Introduction
The City of Santa Monica has updated the procurement process for
custodial/maintenance products allowing the City to better evaluate the overall worker
health and environmental impacts associated with their use. This program is
consistent with and integral to Santa Monica's Sustainable City Program. For each
product submitted for consideration, the vendor must complete a Product Reporting Form
(see below) with appropriate back-up documentation attached by staple in the upper left
corner. Documentation for training can be submitted as a separate attachment. Please find
enclosed the following materials:
I. General Guidelines
A.
Documentation Guidelines
B. Product
categories requested in the bid
C. Product
performance testing program
D. Product
specification description
II. Reporting Form Instructions
A. Pass-Fail
Section
B. Relative
Ranking Section
III. Reporting
Forms
A. Custodial
Product Reporting Forms
B. Employee
Training Form
C. Other Attributes
Form
The City encourages you to participate in this innovative
opportunity to help safeguard
the health of our employees, the community, and the environment.
An informational bidder’s conference is scheduled to be held on -- at --. All Bidders are strongly urged to attend this meeting.
A) Documentation Guidelines
When submitting documents to the City of Santa Monica, vendors are
required to
comply with the following guidelines:
* All copies shall be printed on recycled and/or tree free paper.
* All copies shall be double-sided.
* Report covers or binders shall be recyclable, use of plastic covers or
dividers should be avoided.
* Unnecessary attachments or documents not specifically asked for
should not be submitted. Avoid superfluous use of paper (e.g. separate
title sheets or chapter dividers).
These guidelines were developed as part of Santa Monica’s Sustainable City Program to promote waste reduction and resource conservation within the community. Thank you for your cooperation in this important effort.
B) Product Categories
The following is a list of product categories the City requires for custodial purposes. Each product submitted must be identified with one of these categories.
All Purpose
Cleaner
Glass and Window Cleaner
Bathroom
Cleaner
Deodorizer
Liquid Hand
Soap
Lime and Scale Remover
Degreaser/Cleaner
Carpet Shampoo (rotary brush)
Furniture
Polish
Chrome Polish/Cleaner
Graffiti Remover
Brass Polish/Cleaner
Floor Finish
Disinfectant
Floor Stripper
Enzymatic Cleaner/Degreaser
Wood Floor Wax/Cleaner
Solvent Spotter/Gum Remover
It is desirable that vendors be able to supply the greatest number
of products listed above meeting the health and environmental
specifications. Vendors of single products are
encouraged to partner with other manufacturers or distributors to maximize the City’s administrative convenience.
C) Product Performance Testing
After the products in each category have been assigned a point
score, the City will
determine the number of most favorably scored products to be tested
for their performance. The City will request samples
from the supplier, from 3 one pint bottles up to 3 one gallon
bottles depending on the application. City custodians will test each of the products on the job and will rank each product according to its
performance. City staff will use this ranking to make a
short list from which to evaluate the cost consideration and
administrative convenience of the product or product line. Those products which rate the most favorably will be approved for purchase by
all City departments.
D) Product Specification Description
The City has compiled a set of specifications (see below) that will be used to evaluate the environmental and health impacts of various cleaning products which the City will be considering for purchase. The specifications require the supplier to submit a wide range of specific information regarding such elements as product chemical characteristics, packaging, and training capabilities. The specifications are divided into two groups: 1) mandatory or pass/fail, and 2)relative ranking. It is the responsibility of the bidder to make sure that all the requested information is included in the submitted bid package.
Pass-Fail Section: Products which do not meet the mandatory specifications or for which the appropriate information has not been submitted will be disqualified from further consideration.
Relative Ranking Specifications: The information submitted by the bidder will be used to assign a point value for each specification for purposes of calculating a cumulative score for each product. The greater the point score the more favorable the product. If any information in the relative ranking section is missing or incomplete the product will be assigned the least favorable score for that specification. For example, if no documentation is submitted on the product's pH, the product will receive 0 points for that specification. Products will be compared within an individual product category (i.e. floor strippers, glass/window cleaners).
Reporting Forms: These forms must be copied by the vendor and submitted for each product under consideration. The Training and Other Attribute forms do not have to be duplicated for each product category, a single copy of each is all that is required from each vendor.
II. Reporting Form Instructions
When One Product Is Intended For Use In More Than One Product Category: If a single product fulfills more than one category (i.e. can serve as a glass cleaner and as an all purpose cleaner for walls etc.) then all appropriate categories should be listed on the top of the Product Reporting Form. One set of Product Reporting Forms and associated back-up documentation should be submitted in the bid package for a product that meets several categories.
Proprietary Information
The City is requesting full disclosure of all contents including
both inert and active ingredients in the proposed
products. Any and all information submitted to the City for purposes of rating the acceptability of a proposed product shall be
treated as proprietary and maintained in the strictest
confidence.
A) Pass Fail Section:
Please note that failure to meet the standards of any of the pass-fail criteria listed below will lead to the automatic rejection of that product. In addition, failure to submit responses to any pass-fail criteria will render your bid for that product as “unresponsive” and lead to the rejection of that product.
1. SARA Title III, Sect. 313
No ingredient shall require reporting under EPA’s Superfund
Amendments and Re- authorization Act (SARA Title III, Section
313). The ingredients requiring reporting under this
act represent some of the most acutely toxic chemicals used in cleaning products. The City believes that these aggressive chemicals are no
longer required in most cleaning product categories and seeks
to protect the health of its workers by minimizing exposure
to the chemicals. Floor care products and metal polishes are exempted from this mandatory criteria.
Acceptable response - If all ingredients over trace amounts are not listed on the msds than a certification from the product manufacturer will be required.
2. Disinfectants In Cleaners
No cleaners shall contain disinfectants. Because
proper/adequate disinfection of a surface requires that the
surface be cleaned prior to disinfecting, the City wishes to separate
out the cleaning and disinfecting processes. Eliminating disinfectants from all
purpose, bathroom and floor cleaners will reduce the toxicity of
these products and will reduce the amount of disinfectant
chemicals used in City operations. A separate product
category for disinfectants is included separate from cleaners.
Acceptable response - if all ingredients over
trace amounts are not listed on the msds then a certification
from the product manufacturer will be required.
3. Aerosol Cans
No products shall be delivered in aerosol cans. The City
believes that no aerosol container can be considered truly
empty of product and propellant. Recycling such partially
filled aerosol cans is extremely expensive and requires specially handling by hazardous waste technicians. All product categories must be
available in a non-aerosol formulation such as ready-to-use pump action sprays,
air-charged refillable containers, or concentrates that can
be dispensed into spray bottles for use.
Acceptable response - description of delivery system
4. Carcinogens, Mutagens, Teratogens
No ingredients can be classified as known or probable carcinogens,
teratogens, or mutagens on any of the following lists:
a.
California Safe Drinking Water And Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65),
CCR Title 22, Division 2, Subdivision 1, Chapter 3 Section 12000 et seq.)
b. National Toxicology Program (NTP)
c. International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Group 1, 2A or 2B
d. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulated carcinogen
While ingredients listed in the above documents are rare in today’s cleaning product formulations, the City wishes to eliminate them entirely from the products which are purchased for use in City operations. Such chronic toxins are no longer necessary for the efficacy of current cleaning technologies.
Acceptable response - reference on msds or certification by the manufacturer. (Note all the above lists must be addressed in your response).
5. APE’s
No products shall contain Alkyl phenyl ethoxylates (APE’s)
above trace amounts. The
City recognizes the potential danger to wildlife and humans when
hormonal mimics, such as APE’s are released into water
systems. Further, the persistence of the break down
products of APE’s make the issue of bio-accumulation a special concern and are
not consistent with the requirement for ready biodegradability.
Acceptable response - if all ingredients over
trace amounts are not listed on the msds then a certification
from the product manufacturer will be required.
6. Ozone Depleting Compounds
No products shall contain ozone depleting chlorinated
compounds. Section 5600-5609
of the Santa Monica Municipal Code bans the use and sale of products
containing chlorinated fluorocarbons.
Acceptable response - if all ingredients over trace amounts are not listed on the msds than a certification from the product manufacturer will be required
7. VOC’s
Products must meet or exceed the California Code of Regulations
(Article 2 Section 94509, Title 17 ) maximum allowable
Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) levels for appropriate
cleaning product categories. Because of concerns over air quality, the State of California regulates the VOC levels of various consumer
products. The City wishes to extend these thresholds to
all industrial use cleaning products.
Acceptable response - VOC levels must be stated
as a percent of VOC by weight at the minimum recommended
dilution and at the concentrate level. The dilution at which the %VOC content was calculated
must be submitted (i.e. at 50% dilution, %VOC was 5%, at
concentrate, %VOC was 8%). Note: For the bid to
be accepted, VOC levels must be reported in units of %, not
in grams per liter.
Appropriate test methods and legal limits can be found in the
California Code of
Regulations, Title 17. Contact the State of California’s
Air Resources Board for further
clarification if needed (916) 327-1503.
8. Biodegradability
All surfactants and other organic chemical ingredients must meet the
Organization for
Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) definition of Readily
Biodegradable.
The City wishes to protect the ocean habitat which supports the
local economy and quality of life for residents and,
therefore, is concerned with the environmental fate of chemicals
used in City operations.
Acceptable response - independent lab results achieving the following parameters on one of the following tests:
DOC Die-Away
Test
60% Theoretical CO2 Evolution
MITI I
Test
60% Theoretical Oxygen Demand
Closed Bottle
Test
60% Theoretical Oxygen Demand
CO2 Evolution
Test
60% Theoretical CO2 Evolution
Modified OECD Screening Test 70% Dissolved Organic
Carbon
Manimetric Respirometry Test 60%
Theoretical Oxygen Demand
These values must be met within 10 days of reaching 10% and must also be met within 28 days of the beginning of the test.
Requirements for simulation tests as substitutes for the above
tests are available from the OECD or the EPA. The
acceptability of these other tests will be decided on a
case-by-case basis.
NOTE: For disinfectants, the biocide ingredient is exempt from this
criteria.
B) Relative Ranking Section:
Because a single set of criteria can not be developed for all
product categories the
following characteristics will be judged on a relative ranking
basis. Point scores will be
assigned to each criteria that are reflective of the City’s
priorities concerning protection
of human health and that of the environment. The higher the
score the more favorable
the evaluation. If no documentation is included in the bid
packet to address a criteria,
the product will be automatically awarded the lowest or least
favorable score for that
criteria.
Again, the criteria relate to either whole product or each
individual ingredient present in
greater than trace amounts in the concentrate formulation
(formulation as delivered to
the City).
9. Lethal Doses
As defined by the California Code of Regulations, Chapter 11,
Article 3, Section 66261.24:
Whole product LD50(oral) prefer > 5,000 mg/kg.
Whole product LD50 (skin) prefer > 4,300 mg/kg
Whole product LC50 (inhalation) prefer > 10,000 parts per million
If no whole product data is available then data must be provided for each ingredient present in the concentrate in over trace amounts. While such lethal dose values do not always translate neatly from animal to human systems, the City believes that they provide a readily accessible means of comparing the acute toxicity of various products. By selecting products with higher lethal dose levels, the City will better safeguard the health of workers coming in daily contact with these chemicals.
Acceptable response - reference on msds or certification by product manufacturer or independent lab.
10. Product pH
Identify the pH of the whole product in concentrate form. The
City is concerned over
the exposure of City Staff to potentially corrosive chemicals and
wishes to reduce the likelihood of on-the job injury.
Acceptable response - msds or certification from manufacturer.
11. Skin Irritation Index
Identify the primary dermal irritation index (PDII) for whole
product when possible, and
in concentrate form. The City is concerned over the exposure
of City Staff to potentially
irritating chemicals and wishes to reduce exposure.
Acceptable responses:
A. Animal Testing
1). US Department of Transportation, 49CFR173.240
2). US EPA Acute Toxicity Testing Criteria for New Chemical Substances,
Office of Toxic Substances EPA Document 560/13-79-009
3). US CPSC, Federal Hazardous Substance Act Regulations, 16CFR1500.41
4). OECD Guidelines for Testing Chemicals, Section404, "Acute dermal
irritation/corrosion." Organisation for Economic Cooperation and
Development, 1981.
Human tests for skin irritation using the same index as is routine for animal tests (primary dermal irritation index) are generally acceptable. If these tests were performed for the manufacturer or by any entity connected with the manufacturer a copy of the original written Assurance that all testing was conducted in compliance with the regulations set forth in 45CFR46 regarding consent of human subjects must be provided.
B). Non-Animal Testing
Because there is no standard in vitro test for skin irritation which has proven to
predict irritation for all substances, in vitro tests predicting skin irritation will be
reviewed on a case-by-case basis. For these tests to be accepted they must be
referenced in peer-reviewed literature and the exact laboratory procedure, if it
differs from the published procedure, must be described. Documentation
supporting the choice of the particular test and why it is
the best one to use for
this particular product or ingredient must be included or
referenced.
Single ingredient testing is acceptable as long as it is submitted for ALL ingredients. If one ingredient is an irritant when tested singly but does not act as one in the product, a skin irritation test confirming this or a substantiated technical explanation showing the mechanism of action and reason for assumption of non-irritancy is required for points to be earned.
12. Eye Irritation
Irritation scores should be for whole product when possible, and in
the concentrate form. The City is concerned over the exposure
of City Staff to potentially irritating chemicals and wishes to reduce exposure.
Acceptable responses - Numerical scores or descriptive
classification scale (described in the NAS publication
"Principles and procedures for evaluating the toxicity of household substances") for severity of ocular lesions in the cornea, iris, and conjunctivae
for this product or for each ingredient using one of the
following test methods:
A) Animal Testing
1). J.H. Draize, G. Woodard and H.O.
Calvery, `Method for the study of
irritation
and toxicity of substances applied topically to the skin and
mucous
membranes.' J. Pharmacol.Exp.Ther., 1944, v. 82, pp. 337-390.
2). US EPA Acute Toxicity Testing Criteria
for New Chemical Substances,
Office of
Toxic Substances EPA Document 560/13-79-009
3). US CPSC, Federal Hazardous Substance
Act Regulations, 16CFR1500.42
4). OECD Guidelines for Testing Chemicals,
Section 404, "Acute dermal
irritation/corrosion." Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, 1981.
5). US Intra-agency Regulatory Liaison
Group, `Testing Standards and
Guidelines
Working Group, Recommended Guidelines,' 1981.
6). National Research Council (US)
Committee on Toxicology, `Principles and procedures
for
evaluating the toxicity of household substances,' (#1138) Washington, DC, 1964.
B) Non Animal Testing: see for dermal irritation.
Single
ingredient testing: see dermal irritation.
13. Flash Point
Identify the flash point (in degrees Fahrenheit) of the product
concentrate using any method outlined in Department of
Transportation regulations CFR 173.120. Chemicals are
stored and used in a wide variety of circumstances. To protect against potential
fire hazards, the City prefers chemicals with a higher flash point.
Acceptable Response: msds or
certification from independent. The answer of “none” is not acceptable.
14. Dyes
Identify all added dyes and state whether or note they are
considered food-grade. The
City considers the addition of dye and fragrances superfluous to
product performance and recognizes the potential hazard
associated with some of these additives. The City prefers
that product identification for users be through a clear labeling system rather than by chemical additives.
Acceptable response - msds or certification from manufacturer
15. Added Fragrances
Identify any added fragrances and state whether or note they are
considered food- grade. (Note: does not include the natural
fragrance that may result from active ingredients). See
Dyes criteria for justification.
Acceptable response - msds or certification from manufacturer
16. % VOC’s
List whole product %VOC for product concentrate and minimum
recommended dilution.
See pass/fail section for guidance. Because of the unique air
quality concerns of the Los Angeles air basin, and the link
between VOC’s and air pollution, the City wishes to purchase
products with the lowest VOC levels possible.
17. Dilution range
List the range of relevant dilutions for this product from heavy
duty cleaning to daily use. (i.e. heavy duty cleaning use full strength, daily use dilute
1 part product to 5 parts water). To reduce the amount
of packaging consumed by City Operations, the City wishes to
purchase the most concentrated formulations available for each product category.
18. Product Container Material
Identify the type of material used in construction of the product
container. If plastic, list
the numbered type of plastic (i.e. #1-7). The City wishes to
maximize its recycling opportunities by purchasing plastics
of the types #1-5.
19. Aquatic Toxicity
Provide a measure of the aquatic toxicity for the product or its
ingredients. The City is
situated adjacent to the Santa Monica Bay and seeks to protect this
habitat from potential environmental toxicants.
Acceptable measures include EC50: Daphnia, fish, or algae. Include certification letter from independent lab listing values and test used.
20. Employee Training
The City believes that an effective training program is central to
the success of using
environmentally preferable products. The City will look for
vendors who can supply a
quality training effort and be accessible to trouble shoot problem
applications.
Describe the level of employee training available to City and
contract staff regarding
the use of your products. Complete section entitled
“Employee Training” once. A separate form is
not required for each product submitted for consideration.
In order to receive points for this criterion, bidders must complete the questions listed on the Training Information Form. If this form is not included or is left blank, a score of 0 points for this criterion will be awarded to each product submitted for consideration. Only a single copy of this information is necessary, attach additional sheets if needed.
21. Other Attributes
The City recognizes that there may be attributes of the product that
will help to assess
environmental preferability other than the ones listed in these
specifications. For example, equipment or a specific
tool may be available from your company that improves the
efficacy of the product and so helps to replace the need for aggressive chemicals. Another example might be an effective labeling program
for refillable squirt bottles that will help the user to
identify the product on a shelf and so make the use of dyes
or other additives unnecessary. In addition, your company may be participating
in noteworthy community additives around habitat preservation or
environmental justice. Or perhaps your manufacturing
facility has an exemplary energy/water efficiency design or a
waste reduction program.
Identify any other attributes of the product or manufacturer that
may assist in the evaluation of the environmental
preferability of your bid. No specific point value will be awarded to this information. The use of this information will be at
the discretion of the evaluation committee acting on behalf of the City of Santa
Monica. Complete section entitled “Other
Environmental Attributes” only once, a separate form is not required for each product submitted for consideration. Relevant attachments may
be stapled to this form.
III. Reporting Forms
A) Custodial Product Reporting Form
B) Relative Ranking Section
C) Employee Training Form
D) Other Attributes Form
For reporting forms and further information on bid specs in general, please contact the Environmental Programs Division at (310) 458-2255.
Updated November 3, 1998.