Posts Tagged ‘Green’

GSA Hires Herd of Goats – Think They Listed Them as Jobs Created?

Friday, July 9th, 2010

GSA’s commitment to a zero environmental footprint took an unusual turn when the time came for the annual removal of vegetation and overgrowth at the Richard H. Chambers U.S. Courthouse in Pasadena, CA. Instead of the usual crew of laborers and heavy equipment, federal employees were greeted by a herd of hungry goats readying to feast on the brush and weeds threatening to overtake the property.

Why goats, you might ask? Well, apparently goats are an efficient and environmentally friendly vegetation removal tool. They are so efficient, in fact, that the herd completed the task in just over half the time it took the old crew to do the same job. Plus, they did it without damaging or polluting the grass and soil. This innovative solution is yet another way GSA is working on reducing its impact, so don’t be surprised if you see barn animals grazing at a federal building in your neighborhood soon!

GSA Names “Chief Greening Officer” for Federal Buildings

Friday, July 9th, 2010

GSA has made it clear that it plans to be at the forefront for state-of-the-art and emerging green technology since President Obama’s Executive Order on sustainability issued in October, 2009. Announcing the appointment of Ms. Reed, GSA stated that, “under her leadership, the agency will continue its commitment to develop a higher performing, greener federal building inventory and serve as a green proving ground for the American real estate industry.”

According to Federal Computer Week, Reed was previously “the director of sustainability strategies with the Cushman & Wakefield Client Solutions Group. There she helped develop an agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency for the environmental management of the firm’s properties. Reed also worked with the New York City Office of Operations and led the implementation of the city’s Green Building Standards law.”

Have Green, Will … Sell; GSA Administrator Expands on Zero Environmental Footprint Goal

Monday, May 24th, 2010

GSA Administrator Martha N. Johnson cited the President’s Executive Order 13514, in her May 18, 2010 keynote address to the U.S. Green Building Council’s Federal Summit.  Highlighting GSA’s mission to assist other federal agencies to make greater strides in sustainability, excel at greening initiatives, and increase federal building performance, Johnson outlined a number of areas in which GSA could take the lead toward greening the government.  These include cultivating green-centered public/private partnerships, aiming for only green products on the federal supply schedules (aka GSA Schedules), and using the federal building portfolio as a green proving ground for new sustainable building and design technologies.

Aronson noticed the “green” focus while in attendance at GSA Expo May 5 – 7, 2010.  Many Expo vendors highlighted their “BioPreferred^SM” qualifications.  Identifying GSA as a fulcrum that can leverage its “massive buying power to impact the government’s environmental footprint,” Johnson proposed that the federal government move to a zero environmental footprint, and she stressed that GSA is setting its sights on “eliminating the impact of the federal government on our natural environment.”  She concluded by challenging the audience to “try new things, take risks, and be bold. Use the tools that we develop together. Find new partners and leave no stone unturned.”  (Source: GSA.gov)

Impressions From the 2010 GSA Expo Floor – DHS Demos Avatars and the BioPreferred Program focuses on “Green”

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

After walking the entire Expo floor, I was left with several impressions:

1. GSA’s green message isn’t lost on Schedule contract holders. Many exhibitors were heavily promoting their green qualifications – especially qualification as “BioPreferred^SM” (see more on USDA changes to the BioPreferred mandatory purchasing program here).
2. I was surprised to see that a large percentage of exhibitors didn’t prominently display their contract numbers anywhere on their booths.
3. Equally interesting was the huge number of vendors publicizing their participation in Cooperative Purchasing and Disaster Recovery. I’m not sure about the number of state and local government attendees at Expo, but clearly a strong focus is on this market.

The award for the most unusual display was the vendor of Christmas trees and decorations. It was also enlightening to visit with some of the Federal agencies exhibiting at the Expo.

I especially enjoyed the Department of Homeland Security demonstration of how they are using inspiration from “Avatar” and video-games to develop a variety of training tools (SportEvac avatar). Understanding where an Agency is headed is so critical in developing an effective business development plan!

I still have a few classes left before Expo ends. I’m looking forward to some cooler temperatures, but have definitely enjoyed my time here in Orlando. Hope to see everyone at the Tower Club on May 27th for our recap of GSA Expo 2010!

GSA Expo 2010, Day 2 – Body Armor, Bedding, and Bosu Balls!

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Aronson is back reporting to you from the 2010 GSA Training Conference and Expo. I must admit that after surviving 60″+ of snow this winter, I was not prepared for the weather in Orlando with temperatures in the 90s and unbelievable humidity. Exhibitors offering air conditioners may have an unfair advantage this year. The Expo floor opened this morning with 700+ GSA Schedule Contract holders exhibiting everything from body armor to bedding to bosu balls. There is often so much emphasis on the larger GSA Schedules like IT, MOBIS, and FABS, that you can forget the amazing diversity of products and services included in the Schedules program that can equal business opportunities for all types of companies.

Since Expo is also GSA’s largest single training event, there are hundreds of courses offered targeting audiences including contract holders, federal acquisition professionals, state and local governments, and many more. (more…)

More Contracting Opportunities – GSA Public Buildings Service via Twitter and LinkedIn

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

The Public Buildings Service (PBS), part of GSA, is the landlord for the federal government.  PBS acquires space through new construction and leasing and also procures services for those properties, such as: design/construction, leasing, facilities management, retail and green/sustainability services, as well as other technical and professional services.

PBS’ Industry Relations division seeks to increase awareness of PBS opportunities, maximize access to PBS programs, and provide support to Industry partners seeking to do business with PBS. To promote PBS contracting opportunities and increase access to program information and points of contact, PBS has implemented the following: (more…)

Marketing Your “Green” Products and Services to Federal Agencies

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

How can you market your “green” products and services? As noted in our 11/10/09 post, GSA Schedule contractors have new opportunities to sell to federal agencies. This comes as a result of Executive Order 13514 on Federal Sustainability, and in particular, the green procurement policy which will cover 95 percent of new contracts and acquisitions. If you’ve worked with the government for any length of time, you know everything old is new again. For example, in 1998, the Planet GSA Agency Initiative focused on Buying, Building, Driving, and Saving Green. So… what’s likely to be in demand this time? Listed below are “Green”-focused products, services, and policies to assist agency compliance with the procurement responsibilities outlined in federal environmental laws and regulations, including efforts to:

• (more…)

New green procurement policies mean opportunities and changes for contractors

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

Both opportunities and challenges await contractors as a result of Executive Order 13514 on Federal Sustainability.  One particular component, the green procurement policy, will cover 95 percent of new contracts and acquisitions and carry a lot of weight due to the government’s mammoth buying power which exceeds more than a half trillion dollars spent on goods and services annually.

Some “green-oriented” companies could win never-before-seen opportunities. Preference or other incentives could be given for “products manufactured using processes that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.” Other longtime contractors may get the boot because their products don’t fit the new eco-friendly bill.  Green purchasing advocates have pushed for — and some local jurisdictions say they are complying with — policies to stop contracts for eco-unfriendly items like bottled water.  Requirements may also be imposed – recommendations could include requiring vendors to register with a voluntary greenhouse gas emissions registry and disclose their efforts to reduce emissions.

(more…)