Submitted by DES Communications.
The Department of Enterprise Services (DES) has been recognized as a 2020 EPEAT Purchaser Award winner, which celebrates leaders in sustainable electronics procurement. The award comes from the Green Electronics Council, the non-profit organization that manages the EPEAT ecolabel for the IT sector.
In 2019, sustainable electronic products purchased through state master contracts developed and facilitated by the DES Contracts & Procurement Division (C&P) contributed to a lifetime savings of $767,116 and 4,586 metric tons of CO2 equivalents. The C02 savings is the same as taking 981 average U.S. passenger cars off the road for a year.
When it contracts with vendors, C&P requires them to provide products that meet the sustainability criteria set by EPEAT. These products are more energy-efficient, less toxic, longer-lasting and easier to recycle.
C&P guides statewide policy for contracting and procurement and oversees statewide master contracts for goods and services. This includes contracts with more than 1,700 businesses worth more than $1.5 billion annually. The program’s services are available to state agencies, cities, counties, tribal governments and other public institutions. Go to des.wa.gov/services/contracting-purchasing to learn more.
