“The greatest contributors to an organization’s footprint usually come from its supply chain.” ~HP Development Company (p.6)

As a part of McMaster’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, it is important for McMaster to value the sustainability of our suppliers and reward the companies who have a strong commitment to sustainability. This is where the Request for Proposal (RFP) is important. RFPs are required for purchases over $100,000 and include questions for suppliers to answer. Specifically, RFP template focuses on sustainability.

Sourced from HP’s Sustainable IT Purchasing Guide, the following questions were chosen because they were verifiable, measurable, and replicable:

1. List your company carbon footprint and goals to reduce it
2. List your CDP (carbon, forests, water, and supply chain) and EcoVadis scores
3. Provide the total cost of ownership (TCO) for the services/products
4. List all Ecolabels applicable to this product
5. Identify how this service or product assists you in meeting your sustainability goals
6. Identify % of post-consumer, ocean-bound and/or closed loop plastics in the products and your publicly stated recycled content goal
7. Describe any paid time you provide your employees to volunteer

To support McMaster faculty, staff, and students in evaluating supplier responses to the above questions, please see McMaster’s RFP Evaluation Tool at https://financial-affairs.mcmaster.ca/sustainable-procurement/#tab-content-rfp-tools. Under RFP Tools, there are more questions that can be included in an RFP, such as a request for a supplier to take back waste or items at the end of life.