Sustainable Procurement:
How to Sell to Local
Government
September 19, 2017

• ASBC represents over 200,000 businesses in 40 states.
• Over 80 business organizations are members.
• Over 130 companies are members.
• We advocate at the federal level in Washington, DC.
• We advocate in state capitals.
• We place op-eds and policy statements in media.
• We connect business leaders with media to speak on the issues.
• ASBC brings business leaders to DC to testify and lobby Congress
and the Administration.
ASBC’s Reach/Capabilities
asbcouncil.org/webinars

SATYA RHODES-CONWAY, MANAGING DIRECTOR, MAYORS’
INNOVATION PROJECT
Satya Rhodes-Conway is managing director of the
Mayors’ Innovation Project, a peer-learning network
for U.S. mayors and their senior staff that focuses on
advancing policy that promotes sustainability, shared
economic prosperity, and resilient democratic
institutions.
asbcouncil.org/webinars

City Hall 101 for Entrepreneurs:
navigating procurement
Satya Rhodes-Conway
Managing Director, Mayors Innovation Project
www.mayorsinnovation.org

All cities are different – and the same
• Know who decides
• Know the timeframes
• Know the local context
• Don’t assume these are the same from place to place

Who decides? What kind of money?
• Mayor
• City Council
• City Manager
• Budget office
• Purchasing
• Department head
• Federal pass through
• State pass through
• Borrowing/bonds
• Tax levy
• Fees
• Impact/dedicated fees
• Utilities/enterprises

Budget cycles Budget Planning
• Strategic Planning
• Economic Projections
• Input from departments,
council, citizens
Budget Development
• Revenue Projections
• Departmental Budget Build
• Capital Project Prioritization
Proposed Budget
• Executive capital and operating
Approval process
• Public input
• Amendments
• Approval
Adopted Budget
• Start of New Fiscal Year
Budget Maintenance
• Periodic Financial Reports
• Periodic Economic Reports
• Budget Changes

Opportunities
• Requests for proposals, qualifications etc.
• Sole source contracts
• Budget allocations
• Purchasing preferences
• Minority and women owned businesses
• Small and local businesses
• Sustainable/environmentally friendly
• Sweat free
• Etc.

Take-home
• What does the city want to do?
• How does your product or service meet that need?
• Who wants to do it?
• Who can find the money?
• What are the rules?

STACEY FOREMAN, SUSTAINABLE PROCUREMENT
COORDINATOR,
CITY OF PORTLAND, OREGON
Stacey Foreman manages the City of Portland’s Sustainable
Procurement Program and has been incorporating
environmentally preferable products and services into public
contracts for over a decade. Stacey is active in a variety of
regional and national efforts to build sustainable procurement
resources, and sits on advisory committees for the Sustainable
Purchasing Leadership Council, EPEAT and Sweatfree
Purchasing Consortium. Stacey is a LEED-Accredited
Professional and has presented to national and international
audiences on the topic of sustainability in public procurement.
asbcouncil.org/webinars

SUSTAINABILITY IN PUBLIC
PROCUREMENT
Stacey Foreman, Sustainable Procurement Coordinator, City of Portland,
Oregon

Outline
 About City of Portland Procurement
 About City of Portland Sustainability
 About Sustainable Procurement
 Implementing Sustainable Procurement
 Tips
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About City of Portland Procurement
 Procurement rules in City Code
 Rules differ by type of purchase
 e.g. construction, goods & services, professional services, IT
 Generally, the higher the dollar value, the more centralized and
formal the procurement process
 Solicitation types we use:
 Invitation to Bid (ITB), Request for Proposals (RFP), Request for
Qualifications (RFQ), Request for Information (RFI)
 Cooperative contracts also used
13

About City of Portland Procurement
 How Procurement Opportunities are Communicated (in
general):
 Small purchases: informal (e.g. credit card purchase at local store)
 Intermediate purchases: semi-formal (oral or written quotes)
 Large purchases: formal (ITB, RFP, RFQ, etc.)
 These are posted on our Online Procurement Center
 Vendors registered in system get email notification per their commodity
classification
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About City of Portland Sustainability
 Long history and variety of sustainability related policies,
programs, initiatives
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 2002 - Sustainable Procurement Program initiated
 Climate
 Energy
 Green building
 Toxics
 Equity
 Water/Watersheds
 Biodiversity
 Sweatshop labor

About Sustainable Procurement
 Sustainable Procurement:
 “Procurement that has the most positive environmental, social and
economic impacts possible over the entire life cycle” [ISO 20400]
 “Sustainable procurement involves the sustainability aspects related
to the goods or services and to the suppliers along the supply
chains.” [ISO 20400]
 “Sustainable procurement contributes to the achievement of
organizational sustainability objectives and goals and to sustainable
development in general” [ISO 20400]
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Implementing Sustainable Procurement
 Focus On:
 Opportunities for greatest impact (spend or magnitude of issue)
 Alignment with City sustainability policies, goals, and community
values
 “Low Hanging Fruit”
 Existing “green” product standard/certifications
 Existing best practice
 “Green” option already readily available
 Cost/benefit is easily understood
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Implementing Sustainable Procurement
 How is a “sustainable” specification developed?
 Existing standards/certifications
 Best practices established by community of practice
 Agency policy
 Research – impact/benefit, market availability, stakeholder input
 How is a “sustainable” company/supplier determined?
 TBD/evolving issue – especially for public sector
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Implementing Sustainable Procurement
 Sustainability in City Solicitations:
 Integrated in to product/service technical requirements & scope of
work
 Integrated into RFP product/service evaluation criteria (points for
sustainability)
 Integrated into Corporate Responsibility evaluation criteria (points
for sustainable business practices)
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Tips
 Know the ins & outs of why your product/service/company
would meet agency sustainability objectives
 No greenwashing allowed! (FTC Green Guides)
 Back up your claims!
 Be a partner in pilot testing (knowing competition is still the
outcome)
 Get involved!
 Vendor fairs
 Public procurement networks/conferences (NASPO, NIGP)
 Other “green” product related conferences/fairs (Greenbuild, etc.)
 Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council (SPLC)
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Contact Info
Stacey Foreman
Sustainable Procurement Coordinator, City of Portland
Stacey.Foreman@portlandoregon.gov
www.portlandoregon.gov/buygreen
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Working with ASBC
Eliza Kelsten, Policy Manager
ekelsten@asbcouncil.org