly related to the process of fulfilling agency needs by contract. [Executive Order 13101]

 

Affirmative Procurement Program (APP) -  agency program assuring that EPA-designated recycled content products will be purchased to the maximum extent practicable, consistent with Federal law and procurement regulations.  [Section 6002 of RCRA, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6962)]

 

Certification - provided by offerors/bidders/vendors, it is written documentation certifying the percentage of recovered materials contained in products or to be used in the performance of the contract is at least the amount required by applicable specifications or other contractual requirements.  Certification on multi-component or multi-material products should verify the percentage of postconsumer materials and recovered material contained in the major constituents of the product.  [EPA Guidelines]

 

Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines - regulations issued by EPA pursuant to Section 6002 of RCRA, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6962) identifying items produced (or which can be produced) with recovered materials.  [EO 13101 and Section 6002 of RCRA, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6962)]

 

Designated Item - a product or category of products designated by EPA in the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline and whose procurement by government agencies will help to create markets for materials recovered from solid waste.

 

Environmentally Preferable - products or services having a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products or services, serving the same purpose.  This comparison may consider raw materials acquisition, production, manufacturing, packaging, distribution, reuse, operation, maintenance, or product or service disposal.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Estimation - quantitative determination made by vendors of the total percentage of recovered material contained in offered products. [EPA Guidelines]

 

Executive Agency or Agency - an Executive agency as defined in 5 U.S.C 105.  For the purpose of this order, military departments, as defined in 5 U.S.C. 102, are covered under the auspices of the Department of Defense.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Federal Supply Source - any supply source managed by a Federal agency such as the General Services Administration, Government Printing Office, Defense Logistics Agency, or Javits-Wagner -O’ Day Program. [FAR Guidance]

 

Green Hierarchy - the logical order by which waste prevention and effective environmental practices are applied.

 

Life-Cycle Assessment - the comprehensive examination of a product's environmental and economic effects throughout its lifetime including new material extraction, transportation, manufacturing, use, and disposal.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Life-Cycle Cost - the amortized annual cost of a product, including costs associated with capital, installation, operations, maintenance, and disposal, discounted over the lifetime of the product.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Minimum Content Standard - the minimum recovered material content of a product.  The standard must be high enough to assure the recovered material content required is the maximum available without jeopardizing the intended item use of the product. [Section 6002 of RCRA, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6962)]

 

Performance Specification - a specification stating the desired product operation or function but not specifying its construction materials.

 

Postconsumer Material - a material or finished product that has served its intended use and has been discarded for disposal or recovery having completed its life as a consumer item.  “Postconsumer material” is a part of the broader category of “recovered materials”. [Executive Order 13101]

 

Practicable - capable of performing in accordance with applicable specifications, available at a reasonable price and within a reasonable period of time, and while a satisfactory level of competition with other products is being maintained.  [EPA Guidelines]

 

Preference -  when two products or services are equal in performance characteristics and price, the Government, in making purchasing decisions, will favor the more environmentally-sound or energy-efficient product. [OFPP Policy Letter 92-4]

 

Procurement Preference Program - the first element of an agency affirmative procurement program, in which an agency expresses a preference for purchasing recycled content products designated by EPA. [Section 6002 of RCRA, as amended, (42 U.S.C. 6962)]

 

Procuring Agency - any Federal or State agency, or agency of a state’s political subdivision using appropriated Federal funds for such procurement, or any person contracting with any such agency with respect to work performed under such contract. [RCRA, Section 1004]

 

Recovered Material - waste materials and by-products recovered or diverted from solid waste, excluding those materials and by-products generated from, and commonly reused within, an original manufacturing process.  [Executive Order 13101 and RCRA, Section 1004]

 

Recovered Materials Advisory Notice (RMAN) - guidance issued by EPA which recommends the range of recycled content that should be in products designated in the Comprehensive Procurement Guideline. RMAN also contain other EPA recommendations pertinent to purchasing recycled content products, such as reference to specifications established by government agencies or standards setting organizations. [EPA Guidelines and OFPP Policy Letter 92-4]

 

Recyclability - the ability of a product or material to be recovered or otherwise diverted from the solid waste stream for the purpose of recycling.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Recycled Material - a material utilized in place of raw or virgin material in product manufacturing (See “Recovered Material.”)

 

Recycling - the series of activities, including collection, separation, and processing, by which products or other materials are recovered from the solid waste stream for use as raw materials in the manufacture of new products (other than fuel for producing heat or power by combustion).  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Solid Waste - garbage, refuse, sludges, and other discarded solid materials, including those from industrial, commercial, and agricultural operations, and from community activities.  This excludes solids or dissolved materials in domestic sewage or other significant pollutants in water resources, such as silt, dissolved or suspended solids in industrial waste water effluents, dissolved materials in irrigation return flow, etc.  [RCRA, Section 1004)

 

Specification - a clear and accurate description of the technical requirements for materials, products, or services including the minimum requirement for materials’ quality and construction and any equipment necessary for an acceptable product.  In general, specifications are in the form of written descriptions, drawings, prints, commercial designations, industry standards, and other descriptive references.  [EPA Guidelines]

 

Unreasonable Price - when recycled product cost is greater compared to virgin material cost. (Unreasonable price is not a factor when minimum content standards are specified in the statement of work/procurement request, because price estimates will only be obtained from vendors who can supply products meeting recovered material content requirements.)  [EPA Guidance]

 

Verification - procedures used by procuring agencies to confirm both vendor estimates and certifications of the percentages of recovered material contained in the products supplied to them or to be used in the performance of a contract.  [EPA Guidelines]

 

Virgin Material - a mined or harvested raw material to be used in manufacturing.

 

Waste Prevention - (also known as "source reduction") any change in the design, manufacturing, purchase, or use of materials or products (including packaging) to reduce their toxicity before they become municipal solid waste.  Waste prevention also refers to the reuse of products or materials.  [Executive Order 13101]

 

Waste Reduction - preventing or decreasing the amount of waste being generated through waste prevention, recycling, or purchasing recycled and environmentally preferable products.  [Executive Order 13101]


Acronyms