City of Seattle

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City of Seattle

• Socially Responsible Purchasing
• City Purchasing
• Nancy Locke, Director

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Socially Responsible Purchasing

• City of Seattle
• City Purchasing
• Nancy Locke

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City of Seattle

• Seattle population 570,000
• Microsoft, Nordstrom and Starbucks
• Birthplace of grunge rock and espresso coffee
• First recycled and compostable coffee cup

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Socially Responsible Purchasing

• Equal Benefits for domestic partners
• Sweat Free Labor
• Environmental and Climate Action
• Women and Minority owned business

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Equal Benefits

• Benefits must be offered to the partner of a
  company employee, as they would to the spouse of
  an employee.
• Adopted in 1999
• Health care, retirement, bereavement, disability,
  life insurance, family medical leave, membership
  discounts, moving expenses, pension and
  retirement benefits.

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Equal Benefits

• Applies to every contract above 43,000
• Companies must declare their status
• Waive for sole source, emergency, absence of
  compliant contractors, piggyback contracts,
  delayed implementation (such as union)
• Does not apply to public agencies

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Sweatshop Free Procurement

• Incorporate anti-sweatshop criteria into certain
  specifications
• By internal procedure for garments, uniforms,
  textiles and as applicable
• Required minimum
• Code of Conduct
• Disclosure of chain-of-custody
• 3rd party auditor

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Code of Conduct

• Two-page affidavit
• Prohibits forced labor and child labor
• Requires fair wages and benefits
• Prohibits forced overtime
• Requires freedom of association

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Green Purchasing

• Environmental policy 1992
• Improve what we buy
• Model for citizens
• Model for companies government
• Promote support business development

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Specification Considerations

• Usually hard specification
• Reduce and reuse
• Recycled, minimized waste, consumption,
  packaging, durable products, vendor take-back
  programs
• Climate Action and greenhouse gas reduction
• Energy consumption, energy efficiency
• Depletion of natural resources
• Impacts on human health, toxins
• Impacts on biodiversity

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Green Purchasing

• US Environmental Protection Agency
• Prohibited Toxins List
• http//www.toxicfreelegacy.org/pbtlist.html
• Labels where known
• Green Seal, EPEAT, USEPA, FSC, Ecologo

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Case Studies

• Paper Cuts
• Deconstruction
• Integrated Pest Management
• Office Supplies
• Green Jobs
• See report at
• http//www.seattle.gov/purchasing/GrnPurchOverview
  .htm

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Minority BusinessDistinctive Elements

• I-200 (Washington, California, Nebraska)
• Mayors Commitment
• City Ordinances

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Making it Work

• Top down commitment
• Mayors Executive Order
• Ordinance, Council, tracking reports
• Goals and Accountability Agreements

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Champions and Bulldogs

• Individuals who are personally committed
• One per agency
• Top 5 departments that spend the
• Purchasing experts

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Build Personal Relationships

• Trust
• Create the one-one-one relationships
• Talk, talk, talk

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Outreach

• Be visible, go out, seek
• Talk, talk, talk
• Engage the community associations
• Sponsor Trade Show events

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Get Some Wins

• Small contracts
• Unbundle
• What does WMBE specialize in within your
  communities?
• Are there effective ways to bid/award those?

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CDCC

• Assistance agency to remove barriers

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Tools Techniques

• Self-certified businesses
• Subcontracting Outreach Plans/Ordinance
• Apprenticeship program
• Consultant Roster Revenue Caps
• Construction Roster Revenue Caps

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New Purchasing Models

• Small Contracts RFP
• Multiple vendor pools
• Building Maintenance Contracts

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Building Maintenance Contracts

• Asbestos Removal
• Electrical Maintenance Minor Ordinary
  Repairs/Installations
• Fence Installation
• Handyman Light Carpentry

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Issues

• Not everyone is a win. Some are ready, some are
  not.
• Dont string along promote the honest
  opportunities
• Takes a lot of time.

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City of Seattle

• Nancy.locke_at_seattle.gov