Meeting — January 25, 2024

The GSA Acquisition Policy Federal Advisory Policy & Practice Subcommittee convened for a public meeting at 3:00 PM on January 25, 2024, virtually via Zoom, with Luke Bassis, Chair, and David Wagger, Co-Chair, presiding. 
In accordance with FACA, as amended, 5 U.S.C. App 2, the meeting was open to the public from 3:00 P.M. to 5:00 P.M. EST.

Meeting agenda

Committee members present:

Luke Bassis — Chairperson Port Authority of New York and New Jersey 
David Wagger — Co-Chair Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries 
Richard Beutel — George Mason University 
Leslie Cordes — Ceres 
Nicole Darnall — Arizona State University 
Mark Hayden — New Mexico Retiree Health Care Authority 
Amlan Mukherjee — WAP Sustainability Consulting 
Jennie Romer — Environmental Protection Agency 
Nigel Stephens — U.S. Black Chambers of Commerce 
Anish Tilak — Rocky Mountain Institute

Absent:

Antonio Doss, Steven Schooner, Stacy Smedley, Kimberly Wise-White

Guest speakers and presenters:

none

GSA staff present:

Boris Arratia — Designated Federal Officer 
David Cochennic — GAP FAC Support 
Skylar Holloway — GAP FAC Support 
Edris Lambert — Closed Captioner 
Amber Bahler — ASL Interpreters 
Heidi Cooke — ASL Interpreters

Call to order

Boris Arratia, Designated Federal Officer, opened the public meeting by welcoming the group before reminding the public that there will be time for comments and statements at the end of the meeting. He then performed a roll call to confirm attendance and a quorum. After the quorum was met, he turned the meeting over to Chairperson, Luke Bassis.

Introductory remarks

Chair Luke Bassis welcomed the committee by expressing his gratitude for the substantial effort put into the work to formulate recommendations by the Subcommittee. The floor is then opened for Subcommittee members to share updates from their espective organizations. Mark Hayden talked about New Mexico’s efforts to set up regulations for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and Jennie Romer from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) mentioned upcoming webinars related to PFAS. Nicole Darnall of Arizona State University (ASU) shared that her group, the Sustainable Purchasing Research Initiative at ASU, won the President’s Award for sustainability and is currently working on  assessing Scope 3 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across the ASU’s supply chain.

Amlan Mukherjee then took the floor to present the work he has been doing in the area of tech tools.

Use of tools and technology in sustainable procurement discussion

Amlan discussed the concept of a Principle-Based Framework (PBF) for federal procurement in the sustainability space which is a concept he developed to address the complexity of tools and methods used in federal procurement for sustainability. There’s a need for a PBF due to the multitude of tools reporting subsets of sustainability criteria and the lack of a universally identifiable framework. He proposed a set of principles instead of selecting specific tools, allowing for flexibility in meeting diverse sustainability needs.

He introduced the idea of a PBF with principles such as using quantitative, scientifically defensible methods, third-party validation, and reporting on all dimensions of sustainability across product categories. A PBF could address challenges related to the overwhelming amount of data and tools available to procurement professionals.

It’s important to consider Scope 3 GHG emissions and lifecycle assessments, especially when dealing with institutions like universities and corporations. A quantifiable and third-party verified method, such as the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), is crucial. Amlan suggested adopting a PBF that incorporates environmental product declarations (EPDs) but emphasizes the need for standards and practices. The U.S. can adopt best practices from SBTi and CDP. There’s a need for a centralized U.S. data source for fossil fuel data and it’s important to maintain open datasets.

Amlan explained the differences between Type One (self-declared and qualitative), Type Two (self-declared with some external clarification), and Type Three (quantifiable with third-party verification) labels and emphasized the value of Type Three labels, especially for acquisition professionals who should be uncomfortable relying on self-certification. Currently there are a limited number of reviewers for Type Three labels, garnering the need for more conformity in the process.

The third recommendation emphasized the critical need to establish a robust data infrastructure with a focus on enhancing consistency and reliability. He drew attention to the specific aspect of life cycle entry data, recognizing that this recommendation echoes a similar one from the previous December.

Amlan underscored the existing inadequacy of fossil fuels data in the U.S., stressing the urgency of updating this information. He acknowledged the potential challenges of relying on outdated datasets, even if they are uniformly used, and emphasized the importance of continuous updates for making meaningful progress.

In terms of electricity data, the Department of Energy (DOE) showcases commendable work in providing reliable GHG emissions estimates based on zip codes and power outlets. However, the DOE requires support to maintain and update this data effectively. There is concern about datasets, particularly in the fossil fuel industry, where different datasets may exist for core operations and general use, raising questions about how to reconcile these discrepancies. There’s a need for a centralized U.S.-centric data source, due to its crucial role in providing accurate, up-to-date information. Amlan further stressed the importance of keeping these datasets open, allowing accessibility for downstream products and industries. While certain datasets may require protection, open access remains crucial for transparency and informed decision-making.

The presentation concluded with Amlan highlighting the need for open data exchange, application programming interfaces (APIs) for end-users, and encouraging universities and accreditation agencies like Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) to incorporate sustainability into engineering curricula. There are upcoming webinars on developing label programs for low embodied carbon construction materials.

May 2024 recommendations

The group discussed some of the topics they would like to move forward on for the upcoming May 2024 full GAP FAC meeting where they will be presenting more recommendations to GSA.

Participants in the discussion expressed their thoughts on potential areas for further exploration and recommendations:

Jennie Romer expressed acknowledgment of the need for tools that simplify sustainable procurement for non-specialist procurement professionals. She highlighted the importance of exploring tools in the private sector and suggested potential opportunities for progress in this area.

Rich Beutel called for more policy development to enable state and local governments to utilize existing federal tools and contract vehicles effectively. He emphasized the need to expand the usage of federal expertise and knowledge-based resources at the state and local levels.

Mark Hayden echoed the support for enabling state and local governments to utilize federal tools and resources. Additionally, he suggested sharing the recommendations made in the discussions with overseas counterparts, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Luke acknowledged the importance of the Center of Excellence as a tool for educating and informing state and local entities. He emphasized the need to make federal tools, such as those from EPA and GSA, easily accessible for sustainable acquisition decisions, catering to both large and small entities.

Nigel Stephens highlighted the unintended consequences of massive contract vehicles favoring larger firms. He expressed the need to avoid simply clearing the way for established entities and emphasized the importance of considering the impact on small and mid-sized businesses.

Public engagement

Troy Cribb emphasized the significance of the discussions on data-related issues and their potential impact on the recommendations. She suggested the idea of getting updates on topics previously briefed, such as Alliant, OASIS+, and FAS’s efforts to map category management for sustainability impact. Boris supported the idea of sharing these updates via email to ensure wider distribution and awareness among the Subcommittee members. Troy sees this as a valuable exercise to inform and engage participants in the upcoming months.

John Reeder highlighted the efficiency of government-wide contracts negotiated by GSA for common products like furniture and encouraged the committee to consider these contracts as a way to streamline procurement processes for sustainable products. He suggested exploring tiered approaches or recommendations specifically related to government-wide contracts for common products. John sees the government-wide contracts as low-hanging fruit and proposes narrowing down the Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) to include only products meeting sustainability attributes.

Closing remarks

Luke expressed gratitude to John Reeder for his input. The Subcommittee’s plan is to regroup based on the discussions from the meeting. The aim is to organize panels and presentations related to the products mentioned by Amlan, as well as diving deeper into other topics brought up during the meeting. Luke encouraged members to share any suggestions for potential speakers, guests, or ideas that could contribute to developing a comprehensive curriculum in the coming months. The goal is to gather information and insights to make well-informed recommendations.

Adjournment

Boris Arratia adjourned the meeting at 5:00 P.M. EDT. 

I hereby certify that, to the best of my knowledge, the foregoing minutes are accurate 
and complete.

Digitally signed by Luke Bassis 9/17/2024 
Luke Bassis 
Chairperson 
GAP FAC Policy & Practice Subcommittee

Digitally signed by Dr. David Wagger 9/17/2024 
Dr. David Wagger 
Co-Chairperson 
GAP FAC Policy & Practice Subcommittee