ARCHIVED - Canada Revenue Agency

1. Has the department incorporated environmental performance considerations in its procurement decision-making process?

Yes

2. Summary of initiatives to incorporate environmental performance considerations in procurement decision-making processes:

The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) continues to implement concrete measures to incorporate environmental performance considerations in procurement decision-making processes. These measures, which include policy support, technology enhancements, and training, support the Government of Canada's Green Procurement Policy. This is realised through the framework established in the CRA Sustainable Development (SD) Strategy 2007-2010, and the annual Environmental Management Program (EMP) for Green Procurement.

The CRA established its own in-house Green Procurement Guidelines. These guidelines, which support the Government of Canada's Green Procurement Policy, apply to the procurement of goods and services and are intended to help reduce the environmental impacts of CRA operations. They also promote environmental stewardship by integrating environmental performance considerations in the procurement process. The guidelines apply to all CRA employees.

The Agency continues to include sustainable development clauses and environmental specifications in all new strategic sourcing contracts. These national procurement instruments establish long-term agreements with vendors to supply goods and/or services on a best value basis. They are used by all CRA employees and they support the purchase of greener products and services.

The Agency continues to improve the efficiency of its procurement processes by integrating SD and environmental considerations into existing procurement tools. The CRA online purchasing systems (WBRO/Synergy), for example, reduce paperwork requirements, identify environmentally friendly product options, and enable accurate tracking of CRA green procurement performance.

Support for green procurement also includes a strong commitment to training. Green procurement training is made available to all procurement officers and their managers.

3. Results achieved:

Overall, CRA senior management continued to demonstrate strong support for sustainable development and green procurement. Within the Executive Cadre (EC), 97% of its members included SD measures in their performance agreements. Managers and functional heads also include SD measurement criteria in their core performance expectations. SD measurement criteria for managers include green procurement.

In 2008-2009, all five, or 100%, of strategic sourcing contracts issued contained environmental specifications/criteria. These included:

• Paper - Awarded - Awarded July 3, 2008
• Toner Cartridges - Awarded July 3, 2008
• Office Supplies - Awarded July 3, 2008
• Translation Services - Awarded October 17, 2008
• Non-T1 Tax Program Envelopes - Awarded April 18, 2008

The CRA also included environmental specifications in other strategic sourcing contracts that are expected to be issued in 2009-2010. They are:

• Office chairs
• End user devices
• Telephone and headsets

4. Contributions to facilitate government-wide implementation of green procurement:

Not applicable. The CRA does not have responsibilities under Section 8 of the Policy on Green Procurement.

Green Procurement Targets

5. Has the department established green procurement targets?

Yes

6. Are these green procurement targets the same as those identified in your Sustainable Development Strategy?

Yes

7. Summary of green procurement targets:

The CRA's SD Strategy for 2007-2010 has established the following targets related to green procurement:

Target 1.1.2: Expand the green procurement program to achieve the following results:

• By March 31, 2008, green products account for 10% of total product spending
• By March 31, 2009, green products account for 15% of total product spending
• By March 31, 2010, green products account for 20% of total product spending

Under the framework outlined in the Agency's SD Strategy for 2007-2010 and annual EMP for Green Procurement, the CRA continues to explore new ways to improve efficiency, conserve resources, and implement environmentally responsible procurement practices. The activities included in the CRA's SD National Action Plan (2007-2010) that support green procurement are as follows:

Through the successful completion of the above activities, the CRA anticipates it will meet its green procurement targets, increase SD and green procurement awareness and knowledge among employees, ensure the systematic inclusion of sustainable development and environmental consideration in procurement decision-making processes, and contribute to more efficient resource use.

8. Results achieved:

In 2007-2008, CRA determined that 11.4% of goods purchased were green products.

In 2008-2009, 27.5% ($9,407,187) of products purchased through CRA's online purchasing systems (WBRO/Synergy) were green .^{[Footnote 1]}  

The CRA augmented the proportion of the CRA fleet vehicles that is considered green (hybrids and alternative fuel vehicles) to 42.6% - an increase of 10% over 2007-2008.

The Agency continued to reduce the amount of office paper bought. By leveraging technology and communicating to employees, in 2008-2009, each CRA employee used an average of 5,385 sheets of office paper in their job. This is down from a recorded high of 7,399 sheets of office paper used per employee in 2003-2004.