Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council: Your FAQs answered
今年七月，GreenBiz组帮忙推出Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council(SPLC), through a视频直播hosted by executive editor Joel Makower.
在90分钟的事件（archived webcast available here), attendees posed more than 100 questions but only a small number were addressed. We've provided detailed answers to many questions below.
Is this a duplication of what private industry is already offering? What is SPLC doing that the private industry is already doing, such as Trucost on impact spend and UL Environment on green products?
Far from being a duplication of what the private sector already offers, our work will expand the market and accelerate adoption of the most credible and useful private sector offerings in this area. Our consensus-based program of guidance, measurement and recognition for leadership in sustainable purchasing will refer users to many resources and services provided by private sector enterprises, such as Trucost or UL Environment, and public sector initiatives, includinig those produced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Many purchasing organizations say they need assistance in understanding which resources and services are relevant to them, and which ones have a leadership orientation that makes them worthy of investment. By providing that assistance, we expect to increase demand for the services of high quality service providers.
是否有一个组织，证明于企业的各个行业的可持续发展？
By our count, more than a dozen organizations offer purchasers scorecards, ratings or certifications for evaluating the enterprise-level sustainability of suppliers. Some use proprietary data and methods for rating businesses, while others certify suppliers against a standard or apply an algorithm to publicly reported data. Some look holistically at social, environmental and economic aspects of sustainability while others go deep on a specific aspect, such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. At this time, it can be difficult for purchasers to know which supplier sustainability assessment tools are directionally accurate, cost effective and credible. One of the first work streams of SPLC will be the production of a buyer guide for use by purchasing organizations seeking tools for evaluating the impacts of their spending and the sustainability of suppliers.
It is worth noting that more than 50 environment, social and governance (ESG) ratings, rankings and indexes have been developed for use by the investor community, according to SustainAbility’s 2010 "Rate the Raters" report. The investor community has responded to the proliferation of so many tools by creating theGlobal Initiative for Sustainability Ratings(GISR) to develop a common standard for evaluating ESG performance, in the hope that raters, rankers and certifiers will use that common methodology. If successful, GISR’s standard will reduce survey fatigue and improve the transparency and comparability of the assessment tools.
虽然GISR重点开发满足投资者群体的需求的标准评估方法，它是可能的买家和供应商都将从类似的项目，旨在开发能够满足采购社区的需求标准评估方法中受益。安理会成员可以帮助确定这样的项目应该进行，推测可能与密切配合GISR，以确保公司的一致性，其中数据需要重复。
What work will the council do to develop consistent and functional metrics for use across different sectors?
This is the core purpose of the Council. We seek to create a consistent, practical program for guidance, measurement, and recognition of leadership in sustainable purchasing across multiple types of organizations. The guidance may vary by institution type, because the definition of leadership in sustainable purchasing might vary from university to hospital to corporation, but the overall principles and measurement approach of the program will remain consistent. In all council guidance, for example, spending on product categories with greater impact intensity than others will receive proportionally more weight when evaluating the sustainability of the organization’s total spending on all products.
What is the measurement focus? Is there the ability for organizations to monitor green spending?
我们的首要重点是测量，了解和减轻社会和环境供应链的影响和风险。我们感兴趣的是帮助企业衡量其实现可持续采购实际上是否导致对社会，地球和买方有意义的改善。许多购买者认识到，一个简单的“％的绿色支出”指标必须证明这种改进的能力有限。许多更复杂的分析方法已经和正在制定中。该委员会旨在帮助买家识别方法是最实际和实施成本效益，以及与供应商和采购工具提供商，如ERP，电子采购和分析软件供应商合作，以支持他们。
Is this a ratings-based program similar to LEED? Is it confined to only the building industry?
SPLC’s leadership recognition program will rate how effectively an organization has assessed and mitigated the impacts associated with their spending on goods and services. Like LEED, the program will include credits for a variety of actions, weighted according to the relative social, environmental and economic benefit(s) associated with each action. Unlike LEED, the program is not limited to the buildings or the building industry. Any institutional purchaser will be able to use the program to evaluate its sustainable purchasing efforts. The first pilot version of the rating system will be created over the next 12 to 18 months. We invite you to join the council and participate in its development.
什么是时间轴，在SPLC推出的产品以供组织？
The steering committee has developed a proposed work plan for 2013-2014 that includes releasing a number of work products within six to 12 months, with the pilot version of the rating system being released after 12 to 18 months. The work plan for 2013-2014 will be finalized at the Founding Summit this month with input from representatives of Founders Circle members and strategic partners.
如何将非政府组织，特别是基层的声音，充分地在这个过程中代表？
It is very important to us that NGOs, as stewards of the public interest, be well represented in the work and dialogue of the council. Accordingly, we have been recruiting a balanced and representative Founders Circle to include a number of social and environmental NGOs, and we are still seeking to fill several of these spots. In our plan for transitioning from the steering committee to board governance, we also have reserved at least one-third of the board spots for NGOs and public interest voices. Additionally, the program development process will be structured to ensure that NGO and public interest voices are included, and also that no single interest group is able to dominate the conversation or decision-making.
你有购买的软件，可以跟踪可持续属性的任何资源？或插件为现有的采购软件？
Some software solutions do exist, but many are incomplete because purchasers have not coordinated what data they want from suppliers in such a way that software providers can facilitate the delivery of that data. The SPLC hopes to provide some coordination and clarity around this issue. For example, we are in conversation with existing procurement software providers to develop an Application Program Interface (API) to allow existing procurement software to seamlessly integrate the council’s leadership guidance.
How will SPLC ensure that federal procurement laws and requirements are met? In other words, the SPLC may be limited in its ability to guide federal agency action because of federal procurement requirements. How will these be monitored and met?
我们看到政府机构采购作为经济中最显著和潜在影响力的杠杆点之一。因此，我们的指导与现有的联邦采购法规和要求整合顺利，我们将确保所有主要的指导符合这一标准是非常重要的。这就是说，在联邦法律和规定未能充分认识到领导力的情况下，我们的识别程序的更高层级可能超越现有的政府采购文件的合规性要求。
Are you considering the GRI framework as part of the tools that will translate into best practices?
是。We expect that our guidance eventually will be cross-referenced with the GRI program, but the process of harmonization likely will not commence until after v1.0 of the rating system has been developed.
其中一个主要障碍买家负责任买提的是压力和义务，以降低成本，该装置合同通常到最低的投标人。请问SPLC同时提供成本节约和负责任的采购解决方案？
绝对。我们的指引，将是有益的 - 和使用 - 如果它具有经济意义。我们认为，经济上的可行性，作为可持续采购领导的任何定义的前提条件，我们甚至希望一些用户将采用我们的指导，专门为它的成本优势。最消极的社会和环境影响都与隐性成本和其他风险因素，组织可以通过避免省钱。理事会的指导帮助企业识别这些机会并利用他们行之有效的战略。
许多买家正在寻找巧妙的方法来现任的商业行为中提供高可持续性绩效，因此该局希望传播这些技术。必威体育2018然而，该局也希望从哪些利益相关者可以推动业务照常方式的变化，很多在USGBC使数以千计的目的导向的专业人才，倡导当地的建筑法规的重要变化方式的社区。一旦在一些地区很多，当地的建筑法规视为一道坎可持续发展正必威体育2018在推动可持续性改进。
What makes the SPLC different from The Sustainability Consortium?
最值得注意的是，在可持续发展联盟（T必威体育2018SC）专注于消费产品（货物属性）可持续发展绩效，而我们专注于机构的整体采购（消费与随之而来的影响的决定）的可持续发展绩效。因此，SPLC将提供一些不TSC覆盖，包括支出分析和优先级，采购服务和非消费类产品，以及采购流程和最佳实践领域的指导组织。此外，该局将用于识别实现可持续采购表现出色的机构，并为采购商和供应商的专业人士，展示可持续采购的知识和技能的掌握一个认证项目提供一个评级系统。
Will you work with TSC?
我们正在积极寻求与TSC等协作关系。我们已经与有关对准机会TSC高级职员几次谈话，我们乐观地认为，建设性的关系可以伪造。至少，假设TSC-开发类别指导实现的信誉和认可在市场上，我们会寻求的指导融入我们提出的领导力课程。
请问SPLC采购指南看不仅仅是产品本身，以用于确定后果的制造工艺？
绝对。我们渴望发展的指导该地址的商品和服务采购的最显著生命周期的后果。根据不同商品或服务的类型，这可能包括上游的影响，如制造业相关的影响，或下游影响，如能源使用或处置费用。
SPLC会美国——阿r North America-focused initially or start with a global perspective?
SPLC推出全球视角从the start. We are represented on UNEP’s Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative (SPPI); ICLEI is a partner on the basis of its EU-based Procura+ program and the U.K.-based CIPS Sustainability Index is a member of our Founders Circle. Our guidance will benefit from international guidance and will address the global supply chains of purchasers. Several work streams we intend to kick off at the Founding Summit will produce guidance with international applicability, such as the development of principles for leadership in sustainable purchasing and guidance on spend-related impact assessment. When developing the first version of the rating system, it is likely that the council's limited resources will require a focus on the leadership standards available within a manageable scope. Given the origins of the council and the relative scale and homogeneity of the North American institutional purchasing marketplace, it is likely that leadership criteria available to purchasers in North America will be the scope for version 1.0 of the rating system. However, it will be designed for adaptation to other markets.
How is the SPLC looking to work with the National Minority Supplier Development Council and the Women's Business Enterprise National Council? They don't seem listed, yet there is a lot of discussion around diverse vendors.
我们承诺使这些组织及其成员作为我们工作中的利益相关者。我们认识到，少数族裔和妇女拥有的企业的持续使用不足对家庭和整个社区的安全，健康和选举权深远的影响。对于我们来说，在可持续采购领导的任何定义都必须由机构购买奖励行动，支持以妇女和少数族裔企业。我们认识NMSDC和WBENC作为努力来定义，加快多元化消费的领导领导，并寻求他们在如何最好地支持指导和推动供应商多元化的运动。我们已经开始与左右两个组织的战略伙伴关系的谈话。
One way we believe the council can add value to the supplier diversity movement is by supporting efforts to prepare diverse suppliers to meet the sustainability needs of purchasers. As reflected in the webcast, a number of the council’s founding members recognize that providing technical assistance to diverse suppliers is essential to ensuring that those suppliers are prepared to compete and thrive when sustainable purchasing efforts are ramped up. Today, purchasing organizations wanting to provide such technical assistance to their diverse suppliers typically must develop their own training curricula and organize their own training events. Some purchasing organizations don’t have the capacity to create and run such programs themselves. The council hopes that the training curricula it will develop to support its guidance program can be tailored for use by organizations like NMSDC and WBENC in their regularly scheduled training events, to which purchasers can refer or sponsor their suppliers to attend. In addition to preparing diverse suppliers to meet the sustainability needs of purchasers, the council’s training curricula further could be used to support diverse suppliers in examining their own purchasing practices and performance. (The council’s curricula similarly could serve as a foundation for providing technical assistance to any small and medium enterprise supplier, as well as veteran-owned and disability-owned suppliers.)
How will SPLC address social side issues, both locally and internationally?
该SPLC地方等于在可持续采购领导的社会，环境和经济方面的权重。然而，由于SPLC从较早的举措出现，该产品绿色环保圆桌会议（GPR），其重点是绿色或环境的产品，其初始的利益相关者带来的不是社会问题的环境更多的专业知识。出于这个原因，我们现在正在积极招募与社会问题的专门知识的利益相关者提供专业知识和观点的平衡补充。我们预计这些新的声音将帮助我们广义地界定领导，不仅包括社会责任的直接社会，也是社会责任，受延长生命周期和产品服务的供应链所有的人。
Will the concept of natural capital be integrated into the SPLC’s efforts?
该委员会将鼓励，帮助我们和我们的利益相关者了解所有的概念和地址，商品和购买服务的全生命周期的后果列入。这些概念可能包括，但不限于：自然资本，生态系统服务外部化的成本，所有权（TCO）的总成本和投资回报社会。
已考虑SPLC支持绿色采购或采购的可持续性ISO标准的发展？必威体育2018
Several initiatives are underway, domestically and internationally, to develop standards for green or sustainable purchasing. The council sees its work, including the guidance, measurement and recognition program, as a preliminary step toward such standard development. It is possible that our guidance ultimately could be translated into an ISO standard, and we will certainly seek to follow an ISO-compliant consensus process in order to facilitate such translation in the future.
是否“测量+指导+承认”程序等同于对可持续产品的评级系统？
No. We will create a program to assess leadership in sustainable purchasing, but we will not create a rating system for products. We believe that excellent guidance already exists for many product categories, often in the form of standards, certifications and labels. We may recognize some of this guidance as leadership guidance, but we will not evaluate individual products.
This seems like it's oriented toward consumer products or institutional purchasing, such as office supplies. What about construction materials?
The guidance program that we will develop encourages purchasers to look at their entire spending portfolio, including construction materials, fuels, energy, food, waste services and many other goods and services. For purchasers whose purchases of construction materials represent a significant portion of their impacts, we do expect to provide guidance on construction materials. As stated elsewhere, however, this guidance likely will build upon the best available existing guidance for procurement of construction materials.
Will the program criteria that is established be published for review and comment before adoption?
是。任何主题初步指导意见草案将由工作人员SPLC协商制订与该主题的专业技术咨询小组。初稿，然后将公布征求公众意见，所有实质性的意见将被集成或在以后的版本中明确阐述。在适当情况下，一些指导可以以征求公众意见多次发出。
请问SPLC推出的东西，以帮助绿色标签，使购买者有哪些项目更环保更清晰的认识？
是。事实上，前身为SPLC，该产品绿色环保圆桌会议，正是推出地址混乱围绕绿色索赔的市场。在确定这是深受美国联邦贸易委员会重视其多利益相关者达成共识的起源，当它被修订绿色指南，其对绿色营销规则的可信绿色索赔（在该局的网站提供）GPR制定了指导。该局将通过创建一个指导方案，着眼于全面组织的整体开支，同时也清楚地标识了最可信的和有用的产品认证，标准和标签继续这项工作。
How will all the data that you will be collecting from the brain trust of participating stakeholders be synthesized and made useful for purchasers?
This is the core work of the council. Each of our technical advisory groups (TAG) will be led by subject matter experts who will pose to themselves and the TAGs a misleadingly simple question: “What does leadership look like for sustainable purchasing in this area or topic?” We believe that the community of experts will be able to come to consensus on a practical answer to this question, and we are committed to translating this answer into operationally useful guidance for purchasing professionals. This will not be an easy task, but we hope that you will join us in attempting it.
How can the SPLC make sure it is objective in choosing leaders in sustainable purchasing and not giving preference to one of the founders?
该SPLC是董事会具有对所有程序决定最终的控制支配的非盈利性组织。公司章程规定，董事会是平衡的和有代表性的，并且没有单个的兴趣被允许不适当地影响其决策。这同样适用于任何其他程序开发组和委员会的真实。创始人金环会会员获得公众认可的配套推出了理事会，但创始人在安理会正在进行的决策没有什么特别的作用或影响。
How will "sustainable" be defined?
In general, we believe sustainable purchasing maximizes benefits for the purchasing organization, society and the planet. It is the work of the council to give this general definition operational meaning through the proposed program for guidance, measurement and recognition of leadership in sustainable purchasing.
如何将主要资源提供适合的谈话？
我们认为，商品和服务的上游供应链的所有成员为供应商，无论是间接还是直接，对机构购买。由于一些工业生产的最显著的社会和环境后果发生在供应链的高处，主要资源提供者的角度和专业知识将是至关重要的通知，实际采购指导解决这些上游后果的发展。
Are any corporate consumers on the Founders Circle?
我们有几个黑点创始人圈里ved for corporations whose primary role in the institutional purchasing market place is as a purchaser, including in the hospitality, healthcare, financial services and media sectors. We expect to announce new members in those spots in the coming weeks.
有参与费吗?
是。我们将宣布在八月下旬为广大会员的收费结构。
什么是下一个步骤？什么是观众期望的作用过程？
请登录我们的了解与您的同事，客户和其他相关方理事会SPLC更新通讯和共享信息。这样，你就准备当我们在九月普通会员程序启动，我们就开始填充我们的技术咨询小组，并发布指导订婚。对于有兴趣加入创始圈的组织，请与我们联系。否则，敬请期待九月邀请广大会员。
