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Power of Purchasing: Sustainable Procurement
February 19, 2010
Friday, 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
UO in Portland, White Stag Block 152
Presenter:
Joshua Skov
A workshop focusing on applying sustainable development principles to procurement.
Course Description
Sometimes the best way to improve the environmental performance of your organization is to harness the power of your purchasing. This workshop will help you understand the key concepts to using purchasing effectively. This workshop will employ different modes of learning, including presentation, small and large group discussions, and targeted activities. The workshop will also include a presentation from an experienced buyer of sustainable products from the City of Portland.
Some of the topics we will cover are:
- Thinking in terms of the life cycle of products and services
The workshop's principal conceptual and operational tool is the life cycle. By looking at the entire life-cycle of a purchasing decision, we ensure a structure for our decision-making and develop awareness of the many impacts we must consider. The use of the life cycle also facilitates the use of life-cycle cost analysis.
- How to scale research effort appropriately for different purchasing decisions
You wouldn't put the same effort into purchasing decisions of fifty dollars and one of $5 million. But in between the two, how can you scale your effort expended on research and information gathering? Which decisions deserve more time and expense?
- Major certifications and ecolabels, and and how to use them
Increasingly, products carry additional information on their environmental performance. Some ecolabels are administered by independent organizations, while others are run by industry trade associations. Some ecolabels address multiple performance characteristics, while others are narrowly defined. Some ecolabels' criteria are based on one organization's technical research, while other criteria are the result of stakeholder processes. Which ecolabels are relevant to your purchasing? What resources exist for sorting out the differences?
- Contract language dos and don'ts
A contract can be a way to communicate clearly with potential vendors, set performance measures and mechanisms of accountability ahead of time, and transform your relationships with your suppliers. Every situation is different, but what general lessons can help us?
Other topics
- Cooperative buying fundamentals
- Working with existing contractors to improve their offerings
- Where to find free resources
Registration and Fees
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