Purchaser Profile

Chicago Field Division – US DEA
       
US Federal Agency
2017 EPEAT Purchaser Award – 2 Stars

2016 EPEAT Purchaser Award – 2 Stars
Diane Brice

Chicago Field Division purchases EPEAT-registered computers, displays, and imaging equipment
$59,766 (2016)
2015
The Chicago Field Division (CFD) complies with the Office of Information System and IT Field Acquisition Services’ protocol that is framed by the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR). The FAR System governs the “acquisition process” by which executive agencies of the United States Federal government acquire (i.e. purchase or lease) goods and services by contract. The FAR Title 48, Chapter 1 Code of Regulations, regulates the activities of government personnel in carrying out that process. This include the purchases of environmentally preferable procurement of electronics and specifications in contracts with vendors requiring that all electronics products in a specific category are registered in the EPEAT system and are Trade Agreements Act 1979 compliant (TAA).

These items are cataloged with the EPEAT standard emblem and are made available to our procurement staff to reference. The Office of Information System and IT Field Acquisition Services research vendor to ensure it is EPEAT standard and TAA compliant prior to cataloging.

In instances whereby IT equipment and peripherals do not meet EPEAT standards or TAA compliance with low risk to the environment and that are not manufactured in the United States, a waiver is submitted to the Office of Information Systems for investigation and approval.
Over their lifetime, compared to products that do not meet EPEAT criteria, the 82 EPEAT registered electronics purchased by DEA Chicago Field Division in 2016 will result in environmental impact reductions including:

  • Reduce use of primary materials by 6.9 metric tons, equivalent to the weight of an elephant
  • Avoid the disposal of 60 kg of hazardous waste, equal to half the weight of a refrigerator
  • Eliminate the equivalent of one U.S. household’s solid waste for a month—151 kg
  • Avoidance of 1.1 metric tons of water pollutant emissions

 

Energy-Related Savings
EPEAT’s requirement that registered products meet the latest ENERGY STAR specifications means these products will consume less energy throughout their useful life, resulting in:

  • Savings of 19,720 kWh of electricity—enough to power a U.S. home for 18 months
  • Reduction of 3.4 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions— equivalent to taking 2.5  average U.S. passenger cars off the road for a year
  • $2,032 in lifetime cost savings

*EPEAT Purchasing Tier indicates how many EPEAT categories are specified in the organization’s purchasing agreements