Other examples of sustainable practice
Incorporating environmental criteria into procurement decisions - Auckland City Council
Auckland City Council is currently beginning a project to consider a comprehensive approach to sustainable procurement. However, several projects have incorporated environmental criteria into procurement decisions. For example, the recently released cleaning contract for the administration buildings clearly outlined the new recycling system and the cleaning company's responsibility to managing the process. As a result council have reduced waste sent to landfill by 50%. As part of the recycling project polystyrene food clams were removed from the canteens and council now purchases a potato-based product that serves the same purpose. These products now go into the food waste stream and are sent to a company where they are turned into organic compost.
Sustainable procurement as a priority in a purchasing policy - Greater Wellington Regional Council
Council has recently developed a draft purchasing policy that specifically identifies procurement for sustainability as a priority. The policy contains the following clauses:
- To use the listed sustainability criteria as factors in procurement decisions.
- To not procure goods or services from suppliers who have been convicted of an environmental offence in the past 12 months.
- To consider the following sustainability criteria when commissioning capital projects:
- If an existing asset can be reused or refurbished
- If an energy conservation measures can be undertaken
- If recycled materials can be used
- If the life cycle of the asset could be extended through alternative designs
- Provided that it can be justified by the purchaser, to acknowledge the following premiums as acceptable in order to procure goods and services that better meet sustainability criteria:
- Consumable goods (stationery, maintenance materials etc) - up to 10%
- Capital items with less than 5 years operational life - up to 10%
- Capital items with 5 years or more operational life - up to 15%
- Higher premiums can be accepted where there is sign off from a divisional manager, the general manager or council.
Zero Waste - Otorohanga District Council
Otorohanga District Council has a Zero Waste programme that has identified and driven several procurement processes designed to reduce environmental impact. Council has a policy that defines a preference for the purchase of recycled materials within a percentage cost of products made from virgin material. Council trialled the purchase of recycled paper, however, due to the price differential has returned to purchasing non-recycled paper.
Environmental management plans in works contracts - Ruapehu District Council
Ruapehu District Council has introduced a standard form of contract that requires the contractor to provide an environmental management plan as part of their overall project management plan for all physical works contracts. Council has found it challenging to implement due to the smaller size contractors that make up Ruapehu's local contractor industry. However, council has continued with the implementation and council staff assist contractors in the development of such plans.
Environmental factors in works contracts - Southland District Council
Southland District Council has undertaken two major capital works projects where environmental factors have had formal consideration in the decision - making process.
Council recently released a tender for the replacement of a bridge in an environmentally significant site. Tenderers were requested to identify the environmental controls that would be put in place as part of the project. These controls were formally considered as part of the tender evaluation process.
Secondly, in assessing options for future waste disposal on Stewart Island, council decided to develop a Resource Recovery Centre. Key criteria in this decision were the environmental benefits to be achieved from the Resource Recovery Centre in comparison to the continued use of the island's landfill site. This project has recently been awarded a Green Ribbon award by the Ministry for the Environment.
Through council's Cleaner Production committee, council is currently reviewing the existing purchasing policy to include environmental criteria.
Land Management - Taranaki Regional Council
Taranaki Regional Council has a sustainable land management programme that involves working with local landowners to prepare and implement planting plans. As part of this programme, council purchases plants on behalf of landowners in order to reduce the cost of plants to landowners. Through bulk purchasing, council purchases plants at approximately 50% of the standard retail cost and passes these savings directly on to landowners.
The process involves council releasing a tender for plants ten to twelve months prior to the winter when they will be planted. The tender specifies native plant species. For winter 2004, 200,000 plants have been requested in the tender. In 2003, council sold 120,000 plants. The programme is expected to double every three years.
Environmentally preferred purchasing - West Coast Regional Council
The West Coast Regional Council has an Internal Environmental Policy and Action Plan that currently outlines a suite of activities relating to environmentally preferred purchasing. The development of a comprehensive purchasing policy has been identified as an action to be undertaken.
