Real-world examples of institutions putting values-based purchasing into practice.

“Alameda County has a strong commitment to sustainability. The Board of Supervisors has passed numerous policies that promote purchasing and operational practices that reduce the County’s environmental impact, including the Climate Action Plan (R-2010-170), the 75% Waste Diversion Policy (R-2008-213) and the Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy (R-2011-108). The State of California, effective January 2019, will enforce an organic waste ban for businesses generating 4 cubic yards or more of commercial solid waste per week. As part of these commitments, and to comply with applicable laws, Alameda County intends to partner with the selected vendor to identify and implement actions that will conserve natural resources, create markets for recycled content products, and reduce pollution, water use and greenhouse gas emissions related to the products and services provided as part of this contract.”

“[The Human Services Department] is committed to values-based purchasing, which seeks to align public dollars with core values such as equity, community health, local economy, environmental sustainability, and fair labor. [The Department] strongly encourages consideration toward aligning to these values while supporting Seattle’s food system.”

Note: these questions are from a resource for institutions written by the Common Market and are not from an actual RFP. The resource recommends the following tracking and data collection questions for management companies:

• Please describe your system for tracking and labeling locally grown products.
• How will you communicate product origin to the institution?
• Can you currently produce reports to show the percent of local . . . products provided, including farm name and origin?
  • Yes, including percent, farm name, and origin.

• If yes, please describe current reporting/tracking mechanisms below.
  • Yes, including percent, but not farm name or origin.
  • No.
• If not, are you willing to develop reporting/tracking mechanisms? Y/N
• Check which reports will be available to the institution:
  • Weekly Price List
  • Market Reports
  • Monthly Statements
  • Velocity Reports
  • Other

Note: Farm to Institution New England offers various resources for institutional purchasing, and the questions below are part of a toolkit for institutions and are not from an actual RFP. The toolkit recommends the following tracking and data collection questions for management companies: 

• Are local items clearly marked on ordering guides by place of origin so the facility can determine if it meets their definition of local?
• Are local items listed on ordering guides as “preferred” or “on contract” and are they offered at a competitive price compared to the non-local alternatives?
• Is information about local purchases tracked on invoices or standing reports?
• Are reports that track client purchasing patterns available upon request?
• How will you educate both customers and staff about sustainable food?

“Diversity Commitment
[Management Company] shall make good faith effort to award subcontractors equal to 25% of the value of Gross receipts to certified, diverse suppliers of goods and services in accordance with the Contractor Diversity Program established by HFC, which is incorporated herein by this reference. Contractor shall disclose to HFC the manner and extent it has made good faith efforts to achieve such goal and submit report on forms provided by HFC.”

Note: Café Services is a management company that specializes in corporate dining services, and the following is from a template RFP they created based on effective RFPs they have seen in practice. 
“1.1 Statement of Purpose 
ABC Industries, Inc. is seeking proposals from qualified corporate food service management firms for the provision and management of [# full service cafeterias] and [# vending services] at [# locations] in [City, State]. Our goal is to partner with a [management company] that can help us increase food service participation, and support corporate initiatives to promote healthy lifestyles and sustainable practices.”

“DIVERSITY COMMITMENT:
The selected [management company] will be required to use good faith efforts to award subcontracts to diversity participants certified by any of the identified certification agencies as defined in the HFC Diversity Program Instructions to Contractors…The specific goal for this proposal is 25% of the Gross Receipts as defined in the Agreement.
[Proposed management companies] are required to comply with HFC’s Diversity Program Instructions to Contractors; failure to comply may cause your response to be considered non-responsive.

GREEN ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING RECYCLING:
[Houston First Corporation has] an extensive recycling program, and the food and beverage contract is a major part of the program. HFC is committed to buying products with recycled content or environmentally sustainable alternatives that meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) compliance standards.”

Nourish Colorado has developed the Local Procurement Colorado (LoProCO) program which helps facilitate farm to school and institution food procurement. The LoProCO program has partnered with a variety of institutions which range from K-12 schools and senior centers to Colorado State University and the Colorado Department of Public Health—often announcing these partnerships through their seasonal newsletter on their blog.

Georgia Organics, a non-profit providing direct support to local and organic farmers, facilitates values-based partnerships through its Farm to School and Farm to Early Care. Efforts include coordinating state-wide campaigns and providing innovation grants to school districts to create and share equity-centered procurement practices.

In Massachusetts, 117 public school districts, eleven independent schools, and nine universities enrolled in the Harvest of the Month Campaign by the Massachusetts Farm to School to feature locally sourced crop in its dining operations at least twice a month. Through this partnership, Massachusetts Farm to School, in 2018, reports 25% of farmers increasing production to meet institutional demand, alongside a $10,262,200 investment in local food in MA. Their vision is to have all MA schools consistently teach about and serve local foods, supporting vibrant local farming and fishing communities and healthy schools, students and families.

Johns Hopkins University works with The Common Market as an anchor institution in Baltimore to help local farmers sell to nearby smaller institutions. The Common Market’s overarching vision is to encourage sustainable local economies for food across the nation. Across the country, more than 420 school partners have worked with The Common Market to work with municipalities to deliver local foods from family farms and local farms since 2008.

Action plans may call for key personnel of the institution to keep itself accountable. For example, Dignity Healthcare (formerly known as Catholic Healthcare West) implemented its “Food and Nutrition Statement” in 2005 to outline its seven practices for sustainable food procurement, and it established an internal council of 12 foodservice directors to meet, discuss, and develop its annual goals. Other plans may designate committee members, key contacts across an institution, or other decision-making frameworks to facilitate progress, evaluation, and accountability in values-based commitments.