USDA Recognizes Leaders in Advancing the Use of Biobased Products Across the Nation

BioPreferred Program Awards Recognize Outstanding Efforts for Sustainable Procurement by Federal Employees and Contractors

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Under Secretary Dr. Basil Gooden today recognized five leaders in the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to advance the use of biobased products across the nation.

“Sustainable, eco-friendly procurement is a critical component of the Biden-Harris Administration’s focus on reducing the federal government’s greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050,” said Under Secretary Gooden. “The awards I’m announcing today not only recognize outstanding achievements to advance the use of biobased products, but also provide practical examples for other agencies to follow.”

USDA is awarding Excellence in Procurement Awards to three federal employees and two federal contractors, who have made outstanding achievements to ensure the maximum use of biobased products in their service and construction contracts.

These awards are part of USDA Rural Development’s BioPreferred Program, which promotes the development, purchase, and use of products derived from plants and other agricultural, marine, and forestry materials.

This year’s winners are:

  • Theodore Blume, contracting officer for USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. Blume has consistently included biobased product requirements in solicitations and contracts for the agency. He also has demonstrated to potential contractors the range of opportunities available through the use of biobased products. In his contracts and interactions, Blume pointed people to AbilityOne, an independent federal agency that employs people who are blind or with significant disabilities, to enable procurement professionals to find the products they need more easily. Blume also helped agencies track federal compliance to buy biobased products.
  • Mark Napolitano and Master Sergeant Nicholas Capko of the U.S. Department of Defense. Napolitano and Capko led a project to evaluate and demonstrate the effectiveness of biobased cleaner, lubricant, and preservative products for weapons. The results demonstrated that biobased products can be highly effective in combat tactical operations, ensuring the safety and health of soldiers, reducing waste and cost, and improving readiness. The Department of Defense now requires all qualified cleaner, lubricant and preservative products to contain a minimum 33% biobased content.
  • Laurie Snyder, lead policy & assurance analyst for the Berkeley Lab. Synder created a robust sustainable acquisition policy to promote the use of biobased products. Snyder also trained staff on how to comply with the policy to significantly elevate their sustainability efforts across the organization.
  • Fercent, a contractor organization for the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The organization developed new software called DocScout to automate the review of solicitations and contracts. The organization also identified opportunities for contracting officers to include requirements and clauses to purchase and use more biobased products in their contracts. To date, Treasury has used DocScout to inspect more than 2,000 contract documents to maximize the agency’s purchase and use of biobased products.

The variety of these milestones illustrate how the federal government can work together and lead by example to tackle the climate crisis.

USDA Rural Development’s BioPreferred Program, created by the 2002 Farm Bill, is the federal government’s official advocate and market accelerator for biobased products. The Program’s efforts help to develop new markets for farm commodities, promote U.S. economic development, create manufacturing jobs and reduce our reliance on petroleum. The annual Excellence in Procurement Awards recognize outstanding achievements by federal acquisition professionals, federal program and technical professionals, and federal contractors. Award nominations can be based on a specific accomplishment or body of work related to the purchase and use of biobased products.

Under the Biden-Harris Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas.

About USDA

USDA touches the lives of all Americans each day in so many positive ways. Under the Biden-Harris Administration, USDA is transforming America’s food system with a greater focus on more resilient local and regional food production, promoting competition and fairer markets for all producers, ensuring access to safe, healthy and nutritious food in all communities, building new markets and streams of income for farmers and producers using climate-smart food and forestry practices, making historic investments in infrastructure and clean energy capabilities in rural America, and committing to equity across the Department by removing systemic barriers and building a workforce more representative of America. 

Source

USDA, press release, 2024-11-07.

Supplier

AbilityOne
BioPreferred
Fercent DocScout
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
US Department of Agriculture (USDA)
US Department of Defense (DoD)
US Department of the Treasury
USDA Agricultural Research Services ARS, Albany

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