Blog Post  OSD Climate Unit Receives Bronze Award in The George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence

Each year at its Annual Conference, the National Association of Procurement Professionals (NASPO) present The George Cronin Award for Procurement Excellence to recognize outstanding state procurement initiatives developed by procurement professionals. The award-winning initiatives demonstrate innovation; are transferable to other procurement offices; provide service improvements, cost savings, and efficiencies; and create opportunities to improve the procurement profession nationwide. The 2024 Cronin Award winners were announced at the NASPO Annual Conference held in Indianapolis from September 8 through 12.

The Cronin Award submission from the Operational Services Division’s (OSD) Climate and Sustainability Unit was named the Bronze Award winner in the 2024 Cronin Award Program. The submission, titled “Decarbonizing Massachusetts’ Vendors: An Integration of Climate Consideration into Public Procurement Supply Chain,” focused on the Unit’s project to engage Statewide Contract Vendors in measuring and achieving Massachusetts’ climate decarbonization targets. OSD aims to raise climate action awareness, underscore the importance of reducing emissions, and promote sustainable practices by requiring awarded vendors to share information about their environmental practices.

The OSD Climate and Sustainability Unit will assist vendors in aligning their operations with the agency's sustainability standards, thus making them better equipped to contribute to the Commonwealth’s climate goals.

The Vendor Decarbonization Process features the following key elements:

1. Introduction of Post-Award Climate Form: This form initiates required reporting of sustainability practices for awarded bidders. Vendors will be required to address criteria such as energy efficiency, recycled content, waste management, and energy consumption within their operations.
2. Development of a Climate Vendor Scorecard: This scorecard provides a standardized framework for evaluating vendors' sustainability efforts. It improves transparency and accountability and facilitates data-driven decision-making, while capturing economic benefits and promoting risk management.
3. Designing a baseline emission strategy: This tool measures baseline emissions, encompassing Scope 1, Scope 2, and Scope 3 emissions associated with vendor activities. OSD uses vendor-provided information to establish a baseline for current vendor emissions, creating the impetus for calculating carbon footprints.

These tools are designed to align procurement activities with climate goals, identify environmentally responsible vendors, further incentivize vendor accountability, and ensure that public procurement practices contribute significantly to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

By emphasizing innovation and data-driven decision-making, OSD sets a precedent for sustainable procurement practices. The transferability of these initiatives opens the door for other states to replicate and adapt these strategies, fostering a broader implication for supply chain climate action. Further, service improvements and cost reductions achieved through these measures highlight the economic and environmental benefits of integrating sustainability into procurement. Ultimately, the efforts of OSD in vendor decarbonization exemplifies the way in which public procurement may lead in mitigating climate change, supporting the creation of green jobs, and building a sustainable future.