Draft Hamilton County Resolution for the Implementation of an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program

Hamilton County Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Resolution

PURPOSE

The goal of this policy is to encourage and increase the use of environmentally preferable products and services in Hamilton County governmental organizations. By further including environmental considerations in purchasing decisions, Hamilton County can promote practices that improve public and worker health, conserve natural resources, and reward environmentally conscious manufacturers, while remaining fiscally responsible.

DEFINITIONS

For the purpose of this resolution, the following definitions shall apply:

$ APracticable@ means satisfactory and within reason when considering price, performance, availability, compatibility with specified operation, and public safety.

$ ARecyclable@ refers to a material or product that can be reprocessed, re-manufactured, or reused.

$ ARecycled@ refers to materials, or products containing materials, utilized in place of virgin or raw materials.

BACKGROUND

Local and state government, combined, purchase more than $1 trillion of goods and services each year. Many of these products contribute to problems in the overall environment, including contamination of the air and water, and depletion of environmental resources. In some instances, products require special waste disposal and reporting procedures which can be cumbersome and expensive. Furthermore, local government employees using these products may be exposed to compounds that are potentially harmful to their health.

Hamilton County has an opportunity to serve as a community model for environmental leadership by incorporating a market-based plan of action that will conserve precious resources such as water, raw materials, and energy, reduce the use of hazardous substances, and potentially improve the environmental quality of the region. By incorporating environmental considerations in public purchasing, Hamilton County can reduce its burden on the local and global environment, remove unnecessary hazards from its operations, protect public health, reduce costs and liabilities, and help develop markets for environmentally responsible products.

GENERAL POLICIES

Formation of Task Force

The Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services shall coordinate the establishment of a special interdepartmental Environmental Purchasing Task Force (hereinafter Athe Task Force@) including one representative from administration, representatives from purchasing, environmental services, county facilities, public works, and other relevant departments/operations to:

1. Detail current levels of environmental purchasing occurring in Hamilton County departments,

2. Identify opportunities for environmental purchasing initiatives,

3. Identify barriers to environmental purchasing and how to overcome such barriers,

4. Provide a forum for open discussion by affected personnel,

5. Educate and inform County staff about the environmental purchasing program, and

6. Determine practical means for departments to report progress on this initiative.

The Task Force shall meet quarterly for the first year following the adoption of this policy and semi-annually thereafter.

Environmental Purchasing Coordinator

The Task Force shall designate a Coordinator to provide oversight to the Task Force, discuss with individual departments opportunities to increase environmental purchasing where relevant, coordinate outreach/training for staff, and provide general staff support to maintain the environmental purchasing program.

Pilot Program

The Task Force shall encourage a minimum of one department to perform a pilot or demonstration study of environmentally preferable purchasing. The Coordinator shall provide technical/logistical assistance to help said departments incorporate environmentally preferable products into their operations. Results of initial pilot studies shall be evaluated and reported to the Hamilton County Board of County Commissioners. As feasible, all departments are encouraged to advance environmental purchasing for their specific operations by initiating pilot studies.

DEPARTMENTAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND USAGE OF ENVIRONMENTALLY PREFERABLE PRODUCTS

Based on the results of the pilot studies and in accordance with guidance from the EP Task Force, all departments, offices, and agencies shall:

$ Ensure that purchasing procedures consider the use of environmentally preferable products and services- especially where pilot studies show them to be fiscally and operationally sound;

$ Evaluate environmentally preferable products and services to determine the extent to which they may be used by the agency and its contractors;

$ Ensure that building and construction design criteria considers and includes the use of environmentally friendly materials and products where practicable;

$ Review and revise contracting procedures to maximize the specification and/or consideration of designated environmentally preferable products and services where practicable;

$ Facilitate data collection on purchases of designated environmentally preferable products and services by the agency and its contractors and report the data to the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Coordinator(s) each year for inclusion in the annual report to the Board of County Commissioners.

REPORTING

The Coordinator shall submit annual reports to the Board of Commissioners regarding the status of this policy=s implementation. This report shall include total purchases of environmentally preferable products by each department, results of designated product evaluations, barriers being met and addressed, and the financial status for implementation of this policy including indirect and direct costs/savings.

PERFORMANCE, PRICE AND AVAILABILITY

Nothing contained in this policy shall be construed as requiring a department or contractor to procure products that do not perform adequately for their intended use, exclude adequate competition, or are not available at a reasonable price in a reasonable period of time.