University of Texas at San Antonio
IN-48: Innovation B

The University of Texas at San Antonio recognized the need to understand the commitment of our contractors in our pursuit of sustainable construction. In order to ascertain the value of sustainability to our job order contractors we have added this question to the matrix rating scale in our contractor selections. "Describe the measures your company has taken to achieve sustainability goals i.e. reduce waste, conserve energy or water, reduce emissions, being social or fiscally responsible and supportive to the projects your firm takes on." Each respondent is evaluated for their experience, commitment, level of understanding, and support of the goals on projects they have participated in. We understand there is a cost to constructing a sustainable campus. This questions sets an expectation that UTSA is committed to procurement, site, energy and water conservation, and social responsibility of the projects, the campus as a whole, and from the companies we do business with. It also sets an expectation that these companies will continue those values on their next projects and thus, set a market trend. (Job Order Contractors: Vetted contractors that go through the RFP process and are awarded large scale contracts service agreements to handle construction projects for the campus. Typically, 2-3 companies are awarded in several trades e.g. electricians, general contractors, plumbers, etc.

Access to the procurement bids are only available if you create a login. If you need a letter, I can get one from the Procurement officer that wrote the scope for the JOD RFP that is currently open. It's a public release.