​​The Department is committed to working towards meeting its energy and environment statutory requirements and the objects of Executive Order (EO) 13834-Efficient Federal Operations. This order signed on May 17, 2018, requires agencies to advance sustainable acquisition and ensure that 95 percent of applicable new contract actions meet federal mandates for acquiring products that are energy efficient, water efficient, biobased, environmentally preferable, non-ozone depleting, r​​ecycled content, or are non-toxic or less toxic alternatives, where these products meet performance requirements. 

UPDATE 1.28.22 - Memo providing guidance to the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureaus and Offices regarding the management of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS).

Overview

The Department has increased focus on Sustainable Acquisition requirements in recent years. Initial emphasis has been on training requirements for the acquisitions community, as well as development of policy, and guidance. 

E.O. 13693 section 3(i) requires that DOI promote sustainable acquisition by ensuring that environmental performance and sustainability factors are considered to the maximum extent practicable for all applicable procurements in the planning, award and execution phases of acquisition.

In 2019, the Office of Acquisition and Property Management (PAM) updated DOI local policy, Contractor Reporting of Biobased Products and Hydrofluorocarbons in the System for Award Management (SAM); to include additional information on training and pertinent definitions, that will enhance our contracting officer's knowledge on sustainable procurement. 

Program Goals

For FY 2019, the Department had established a target of awarding 950 Biobased contracts, with a target dollar value of $70 million. The Department achieved the target dollar value by exceeding the target goal by $40 million; but did not achieve the target contract actions of awarding 950 contracts in FY 2019. One of the reasons this goal was not achieved is due to the Bureaus strategic procurement strategy to reduce and consolidate several contracts, while saving the Bureaus millions of dollars in the long term.​​

When comparing FY 2018 to FY 2019 percentage of contract actions and percentage of dollars obligated with statutory environmental requirements, the data shows there was a 1.03% decrease in percentage of contract actions in FY2019 and a 0.02% decrease in percentage of dollars obligated in FY 2019. The overall Departmental percentage may have decreased in FY 2019, but Bureaus are utilizing a more effective procurement method via Purchase Card to procure requirements containing biobased, recycled content and Energy Star standards. For example, from FY 2018 to FY 2019 the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) purchase card transitions increased from 1,104 to 2,627. The increase in the micro-purchase threshold appears to have contributed to the decrease in number of actions with statutory environmental requirements but was not detrimental to the dollar amount of obligations.

Contracting Officers shall continue to take all cost-effective steps to promote sustainable acquisition goals and practices in each procurement; while implementing corrective actions to address barriers to increasing sustainable acquisitions. The Contracting Officers will ensure that contractors submit timely annual reports of their BioPreferred and biobased purchases and hydrofluorocarbon emissions. Additionally, the Department will continue to utilize Category Management initiatives and government-wide acquisition vehicles that already includes sustainable acquisition criteria.