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Projects Updates for Sustainable Procurement

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  1. Zero Waste iCAP Team Meeting Minutes 2/19/2024

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Adopt Environmental Indicators to Guide Purchasing Standards
    Sustainable Procurement
    Sustainability Literacy Assessment

    The Zero Waste iCAP Team Met on 2/19/2024 to discuss initiatives regarding environmentally preferred procurement, updates on the university's participation with Coca-Cola buyback, and recyclopedia feedback. The Engagement iCAP team chair, Codie Sterner, joined to discuss the sustainability literacy survey. The Zero Waste Team will come up with questions to add to the survey. 

    Attached Files: 

  2. IACT - Energy for Service and Source Well Procurement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement
    Use Clean Power

    Good morning, Mike!

     

    Great to hear from you.  Absolutely can provide you with some additional information on both of those procurement pathways:

     

    1. Sourcewell:

     

     

    The University is a member of a purchasing co-op which provides pre-negotiated pricing for a variety of solutions – including microgrids – which enables them to purchase directly through Sourcewell without needing to go out to bid.  Please see attached for an example of the Siemens Sourcewell contract offerings and below for the University’s member information:

     

    1. Energy as a Service:

     

    Siemens could design, develop, own, implement and maintain a turn key energy system allowing the University to avoid capital investment and simply pay a “subscription cost” if you will for all their energy needs for I-ACT.  This would also enable them to stay up to date on new technologies as they come on line.  Please see attached “4-Steps for Integrating EaaS” for additional information.

     

    Again, we would be very happy to get on a call to walk through how to customize either of these offerings to meet their needs in cooperation with the work they are doing with AECOM.

     

    Could be a really exciting collaboration!

     

    I warmly welcome your thoughts.

     

    Thank you and

     

    All the best!

    -----------------------------

    Kevin,

     

    Here is the info I received from Siemend for your review.


    Thanks

     

    Mike

    -------------------------------

     

    Hello,

     

    Regarding the ongoing discussion of the electrical microgrid design (including PV panels on site) for U20029:IACT the PSC has wondered if UIUC has ever participated in either of this type of programs for procuring such systems by what appears a more design/build method?

     

    Kevin

    ------------------------------

     

    Good Afternoon Aaron and Graham,

     

    Can you advise if the attached Sourcewell Contract is one that we can utilize, if not, is there an IPHEC contract that would provide this type service? I tried to research the existing IPHEC vendors.

     

    Thank You

     

     

    MARIA THOMPSON

    -----------------------

     

    Hi, Maria

     

    The awarded contracts on the flyer all appear to be expired per the Sourcewell website.

     

    #031517-SIE for building technologies

    #051017-SIE for EV supplies and equipment

    #030817-SIE includes HVAC systems and mechanical

     

    Which contract were you interested in using? We may have something already.

     

    Also, IPHEC must adopt a consortia award first before a member can leverage it.

     

    Thank you

    ------------------------

    Graham,

     

    I am not really sure. Morgan or Kevin can you advise on Graham’s question?

     

    Thank You

    --------------------

    Hello Graham,

     

    I’m the F&S-CP Project Manager for the U20029: IACT track and fleet building project.  This is an automated and connected track for testing autonomous vehicles and anticipates having renewable energy production from wind turbines and PV panels on the large track site.

     

    The question which launched this email chain was received from the track designers who became aware of the existence to programs such as Sourcewell when discussing the PV design with potential sub designers for that portion of the track design.  I’m afraid I am not familiar enough with the three projects to know for sure but from the thumbnail descriptions perhaps the first one might be most similar to what is involved here, although this project would involve a large system covering both site elements producing renewable energy and only one building.  Their questions were really if the UIUC had interacted with Sourcewell in the past, and if Sourcewell might be an avenue to explore further as part of their design work.

     

    Would it be acceptable to share your contact information with the designers so that they could determine if your program could help provide some of the elements required for the IACT track and fleet building?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Kevin

  3. Connecting Gina and Daphne: Thrift store idea?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement
    Reuse Surplus Goods and Valuable "Waste"

    Hi Gina,

     

    It was great seeing you today! I am connecting you with Daphne Hulse, the zero waste coordinator at F&S. She organized the Dump & Run on campus in May, where she coordinated with Salt & Light and Goodwill. She also worked with University YMCA and volunteered for their Dump & Run event in August. I know Daphne loves the idea of Thrifting and she practices it too, so I think she would be interested in helping out with this idea!

     

    Thank you,

    Sarthak

    --------------------

    Thanks for connecting us, Sarthak!

     

    Hi Gina – this is right up the F&S zero waste team alley! And several others, too, who I am including. The Institute for Sustainability, Energy, & Environment staff/interns have organized several “clothing swaps” over the years. Connor Purcell, cc’d, is a part of the Law School and is involved with their professional clothing donations program. I’m also including Param and Ashvin, who are working to organize a student-led zero waste week in March next semester.

     

    I would love to set up a time to chat about this – what’s your availability look like?


    Thank you,
    Daphne

  4. Paper purchasing data?

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement

     

    Hi Dan,

     

    I hope you are doing well these days.  I am writing to request you assistance with a Zero Waste effort for the system and universities.  We have previously received paper purchase data from someone at OBFS (see https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project-update/fy08-17-uiuc-copy-paper-office-depot-only), and we would like an updated report.

     

    Jennifer Fraterrigo, the iSEE associate director for campus sustainability, and Daphne Hulse, the F&S Zero Waste Coordinator, are copied here as well.

     

    Thank you for your help!

    ~Morgan

     

    (PS. the last time we communicated, I was Morgan Johnston.)

    ---------------------------------

    Morgan,

    We haven’t forgotten about your request!  Unfortunately, with the decentralized management of the ODP agreement, we had to do some additional work to identify the appropriate SKUs to include in this year’s report.  Happy to report that Jeremiah and Alex in our office were able to pull the attached two documents together which we feel addresses your questions.  If you need additional information on the documents, please feel free to reach out directly to Jeremiah (copied on this e-mail).

     

    Jeremiah/Alex, thank you both for your work on this one!

     

    Thanks,

    --Dan

    Attached Files: 

  6. Reminder: Environmentally Preferable Procurement (EPP) follow-up

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement
    Adopt Environmental Indicators to Guide Purchasing Standards

    Hi all,

     

    This is a friendly reminder that we are scheduled to meet to discuss EPP tomorrow (Thursday) from 2 – 3 PM via Zoom (link below). Looking forward to speaking with you all then!

     

    Thanks,

    Meredith

    -------------------------

    Good morning,

     

    Here is the current draft I’ve put together for the EPP Guide. I’ll be ready to discuss at our meeting this afternoon.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Aaron M Finder

    ---------------------------

    Good morning,

     

    I wanted to follow up to make sure this stays on everyone radar. Does anyone have anything to add to the attachment?

     

    Thank you,

     

    Aaron M Finder

    ---------------------------

    Hi Aaron,

     

    Thank you for following up on the EPP Guide last month. I am wondering what the current status is - are you still looking for feedback from us?

     

    Thanks,

    Meredith

    -------------------

    Hi Meredith,

     

    Syd was able to send over some comments but I am awaiting a responses from the others on this thread. If anyone has any recommendation for improvements or wants to forward this document to other UIUC stakeholders for their input, that would be appreciated. To ensure we maintain progress, could everyone have their comments in by 6/30/2022?

     

    Thanks,

     

    Aaron M Finder

    -------------------------

    Hi all,

     

    Thanks for including me. I attached my comments. As I am joining this conversation late, you may have already discussed some of the issues that I raise. Generally, I think we could provide more specific criteria in some places. The UC System has a very detailed document that we could consult for guidance. I am not advocating for the stringent guidelines they use, but putting this out there as a nice resource:

     

    Happy to chat about this if desired.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

    ---------------------------

     

    Hi Aaron,

     

    Can you provide a status update on the procurement document please?

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

     -------------------------

    Hi Jennifer,

     

    To date, I have only received comments from you and Pete’s former intern. I was hoping to receive more input from F&S as they will be the department most impacted. If F&S does not have further comment, we can work towards finalizing the document.

     

    Thanks,

     

    Aaron M Finder

    ----------------------------

    Hi Aaron and Jen,

     

    Please see the attached EPP document with additional comments from F&S.

     

    Thank you,


    Daphne

    --------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    Putting this back on the radar! This was the most recent document we have with our EPP guidelines, sent to Aaron Finder. Where should we go from here?

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

    Attached Files: 

  8. Free Webinar - Conscious Consumerism

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement

    Do you want to ensure that your spending is ethical and making a positive impact on the world? Is being mindful about where your money goes important to you? This webinar provides the tools you need to think critically about your own consumption. Learn how you can align your own behaviors with your personal values and goals. Registration required.

    Student Money Management Center • University of Illinois System Student Money Management Center

    Free Webinar - Conscious Consumerism

  9. Zero Waste SWATeam Meeting: 26 February 2021

    Associated Project(s): 
    Zero Waste iCAP Team
    Reusable Containers
    Recycled-Content Paper Policy in CAM
    Food Literacy Project
    Sustainable Procurement
    Sustainable Procurement Reports

    The meeting which took place on 26 February at 4PM (CDT) discussed the following:

    • Reusable dining options (Follow-up to Feb 12 guest presentation)
    • Reusable dining options (Recommendation)
    • Elimination of virgin paper at F&S Stores
    • Food Literacy Project
    Attached Files: 

  10. Sustainability Benefits of using iBuy

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement

    The main purpose to transition to iBuy is it will promote a sustainable process (e.g. no more paper, toner, postage, delivery, etc). Purchase Orders (PO) through Banner have historically been printed and mailed to vendors. For scope, here are Banner PO number over the last four fiscal years FY17 = 7,804, FY18 = 7,368, FY19 = 7,537, and FY20 = 5,669 (2 months remain in the fiscal year). In a conservative estimation, say each PO is 10 pages. This alone would have been 75,370 sheets of paper. This doesn’t consider the toner, postage or delivery emissions. In comparison, iBuy POs FY17 = 2,785, FY18 = 2,618, FY19 = 2,843, and FY20 = 3,179. Years FY17-FY19 were a 74% to 26% ratio. The efforts purchasing has made this year has shown positive movement towards higher utilization of this system as the current ratio for FY20 is 64% to 36%. Putting an exact percentage is difficult because we’re dependent on the systems abilities and the modifications Jaggaer can implement for us. Historically we have been limited in our abilities to work towards a transition to iBuy because of software limitations. 

    We are currently in the process of updating functionality which will enable higher system utilization. Here are some of the updates currently being worked on: 

    ·       Addition of Contracts Plus. Historically, purchase orders which were tied to a contract or solicitation had to be submitted through Banner. The addition of Contracts Plus will eventually replace iCS and everything will be housed in the same system which would eliminate this limitation.

    ·       We’ve also been limited on a method that clearly allows us to process a Standing PO in iBuy. It is technically possible; however, the process is convoluted. We anticipate having the ability to process standing POs by FY21. In FY19, we processed over 3,000 standing POs in Banner. Not all of these will transition to iBuy immediately, but we could potentially see a large reduction here in FY21.

    ·       We’re also in the process of implementing the America To Go  punchout catalog in iBuy which will reduce the amount of restaurant and catering order that will come through Banner. For scope, UIUC spends about $12 million dollars in this market.

  11. Seeking participants who are passionate about sustainable consumer products

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement
    Achieve Zero Waste

    Seeking participants who are passionate about sustainable consumer products

     

    We are seeking individuals who are willing to participate in a short 30-minute conversation about sustainable and consumer lifestyles. Participants of all ages and backgrounds are welcome. If interested, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/LukTEJpRcY5Y8EY3A

     

    Angel Han • In Affiliation with Cozad

  14. Meeting Minutes for iWG Meeting July 2, 2019

    Associated Project(s): 
    iCAP Working Group (iWG)
    Sustainability Best Practices Video
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips
    LED Campus
    Occupancy and Daylight Sensors
    Sustainable Procurement
    Increase Recycling through the WTS
    Install Appropriate Waste Collection Infrastructure

    These are the meeting minutes of the July 2, 2019 Illinois Climate Action Plan Working Group.  Several SWATeam recommendations were assessed in this meeting.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Notes from discussion with Central Stores

    Associated Project(s): 
    Sustainable Procurement

    Ken Merrill gave an example of paper purchases:

    This year he has purchased 33,500 reams of virgin paper, 1073 reams with 30% recycled content, and 180 with 100% recycled content.  The means for this year 96.4 of the paper purchased through Central Stores has no recycled content. 

    • Computer purchasing commitment for EPEAT products does not exist although some colleges may have one.
    • Vendor Code of Conduct – Ken does not know of one.
    • Environmental Indicators for purchasing – None other than possibly regarding diversity.
    • Uses Life-Cycle Analysis – No
    • Incorporate disposal costs into the product costs – No
    • Minimum recycling standards – No
    • Green Cleaning Products – Yes, everything is green seal certified

    He said he was happy to purchase whatever the units want, but they have to want it.