The Contracting Education Academy

Contracting Academy Logo
  • Home
  • Training & Education
  • Services
  • Contact Us
You are here: Home / Archives for green products

August 8, 2017 By AMK

Energy Department thinking green when tackling federal real property improvements

Federal real property is getting greener, one lighting fixture, window treatment and HVAC system at a time.

The Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program [FEMP] recently awarded 21 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts to energy service companies [ESCOs] to help the government increase energy savings and lower operating costs.

“The core scope of work that these contracts cover are energy efficiency improvements, the types of things that we can do in these contracts are quite wide and varied,” said Timothy Unruh, deputy assistant secretary of renewable power within the department’s energy efficiency office. “They can include efficiency improvements that may be a boiler plant improvement, a chiller plant improvement. It can include equipment to the air-moving equipment within the building, it can have changes in lighting, the building’s electronic control system can also be updated. The building envelope: windows, doors, installations and so forth, can also be included in these contacts.”

The contracts also include renewable energy sources for combined heat and power, such as solar panel installations, or wind-farm installations.

Federal real property is getting greener, one lighting fixture, window treatment and HVAC system at a time. The Department of Energy’s Federal Energy Management Program [FEMP] recently awarded 21 indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contracts to energy service companies [ESCOs] to help the government increase energy savings and lower operating costs. “The core scope of work that these contracts cover are energy efficiency improvements, the types of things that we can do in these contracts are quite wide and varied,” said Timothy Unruh, deputy assistant secretary of renewable power within the department’s energy efficiency office. “They can include efficiency improvements that may be a boiler plant improvement, a chiller plant improvement. It can include equipment to the air-moving equipment within the building, it can have changes in lighting, the building’s electronic control system can also be updated. The building envelope: windows, doors, installations and so forth, can also be included in these contacts.” The contracts also include renewable energy sources for combined heat and power, such as solar panel installations, or wind-farm installations.

Keep reading this article at: https://federalnewsradio.com/green-buildings/2017/07/energy-department-thinking-green-when-tackling-federal-real-property-improvements/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: Energy Dept., energy efficiency, green, green procurement, green products, green technology, renewable energy

September 19, 2014 By AMK

The case for experimenting on federal buildings

The government wants to try out new and potentially “transformational” green technologies on its buildings through a program that could give private sector participants a leg up in the future.

The idea is to evaluate emerging green technologies and use the findings to “inform decision-making within GSA, other federal agencies and the real estate industry in deploying the technologies studied,” the General Services Administration said in a call for information.

Qualifying technologies must be “sufficiently mature that all required laboratory or other proof-of-concept work has been completed,” but not “already broadly in use and readily available in the marketplace,” the solicitation document said.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.nextgov.com/emerging-tech/2014/09/case-experimenting-federal-buildings/94238/

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: green procurement, green products, green technology, GSA, public buildings, solicitation

February 20, 2013 By AMK

Agencies coming up short on green gov goals

Many agencies are missing targets for meeting energy efficiency and sustainability mandates, citing tighter budgets.

The Defense Department said in a new report that it will not likely reduce energy use at its facilities by 30 percent from a 2003 baseline by 2015. It said it achieved only a 13 percent reduction in 2011. DoD was one of many agencies that filed updates on their sustainability efforts with the Office of Management and Budget. OMB released those reports Thursday.

DoD said it also will fail to meet a goal to have 15 percent of its buildings meet federal green guidelines. Newly constructed buildings must use 30 percent less energy than a typical building of the same size. Renovated buildings must use 20 percent less energy.

Keep reading this article at: http://www.federaltimes.com/article/20130207/FACILITIES01/302070008/Agencies-coming-up-short-green-gov-goals?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE.

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: DHS, DoD, green products, HHS, OMB, sustainability

June 29, 2011 By AMK

Small business grows green manufacturing jobs

All across America, GSA is seeing great examples of entrepreneurship and innovation, even though we’re facing some of the toughest economic times we’ve experienced since the Great Depression. Seeing this occur in the manufacturing sector is especially exciting because maintaining our competitiveness in this area will help move our economy forward!

Yesterday, I had the privilege of seeing this first-hand at a company called Okabashi, a flip-flop manufacturer in Buford, Georgia that utilizes a manufacturing process that is virtually 100 percent waste-free – closed loop recycling. In addition to diverting thousands of flip-flops from landfills and shorelines, the company produces sustainable flip-flops that are 100 percent recyclable and made of at least 25 percent recycled materials. Okabashi is also committed to reusing or recycling 100 percent of its manufacturing waste, and 100,000 shoes are reground each year. Additionally, the 2 percent of Okabashi materials that cannot be reused for shoes is diverted to other companies to make industrial mats and roofing materials.

On top of its leadership in sustainability, Okabashi is committed to keeping its manufacturing and distribution functions right here in the United States. As President Obama said in his remarks at Alcoa’s aerospace plant recently, “we have to make things right here in America.” And Okabashi is doing just that. In fact, Okabashi, a small business on Main Street, employs approximately 60 people and, depending on the season, their workforce can grow to more than 200 people. Not only are these jobs good middle class jobs, they’re also green jobs. On top of that, Okabashi is exporting its shoes to 16 different countries, which, as the President has said time and time again, is critical to America achieving sustainable economic growth.

They’ve also undertaken efforts to leverage their supply chain to minimize the company’s impact on the environment, a goal that is close to our hearts at GSA, an agency that is committed to achieving a zero environmental footprint. GSA is leveraging its buying power to do the same thing, especially with respect to meeting its obligations under the Sustainability Executive Order.

During my visit, my team and I toured the manufacturing operations and met with management and other employees. We engaged in a productive conversation about how we can help small businesses create good middle class and green manufacturing jobs. Personally, this experience hit close to home, because the founder fled Iran during the Revolution. Even though he and his family lost everything, he tapped into that entrepreneurial spirit that made him successful before to start a small business in Georgia. With hard work, he created a successful and innovative manufacturing company that has created many jobs in Georgia. I happen to be the son of an Indian immigrant small business owner, so I fully appreciate the sacrifices that Okabashi’s founder made to realize the American Dream and contribute to the economic and social fabrics of America.

At GSA we are committed to assisting our customers with their real estate, procurement, fleet and other needs so they can focus on their core mission. In order for us to do that, we need more green companies like Okabashi providing goods and services to our federal customers. Not only will this ensure that we can help our customers meet their sustainability goals, it will also enable us to accomplish our mission to make government work better for the American people through our commitment to sustainability.

So to all the other small businesses out there, we will continue to have conversations with you about what we can do to harness your energy, talent and ideas – so that we can win the future by out-educating, out-innovating, and out-building our competitors. It’s important to GSA because, as the business, real estate and fleet arms of the federal government, we need your business so that our customers will have the goods and services they need to keep our country safe, dispense justice, inspect mines, keep our environment clean, administer social security benefits, adjudicate claims, address poverty and perform other important duties that are appreciated by the American people.

— Posted by Shyam Reddy, Regional Administrator, GSA Southeast Sunbelt Region on June 29th, 2011 at http://gsablogs.gsa.gov/gsablog/category/small-business/ 

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: green products, innovation, manufacturing, small business, sustainability

June 6, 2011 By AMK

Agencies told to go green on 95 percent of purchasing

The Obama administration’s campaign to have agencies “lead by example” in sustainable purchasing became stricter this week when the Federal Acquisition Regulations Council released an interim rule on green procurement.

Following up on President Obama’s 2009 executive order on green management, the draft published Tuesday in the Federal Register would require agencies “to leverage agency acquisitions to foster markets for sustainable technologies, materials, products and services.”

It tasks the head of each agency with ensuring that 95 percent of new contract actions are for products and services that are energy efficient, water efficient, bio-based, environmentally preferable or non-ozone depleting, adhering to criteria set out by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Agriculture Department. With the exception of weapons systems, agencies also must aim to procure items that contain recycled content and are nontoxic.

The toughened policy is being spearheaded by the Defense Department, NASA and the General Services Administration. It requires all federal contractors to support the government’s goals in environmental management, and includes new requirements for electronic or other paper-saving methods for submitting documents required by contracts.

“In the face of changing environmental circumstances and our nation’s heightened energy demands, the federal government must lead by example to create a clean-energy economy that will increase prosperity, promote energy security, protect the interests of taxpayers and safeguard the health of our environment,” the rule states.

Agencies have until Aug. 1 to submit comment.

— by Charles S. Clark – Government Executive – June 1, 2011 – http://www.govexec.com/story_page.cfm?articleid=47921&dcn=e_gvet

Filed Under: Government Contracting News Tagged With: Agriculture Dept., clean energy, DoD, EPA, green procurement, green products, GSA, NASA, sustainability

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »

Popular Topics

abuse acquisition reform acquisition strategy acquisition training acquisition workforce Air Force Army AT&L bid protest budget budget cuts competition cybersecurity DAU DFARS DHS DoD DOJ FAR fraud GAO Georgia Tech GSA GSA Schedule GSA Schedules IG industrial base information technology innovation IT Justice Dept. Navy NDAA OFPP OMB OTA Pentagon procurement reform protest SBA sequestration small business spending technology VA
Contracting Academy Logo
75 Fifth Street, NW, Suite 300
Atlanta, GA 30308
info@ContractingAcademy.gatech.edu
Phone: 404-894-6109
Fax: 404-410-6885

RSS Twitter

Search this Website

Copyright © 2023 · Georgia Tech - Enterprise Innovation Institute