Required specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the good/services as minimum mandatory requirements. These would not be part of a scored exhibit. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that describes the product or performance requirements.

• Products must be certified by EITHER Green Seal or UL ECOLOGO
• Products must meet the applicable minimum post-consumer recycled content (PCRC) percentage in the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPGs) for Janitorial Paper Products:  
• Paper Towels: Minimum 40% PCRC 
• Bathroom Tissues: toilet paper and toilet seat covers): Minimum 20% PCRC
• Facial Tissues: Minimum 10% PCRC
• Paper Napkins: Minimum 30% PCRC
• Industrial Wipers: Minimum 40% PCRC

Preferred specifications

The following have been identified as green specifications relevant to the goods/services as preferred specifications to be scored. These would be part of your evaluation. If you are using the Washington state procurement manual templates, the following should be inserted in the relevant document that is used for evaluation.

• State purchasing of recycled-content product. Recycled Content Purchasing Preference Policy (DES-255-00) states, “In establishing environmental requirements and preferences for products that contain recycled materials, agencies shall reference the current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (EPA CPGs) as the minimum standards for the state of Washington.”

• Statutory Preference for Recycled Content Purchasing.  Pursuant to RCW 39.26.255, Enterprise Services is providing a bid preference in the amount of ten percent (10%) per product line item tested to any bidder that provides products that have exceeded one of the recommended content level percentages or the minimum product specification, as designated by the current EPA’s CPG standard. Bidders who seek to obtain the 10 percent (10%) bid preference in Exhibit C-Bid Price must identify the recycled content level of the product or indicate the product meets product specifications in Exhibit C – Bid Price.

• Environmental and health attributes for janitorial paper products include the following:
  • Certification by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which verifies recycled content and ensures that virgin fibers were grown sustainably
  • Certification by the green-e program, which means the product was manufactured with 100% renewable energy
  • Process chlorine-free (PCF), which means the product was not manufactured or bleached using chlorine gas or elemental chlorine. (Note: Elemental chlorine-free (ECF) is a weaker standard that uses some chlorinated compounds)
  • US EPA Safer Choice or Design for the Environment (DfE), depending on if they are for all purpose cleaning or sanitizing
• Paper towel rolls are preferred over folded.

Laws, rules, and executive orders

These laws, rules, and executive orders are the basis for these specifications:

• RCW 43.19A: Recycled Product Procurement
• Recycled Content Purchasing Preference Policy (DES-255-00)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (EPA CPGs)