TAFE Queensland Robina Campus
OP-11: Sustainable Procurement

TAFE Queensland is a statutory authority owned by the Queensland Government and therefore follows all government policy guidelines https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/procurement.

In going out to tender to build and fit out Robina Campus, it was taken into consideration that sustainability be incorporated into the construction project from initial research, planning, development, design, commercial contracts, procurement, build, fit-out, curriculum, facilities, consultation, governance, and waste planning.

During design, construction, and fit-out, sustainable procurement practices were implemented and staff upskilled in managing sustainable supply chains. Sustainable supply chain management has been based on the Environmental Management System ISO14001/9001, Good Environmental Choice Australia, and Forest Stewardship Council ratings. Tenderers needed to be aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals, embedding social, environmental, and economic sustainability commitments within their businesses. With Modern Day Slavery principles in mind, all supply chains were examined to ensure suppliers had sourced their products sustainably and ethically.

Since opening, Robina Campus has set its own standards for assessing our suppliers as sustainable and ethical. At this stage, there is no universally accepted certification operating in Australia although there are a number of certification processes operated by both profit and non-profit organisations such as Planet Ark, Green Tick Certification, and the Green Business Bureau. For some industries, national standards exist i.e. APIA Free Range Certification, and are either monitored by the government and/or an industry association.

In setting up our own standards, we researched which criteria to use and listed a description standard - see below Suppliers are rated A, B, or C based on which criteria they can meet when requesting to be a supplier for the Robina Campus. Robina Campus will award the rating based on the current practices of the supplier at the time of the contract. A supplier can request to be rated higher if further evidence is presented of updated practices. The supplier is awarded the rating based on meeting approximately 60% of the listed criteria under a rating as it applies to their product. For example, a seafood supplier does not need to meet the 'Free Range' requirement which applies to an egg supplier.

ROBINA CAMPUS SUPPLIER CRITERIA

1. Organic and Natural

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of growing and/or farming without chemicals, hormones or antibiotics including the preparation and presentation of the product. Organic Approved Certifying Bodies (Export) - https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/contact/phone/approved-certifying-bodies. Refer to RSPCA for additional information.

*The supplier has a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) rating or can guarantee that the wild seafood was caught using methods that do not deplete the natural supply. Sustainable seafood comes from fisheries that catch fish in ways that ensure the long-term health of a stock or species and the well-being of the ocean.

2. Fairtrade

*The supplier meets Australian National Employment Standards (NES) under the Australia Fair Pay and Conditions Standards.
*The supplier is located in the southeast corner of Queensland and/or the northern rivers area of New South Wales. Radius of 150km.
*The supplier can show evidence of being a small or medium enterprise (SME) as outlined by the Qld Govt (less than 200 FTEs)
*The supplier is able to provide evidence of how they get involved and/or give back to their local community i.e. donations, use of facilities, hosting events, etc.
 
3. Supply Chain

*The supplier is able to provide evidence that its own suppliers in their supply chain can demonstrate sustainable and ethical practices i.e. free range, and animal welfare. Further information about Supply Chain Sustainability is available at the website link listed.

4. Free Range

*The supplier is able to provide certification or evidence of following a recommended practice. A number of organisations have certification along with different definitions of 'free range' including:
*RSPCA - The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme is Australia’s leading independent certification scheme focused on animal welfare - eggs, port, chicken, sheep, beef, and fish.
*Australian Poultry Industries Association (APIA) Free Range Certification (eggs)
*Australian Chicken Growers' Council (chicken meat)
*FREPA-accredited free-range farmers
*PROOF Pasture Raised On Open Fields

*The supplier is accredited under the National Feedlot Accreditation Scheme or can provide evidence of good practice in waste management and utilisation.

*The supplier has been certified by Meat Standards Australia (MSA) under its eating quality grading program or can provide evidence of stock being naturally grass-fed.

*The supplier can provide evidence of following the Australian Animal Welfare Standards and Guidelines as published by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry or can provide evidence of following recommended practices.

*The supplier can provide evidence of meeting the Australian Livestock Feeding Standards 'code of practice' or can provide evidence of following recommended practices.

5. Environmentally Responsible

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of how they are reducing their use of packaging and if the packaging is required, the supplier utilises reusable and/or recycled packaging. The Sustainable Packaging Guidelines (SPGs) is a comprehensive, publicly available resource used to assist in the sustainable design and manufacture of packaging in Australia.

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of following guidelines listed by the Australian Government. The Commonwealth Environmental Water Holder manages water purchased by the Australian Government for environmental purposes across Australia. This water will be used to protect and restore key environmental sites, including the health of rivers and wetlands in the Murray–Darling Basin.

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of aligning to the Australian Compostability Standards: AS4736 & AS5810. See comments for details.
The supplier is able to provide evidence of reducing energy use and/or implementing use of renewable energy and clean energy as outlined under the government priorities.

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of implementing the use of sustainable transport practices i.e. electric vehicles, app sharing for transportation of goods

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of using waste reduction strategies across their business and in line with Australia's National Waste Policy. Ideas for waste reduction are listed under Energy.gov.au

6. Sustainably Produced

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of following sustainable and ethical practices in processing their product. Different products can be certified under services such as:
*Ethical Clothing Australia
*Australian Food and Grocery Council
*Services Australia

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of future plans and research to move to more sustainable and ethical practices.

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of following recommended industry production systems whether food growing or manufacturing. Number of different organisations have guidelines such as the National Farmers Federation; CSIRO; and the World Wide Fund (WWF).

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of following seasonal recommended practices for food growing and animal welfare

7. Certification

*The supplier is able to provide evidence of at least one form of recognised certification or documentation to show it is in the process of gaining certification. There are a number of different certification businesses to support suppliers such as Sustainable Certification; Green Tick; Green Environmental Choice Australia (GECA); Green Building Council of Australia (GBCA); Integrated Assessment Services. A sustainable certification typically involves a business owner investing in a program that lays out a handful of green initiatives to be completed or added to a project launch. Example certifications include:
*ISO 14002 Environmental management;
*HACCP Food safety
*AS/NZ standards"

Not applicable

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Managing risks with hazardous chemicals and dangerous goods procedure' with a 'Hazardous chemicals risk assessment' process used. The purpose of this policy is to provide a process to identify and manage the health and safety risks associated with the storage, handling, and disposal of hazardous chemicals, including dangerous goods.

Under the terms of the policy, our procurement officers must ensure that at the point of procurement, chemicals comply with GHS labelling (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals), and the Australian Dangerous Goods Code. Robina Campus purchases all eco-friendly cleaning and janitorial supplies from x02 and Winc. Both of these companies use recycled paper and products.
W: https://xo2.com.au
W: https://www.winc.com.au/

A future action listed under the Robina Campus Operational Plan 2023-2025 is to reduce chemical usage by utilsing more microfibre and non-chemical cleaning.

Chemical management - https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-chemicals

Under the Queensland Government policy, TAFE Queensland follows the 'General Goods and Services' (GGS) process which aims to deliver easy-to-use procurement arrangements that provide real value and tangible benefits for Queensland communities.

At Robina Campas, we purchase office consumables that are made from recycled materials or have social and environmental certifications e.g. Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, UTZ, certified organic. Preference is given to local suppliers if possible.

One of the strategies being implemented is to minimise printing. Educators have been equipped with the technology and the digital skills to not print and to educate students about this approach. Robina Campus has only two printers available and track usage by staff to monitor and decrease printing.

Sustainability was considered in all building design and fit-out decisions, including using suppliers with a similar commitment to ethical and sustainable products and services. The fit-out of the building focused on using recycled materials and ecological finishing.

At Robina Campus, staff are required to follow the below criteria prior to purchasing furniture and furnishings:
*check with the Property and Facilities Team to source a 'used item'
*new items purchased must be made with recycled materials to reduce use of natural resources
*products purchased should be durable
*only choose products with a star rating or other certification if possible.

In regards to the fit-out, the focus was to feature recycled materials and ecological finishing, including acoustic screens/partitions (such as Echo panel – made from recycled PET) to minimise noise, and paints, carpets, sealants, etc., low in volatile organic compounds making them better for the environment and people. For example, Interface (a carbon-neutral enterprise) provided nylon tops and rubber bottoms which are fully recyclable. Interface is the first global flooring manufacturer to sell all products as carbon neutral across their full life cycle.

The journey starts from the moment you walk through the doors with key messages about sustainability. Students, staff, and visitors are immersed in the atrium setting. Every level has been themed, from the ocean floor on ground level, through to the canopy of the rainforest on Level 3 and the sky on Level 4. Entering the campus, the striking projected underwater images on the ceiling give a feeling of being immersed in a world committed to caring for the planet and sustainability. The appearance and feel of the campus positively impact health and wellbeing, and campus culture. The design fit-out, artworks by a local Indigenous artist, and recycled timber are standout features.

For example, the timber used for the timber tabletops is an Australian timber called Blackbutt, locally sourced from Northern NSW. It is a very hard and termite-resistant timber. Specifically, this timber is called B grade due to its interesting characteristics including gum veins, knots, insect trails, and a larger range of colour variations. A number of our timber furniture pieces were created by the local company Table Tops which also employs our international students. Additionally, our bar area features recycled timbers which were re-milled from ex-redundant power poles. Once deemed suitable for a single purpose, retired power poles are making a fashionable comeback within the timber industry. The timber was originally royal cut from premium Australian Hardwood species and logs milled from the Southeast Queensland Forest region. The large tables in our collaboration rooms (small group breakouts) have been made entirely out of recycled railway sleepers that have been sourced from Australian railway lines undergoing refurbishment. The timber sleepers are being replaced with concrete sleepers. The timber has been naturally drying for over a 50-year period and generally, the species is Australian Ironbark which is unbelievably dense and strong.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies.

Qld procurement - https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/finance-and-procurement/procurement/procurement-resources/search-for-procurement-policies-resources-tools-and-templates/sustainable-procurement-guide-desktops-laptops-and-monitors-ict-products

The Queensland Government Sustainable Procurement Policy & Guide uses the EPEAT standard as the basis for purchasing electronics for its agencies. The EPEAT tool rates products into three increasingly stringent tiers of environmental performance. Products are rated into the three tiers, bronze, silver, or gold. This standard is widely accepted as the environmental benchmark by the ICT hardware industry and utilised by a significant proportion of the industry. It provides sufficient product choice to service the majority of Australian business needs. Additionally, certified products deliver measurable benefits with no performance penalty and ensure minimum environmental performance criteria along with optional best practice criteria that provide an opportunity for recognition of best practice performance. The EPEAT (available online at www.epeat.net) is a procurement tool that allows the comparison and selection of desktops, laptops and monitors based on environmental attributes. The EPEAT tool was developed as a product stewardship project of the Zero Waste Alliance under a grant from the United States of America Environmental Protection Agency and is administered and managed by staff from the Green Electronics Council. EPEAT was developed over a three-year period in an extensive consensus-based process that included representatives from environmental groups, government officials, large-volume computer purchasers, subject matter experts, electronics recyclers, and manufacturers. It is comprehensive in that it addresses key environmental considerations over the lifecycle of ICT products and provides consistent environmental criteria for comparison.

As Robina Campus is a new build, new equipment was purchased for the campus. In preparation for the opening of the campus, a total of $503,851 US equipment was purchased. Robina Campus is fitted out mainly with DELL products. Most of the products (90% of FY expenditure) purchased are at the EPEAT Gold standard as per the Green Products Eco-Labels attachment. There are several Cisco Meraki wifi products in use. Cisco promotes its sustainability journey on https://meraki.cisco.com/about/sustainability/ and is looking to reduce its carbon footprint. Robina Campus staff use Samsung mobile phones. Samsung uses EPEAT criteria to rate its products. The mobiles used by staff are at EPEAT Gold rating.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies. Qld Govt - https://www.epw.qld.gov.au/about/strategy/buy-qld/food-beverages

Robina Campus has sustainability criteria but it is not published. We use the criteria internally when assessing the ethical and sustainable standards of suppliers. Robina Campus attempts to use local, small/medium enterprises that identify as ethical and sustainable suppliers. These suppliers are identified through recommendations and desktop research. Robina Campus also sends suppliers a survey to confirm they can provide evidence of their sustainable practices. Where possible, our Procurement Team has completed a site visit of the supplier to assess first-hand that sustainable practices are being followed.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies.

Robina Campus uses the same criteria, (that which is applicable) as we have applied for food service providers. Robina Campus uses linens to stage events at our restaurant and event centre. The linen supplier has been chosen based on demonstrable practices with cleaning and supplying the linen i.e. use of chemical-free laundry detergents, and being local to decrease transport impacts and costs.

Robina Campus has chosen a garment supplier based on locality, size, and sustainable practices demonstrated by the organisation. both staff and students are referred to this supplier of choice as they meet our criteria. As the purchaser of the garments, there is the option to use other suppliers however industry standards still apply i.e. chef uniform in terms of fire rating.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies.

Qld Govt - https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/finance-and-procurement/procurement/understanding-procurement/how-to-achieve-value-for-money

Robina Campus sources professional service providers that align with our goals in the Robina Campus Sustainability Strategy document. In choosing a supplier, desktop research and a review of customer comments are completed. A meeting is held to assess their ethical and sustainable practices. A supplier proposal is requested and includes how they will align with our goals in the supply of their services. For example, a private contractor is currently delivering a leadership program to middle management and identified future leaders. As part of the delivery, there was to be no printing, the use of own water bottles and other reusable cups for refreshments, and the connection to the SDGs and our goals.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies.

Qld Govt - https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/projects/electricvehicles/zero-emission-strategy

Robina Campus promotes an Active Transport Strategy for staff and students in partnership with the City of Gold Coast Council. The campus has a partnership with LIME Bikes for a discounted fee. Robina Campus has 2 EV for staff use and 10 recharging stations for staff and students.

Staff and students were surveyed about their transport practices. The results have been used in the Robina Campus Operational Plan 2023-2025 under development. Ideas put forward at this stage include rebranding to 'Thoughtful Transport' and use of promotional activities such as monthly champions using Thoughtful Transport options.

Robina Campus follows the TAFE Queensland 'Procurement and Purchasing Procedure'. At this point, TAFE Queensland is updating all policies and procedures to align with the Queensland Government Sustainability Procurement policies. The working definition of sustainable procurement for the government, and therefore TAFE Queensland, including Robina is:
'Sustainable procurement is a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, and capital projects, in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society, the economy, and the natural environment'.

It is proposed that by using procurement to promote the goals of sustainability—social, environment and economic—government can help to foster a better society, composed of sustainable communities, more able to respond to the global economic market. During procurement planning, sustainability should be researched in three areas:
• demand analysis ― stakeholder requirements
• sustainability impact analysis ― risks, issues, and opportunities
• supply market analysis.

At this point, Robina Campus has attempted to use the combined results from the demand analysis, the sustainability impact assessment, and the supply market analysis to identify suppliers for procurement arrangement. The sustainable procurement strategy is based on:
• what are our sustainability priorities and objectives
• how does the supplier align with our priorities.

Principle 2 of the Queensland Procurement Policy says that ‘We use our procurement to advance the government’s economic, environmental and social objectives and support the long-term wellbeing of our community’. Further, under this Principle (clause 2.2), it states that ‘Agencies will use their best endeavours to do business with ethically, environmentally and socially responsible suppliers, and will seek to influence the supply chain in this regard.’

To assist in reducing waste, the Director of Property, Facilities, and WHS has implemented an 'Office Sustainability Checklist' (attached) so that staff can assess their own practices and behaviours as it applies to their job role.

Qld procurement - https://www.forgov.qld.gov.au/finance-and-procurement/procurement/procurement-resources/search-for-procurement-policies-resources-tools-and-templates/sustainable-procurement-guide-print-services