Departmental Performance Report 2015–16: Greening Government Operations
Target 7.2: Green Procurement
As of April 1, 2014, the Government of Canada will continue to take action to embed environmental considerations into public procurement, in accordance with the federal Policy on Green Procurement.
This target applies to all departments bound by the Federal Sustainable Development Act (FSDA) or the Policy on Green Procurement.
Scope and Context
The CNSC’s Director General of Finance and Administration is mandated to address all aspects of the Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) Policy on Green Procurement. This person is also co-chair of the CNSC Greening Committee, which supports the CNSC’s efforts in becoming an environmentally responsible organization by promoting green practices, demonstrating environmental leadership and inspiring employees to change behaviours to reflect good environmental standards.
The CNSC Greening Program encourages a green organizational culture, where “thinking green” becomes a part of day-to-day life for CNSC employees. As part of this program, environmental performance considerations are integrated into the procurement decision-making process for goods and services. Specifically, procurement officers are encouraged to:
- purchase only what is necessary and re-use as much as possible;
- use Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) standing offer tools that integrate environmental considerations;
- look for environmental certifications (e.g. EcoLogoM, Green Seal, ENERGY STAR®);
- use suppliers with environmental consideration attributes (e.g., minimizing travel, using administrative practices that reduce paper, using green equipment, holding green service delivery certification)
- integrate environmental considerations into requirements and bid solicitations
Link to the Organization’s Program(s)
Internal Services
Performance Measurement
Expected result
Environmentally responsible acquisition, use and disposal of goods and services
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| To further the implementation of the Policy on Green Procurement in place as of April 1, 2014, the CNSC ensures that all procurement officers and acquisition card holders undergo training in green procurement strategies. | 100% of all procurement officers and acquisition cardholders have either completed the Canada School of Public Service Green Procurement course (C215) or have received in-house training that outlines green procurement strategies. |
| Number and percentage of procurement and/or materiel management specialists who completed course C215 or equivalent, in 2015–16. | 100% (eight persons) of procurement or materiel management officers have completed course C215. |
| Number and percentage of managers and functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution toward green procurement, in 2015–16. | 100% (six persons) of functional heads of procurement and materiel whose performance evaluation includes support and contribution toward green procurement in fiscal year 2015-16. |
Departmental green procurement target
Continue with efforts to reduce the number of imaging devices, with a goal of reducing the number of devices by 25% in 2015-16.
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| Percentage reduction of imaging devices achieved during 2015-16. | Not achieved. There was no reduction in imaging devices during 2015-16. The CNSC will continue to work with Shared Services Canada to leverage existing technologies to reduce the number of imaging devices within the Commission. |
Departmental green procurement target
Maintain the number of hybrids included in the CNSC fleet at 35% with efforts to gain environmental efficiencies where possible
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| Percentage of hybrid vehicles in the CNSC fleet. Baseline: 29% | Not achieved. Due to operational requirements and the lack of suitable hybrid options available at the time of order, the CNSC was not able to maintain the CNSC fleet at 35%. The CNSC continues to prioritize the consideration of hybrid vehicles when acquiring or replacing fleet vehicles. |
Departmental green procurement target
Include environmental considerations in procurement tools and processes and bidding processes to increase awareness and results.
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| Percentage of procurement or materiel management staff who have completed training in green procurement. Baseline: 100% | 100% (eight persons) of procurement or materiel management staff have completed course C215. |
| Implementation strategy element or best practice | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| 7.2.1.5. Leverage common-use procurement instruments where available and feasible. | Achieved. The CNSC uses PSPC procurement instruments wherever possible to leverage the environmental considerations that are incorporated in the standing offers. When aligned to clients’ needs, procurement officers notify project authorities of such standing offers and related green procurement options. |
| 7.2.2. Incorporate environmental considerations into procurement instruments. | Not applicable. This applies only to PSPC. |
| Best Practice 7.2.3. Train acquisition cardholders on green procurement. | Achieved. As a CNSC requirement, all new acquisition cardholders attend acquisition cardholder training, which includes information on green procurement practices. |
| Additional best-practice procurement approach with environmental considerations. | The large majority of the contracts or purchasing orders handled by the CNSC are electronic. Those that are received in paper format are required to be submitted with double-sided use of each page. Procurement officers continue to promote electronic submissions for documents related to bid submissions. Performance objectives related to green procurement are included in the performance evaluation of senior contracting officers and managers of the contracting unit. |
Target 7.3: Sustainable Workplace Operations
As of April 1, 2015, the Government of Canada will update and adopt policies and practices to improve the sustainability of its workplace operations.
Scope and Context
Although the CNSC default is two-sided printing, the organization is increasingly moving to an electronic documents environment and decreasing its reliance on paper. Another manner in which the CNSC has demonstrated leadership is by having the lights set on timers to be on only during working hours. The lights are automatically shut off once normal working hours end, which saves energy.
Link to the Organization’s Program(s)
Internal Services
Performance Measurement
Expected result
Departmental workplace operations have a reduced environmental impact.
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| To maintain an approach to improve the sustainability of the CNSC through activities such as raising awareness, promotion of best practices, and internal initiatives as of March 31, 2015. | Achieved. Actual completion date: March 31, 2016 Through various awareness initiatives, the CNSC has raised awareness on a variety of green office practices, including: paper usage, energy consumption, recycling programs, and eco-friendly commuting practices. Support towards greener office practices has been included in applicable internal policies and are reviewed based on the departmental refresh cycle. A Green Café was hosted to engage employees, recruit new members, and to gather new ideas and initiatives. |
| Implementation strategy or best practice | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
| 7.3.1.1. Engage employees in greening government operations practices. | Achieved. The co-chair of the Greening Committee hosted a Green Café to raise awareness and gather ideas on how to promote more eco-friendly office practices. In parallel with Canadian Environment Week, the Greening Committee hosted a kiosk to disseminate information on green practices, recruit new members, and speak to the progress against our targets. Upcoming green initiatives and challenges, recycling programs, and energy consumption are discussed in various internal communications channels (administrative forums, online bulletins, journals, and various other all-staff communications). Bike-to-Work workshops were delivered to encourage and promote safe and green commuting practices. |
| 7.3.1.2. Integrate environmental considerations into corporate policies, processes and practices in accordance with departmental refresh cycles. | Achieved. As part of its continuous improvement, the CNSC incorporates environmental considerations into applicable internal policies, processes and practices during departmental refresh cycles. |
| 7.3.1.3. Maintain or improve existing approaches to sustainable workplace practices. | Achieved. Greening Committee meetings have been held regularly at least once per quarter to solicit new ideas, discuss progress on initiatives, and plan for future initiatives. Reusable dishware continues to be provided and encouraged for large-scale meetings to reduce the use of disposal dishes and plastic bottles. A paper repurposing program is in place to transform transitory printouts into reusable notepads. Signage has been posted in meeting rooms and quiet rooms above the light switches to remind users to switch off the lights when the room is no longer in use. The re-illumination period of after-hours office lighting has been reduced from two hours to one to reduce the amount of time that lights are on but are not being used. The CNSC does not own any offices, but building management for headquarters has upgraded their building management system to better manage energy consumption. To discourage transitory printing and to reduce energy consumption, electronic whiteboards with printing capabilities have been replaced with traditional whiteboards. A paperless pilot (electronic documents only) was launched at the weekly Management Committee meetings to encourage less paper use. The CNSC will continue to identify opportunities to expand this pilot to other forums. |
7.3.1.4. Minimize the ratio of information technology (IT) assets per employee. | The ratio of information technology assets per employee has remained unchanged. |
7.3.1.5. Select and operate IT and office equipment in a manner that reduces energy consumption and materiel usage. | Achieved. IT equipment is procured with the ENERGY STAR rating. To discourage transitory printing and to reduce energy consumption, electronic whiteboards with printing capabilities have been replaced with traditional whiteboards. A paperless pilot (electronic documents only) was launched at the weekly Management Committees to encourage less paper usage. The CNSC will continue to identify opportunities to expand this pilot to other forums. |
| 7.3.1.6. Dispose of e-waste in an environmentally sound and secure manner. | Achieved. IT equipment identified for disposal per the IT life-cycle plan are sent through the Computer for Schools program to maximize the number of times the equipment is re-used before it is disposed. |
| 7.3.1.7. Reuse or recycle workplace materiel and assets in an environmentally sound and secure manner. | Achieved. The CNSC has several recycling programs to recycle paper, batteries, and eyeglasses. Toner cartridges for CNSC’s multi-function devices (all-in-one printing, scanning, copying) have been recycled through the vendor who then repurposes and reuses the cartridges. Surplus office supplies are first redistributed internally to increase the number of times a product is reused before it must be disposed. Surpluses of furniture assets (as a result of space consolidation) continue to be routed through the GC Surplus program to increase the number of times the furniture or kitchen appliance is reused prior to disposal. The CNSC routed more than 500 pieces of furniture (e.g., chairs, tables, book cases) through this program. |
| 7.3.1.8. Minimize all non-hazardous solid waste generated, and leverage service offerings to maximize the diversion of waste. | Achieved. As the CNSC does not own any offices, it continues to leverage recycling programs established by the building owner. Paper, plastics, metal, and glass continue to be diverted from waste sites to recycling facilities. |
| 7.3.1.9. Increase the population density in office buildings, and increase space utilization in special purpose buildings. | Achieved. The CNSC continues to monitor use of office space and to identify financially feasible opportunities to maximize space use through “workplace 2.0” fit-ups. Spaces on two floors have been fit-up in workplace 2.0 format, creating two additional collaborative workspaces and two work stations. |
| 7.3.1.10. Maintain or improve sustainable fleet management. | Achieved. The relevant policies and practices have been reviewed, per the departmental refresh cycle. Green best practices on minimizing negative impacts to the environment are promoted. A fleet replacement plan exists and the CNSC continues to prioritize the consideration of hybrid vehicles first when replacing fleet vehicles. No additional hybrid vehicles could be purchased in 2015-16 because they did not meet the operational requirements at the time of the order. Vehicle pooling continues to be encouraged through various corporate forums. Drivers of fleet vehicles are sent to defensive driving courses that promote changes in driving behaviour (such as minimizing distance travelled and addressing speeds) to minimize environmental impact. |
Target 7.4: Greening Services to Clients
By March 31, 2015, departments will establish SMART targets to reduce the environmental impact of their services to clients.
Scope and Context
For fleet operations, the CNSC target was to maintain 35% of its fleet as hybrid vehicles and gain environmental efficiencies where possible.
Link to the Organization’s Program(s)
Internal Services
Performance Measurement
Expected result
Departmental services to clients have a reduced environmental impact.
| Performance indicator | Performance level achieved |
|---|---|
Percentage of hybrid vehicles in fleet. | Not achieved. The CNSC continues to follow the fleet replacement plan, identifying opportunities to increase the proportion of hybrid vehicles where operationally possible. Hybrid vehicles continue to be prioritized when considering a replacement, but are subject to operational requirements and the options available. In 2015-16, operational needs and the hybrid options available did not allow for the target to be reached. |
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