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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRESPONSE - RFP - P867 SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMSustainability Management System for The City of Fort Collins* Prepared for Prepared by www.brendlegroup.com In Response to RFP Number P-867 November 25, 2002 Paper stock recycled fibers. Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Brian Dunbar, Director Institute for the Built Environment Colorado State University Brian Dunbar is director of the Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) and faculty member in Construction Management at Colorado State University. Professor Dunbar holds a bachelors and a masters degree in architecture from the University of Michigan. He has 18 years of teaching and research experience coupled with 7 years of professional practice. Brian's teaching, research publications, and project work focuses on environmentally sustainable design and construction materials, methods, and systems. Through IBE, Brian has guided sustainable charrettes, National Park Service conferences, LEED building projects, graduate courses and thesis work on green building, and the Maho Bay Sustainable Building courses and chanrettes on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands. Tamera Bedford National Environmental Performance Track Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Region VIII Ms. Bedford has held a wide range of positions for the State of Colorado and now for the US Environmental Protection Agency. At the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment she managed the SARA Title III/Toxic Release Inventory Program for over four years, worked in the Pollution Prevention Program for five years, and developed and then ran the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program for three years. She also developed a set of environmental indicators the department uses to measure its environmental protection and remediation efforts. Since February 2001 she has been working for the US Environmental Protection Agency on the National Environmental Performance Track Program. The Performance Track Program is designed to recognize and encourage top environmental performers those who go beyond compliance with regulatory requirements to attain levels of environmental performance and management that benefit people, communities, and the environment. Tamera has a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from Michigan State University and an M.S. in Public Policy from the University of Denver. She is also a certified ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems auditor. 2.2 Available Resources To complement the expertise of the assembled team, The Brendle Group will draw on the experience and information available through other resources to assist in the SMS development efforts, including: 1. Designing a Sustainability Management System using The Natural Step Framework, Susan Burns. ISO 14001: Case Studies and Practical Experiences, edited by Ruth Hillary. Sheffield, United Kingdom: Greenleaf Publishing, 2001, Pp 342 - 357. 2. Combining ISO 14001 and The Natural Step, Susan Bums and Dorie Kranz. 3. Compass for Environmental Management Systems by Susan Burns. The Natural Step for Business: Wealth, Ecology and the Evolutionary Corporation, ed. Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare. Gabriola Island, BC: New Society Publishers, 1999. Pp. 169-185. 4. Towards a Sustainability Management for APEGBC: A blueprint for a SMS with an action plan, The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia. September 2000. 5. Measuring the Distance Between Today and Tomorrow: Metrics for the Sustainability Management System, Edward Quevedo, WSP Environmental North America, Inc. Presentation to The 2001 MSWG National EMS Workshop, Philadelphia, PA, June 2001. 6. The SIGMA Guidelines: Sustainability Management System, Is' Exposure, The Sigma Project 2000. November 2000. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 8 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins 7. Metro Environmental Audit and Sustainability Management System, Axis Performance Advisors, Inc. Portland, OR. June 2001. 3. Availability and Motivation Availability is a key strength for the proposed project team, primarily due to its local geographic proximity. The team is available to begin work immediately and able to fully support this SMS project at the level of effort indicated in Section 4. Furthermore, the team is flexible and could increase project efforts beyond the estimated level of effort, as deemed appropriate by NRD. Motivation is also a key strength for the proposed project team. As previously stated, the majority of members on the proposed team are Ft Collins residents and would be greatly motivated and vested in an effort that will establish the local community as a national leader in the SMS arena for municipal governments. Not only are the Fort Collins team members very familiar with the economic and community components of the effort, all have previously completed work with NRD and other City departmental staff. Furthermore, The Brendle Group is strongly motivated by this project because it is highly congruent with our core capabilities and featured services. 4. Cost and Work Hours The Brendle Group staff labor rates and subconsultant rates are outlined below. The majority of the work would be completed by Judy Dorsey, Principal Engineer and Julie Sieving, Senior Engineer. Junior staff would be used to research specific sustainability measures such as building technologies and materials. Editing and word processing would be used to develop project deliverables. Staff Labor Rates Principal Engineer $85/hour Senior Engineer $75/hour Engineer $50/hour Engineer Intern $40/hour Technical Editor $35/hour Word Processor $25/hour Sub -Consultants Labor Rates SMS adviser $200/hour Charrette facilitator $70/hour EPA EMS/Performance Track In -kind The cyclic, but ever expanding approach we describe in Section 1.1 is intended to provide flexibility in terms of managing available City funds (among other reasons). For rough planning purposes, we estimate the tasks described in Section 1.3 would take an approximate level of effort equivalent to 1-2 people working quarter to half time for six to nine months. This translates to between 500 and 1200 hours to write the SMS (including host a char ette), implement a pilot project, and review and revise the SMS, including identification of funding sources. Assuming an average labor rate (including sub -consultants) of $80/hour, this translates to a project cost of $40,000 to $96,000. These figures could be further refined if access to the sustainability inventory and draft EMS were made available, as well as a more specific project schedule and scope. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 9 Sustainabiliity Management System for the City of Fort Collins 5. Firm Capabilities The Brendle Group The Brendle Group is a small, woman -owned environmental consulting firm specializing in sustainable business practices through energy efficiency, sustainable design and pollution prevention. Ms. Judy Dorsey, The Brendle Group's principal engineer and founding owner, has over ten years of experience in environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. She is a licensed Professional Engineer (PE) and a Certified Energy Manager (CEM). Ms. Dorsey is backed by a staff of engineers with over 100 energy efficiency and pollution prevention assessments conducted between them. In addition, The Brendle Group often partners with other energy and environmental consultants, and is known for its ability to build interdisciplinary teams to tackle any sized project. The Brendle Group's primary service areas are: sustainable design, energy efficiency, and pollution prevention. Example services in each category are highlighted in the following chart. However, The Brendle Group prides itself on integrated approaches to environmental management that incorporate all three service areas, as well as other important environmental strategies such as Environmental Management Systems, industrial ecology, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Example Services Sustainable Design I I Energy Efficiency I I Pollution Prevention Policy and Goals Assessments Assessments Program Planning Pre -Feasibility Studies Implementation Plans Training Measurement and Tracking Program Development Design Guidelines Pilot Projects Training and Communications Specifications Workshops Workshops Pilot Projects Demand Side Management Measurement and Tracking Education and Awareness Pilot Projects Green Purchasing (Affirmative Procurement) We are located in Fort Collins and have conducted a number of past projects for the City of Fort Collins relevant to sustainability, including: • Energy Assessments of Ft Collins Municipal Buildings (2001) • P2 audits of five city departments (1999) • Cities for Climate Protection Campaign, Local Action Plan (1998) • New Source Review — Sustainable Design Outreach to Developers (1999) • City of Ft Collins Climatewise Program (ongoing) • Brownfields Redevelopment Program (2002) Compared to other sustainability service providers, we feel we are further uniquely qualified in these ways: 1. Combined experience in program development and technical capabilities 2. Combined experience in energy and environmental arenas 3. Municipality related work experience 4. Fund Raising In terms of fund raising, we have assisted several clients with securing external funding for their programs by helping them to identify and write grants. In particular, we have assisted or led successful grant -writing efforts for the following projects: • City of Fort Collins, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) grant to write the GHG Local Action Plan • City of Fort Collins, Colorado Governor's Pollution Prevention Advisory Board (PPAB) grant to supplement the Climate Wise program • City of Fort Collins, PPAB grant to host a sustainable design workshop The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 10 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins • Colorado Springs School District 11, PPAB grant to implement sustainable design • Colorado Springs School District 11, Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation (OEMC) grant for high performance schools • Northeast Metro P2 Alliance, Strategic Environmental Project Pipeline (StEPP) grant to provide energy audits for small businesses (pending) • Weld County School District 6, StEPP grant to augment bond with energy efficiency upgrades (pending) We have extensive and direct project experience in what we consider to be the three core capabilities required to best address the RFP: 1. Policy and Program Development 2. Technical Evaluation and Analysis 3. Team Facilitation and Group Learning Attachment 1 contains a list of recent projects in these three areas. References are provided in Attachment 2. Natural Strategies LLC Natural Strategies is one of the leading consultants in the emerging area of environmental management and planning for sustainability. Because sustainability and its application to business is a new and emerging concept, very few consultants have actual hands-on experience integrating sustainability frameworks, such as The Natural Step, with traditional environmental management systems. In addition, Natural Strategies' partner, Mathis Wackernagel of Redefining Progress, is the original developer of The Ecological Footprint. Natural Strategies has also been in the forefront of the international dialogue on metrics and integrating sustainability with business management and corporate strategy, with compliance systems, and with traditional EH&S management. Their staff comes from traditional business management realms and develops realistic strategies that work in real business situations. Natural Strategies have worked to implement "sustainability management systems" at Mitsubishi Electric America, Genencor International, Inc. and other companies employing traditional management systems, such as Ford Motor Company, Best Washington Linen & Supply, Inc. and Hess Oil. In addition, they have over 15 years of experience delivering interactive, motivating strategic planning sessions and training programs and have extensive experience with facilitation. Attachment 2 contains a listing of example projects relevant to this RFP. Colorado State University Institute for the Built Environment The Institute for the Built Environment (IBE) at Colorado State University is a multidisciplinary research institute whose mission is to foster stewardship and sustainability of the built environment through research based, interdisciplinary educational forums. Faculty, students, and practitioners from the related fields of design, planning, engineering and construction collaborate on design charrettes, sustainable materials and methods research, and LEED green building guidance. Past and current project clientele include the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, Poudre R-1 School District, American Institute of Architects, and the U.S. Green Building Council. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 11 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Attachment 1. Letter of Support — National Environmental Performance Track Program The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 12 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Air UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY REGION 8 99918' STREET - SUITE 300 DENVER, CO 80202-2466 Phone 800-227-8917 hf1n-/Mrww.Pna.anv1"inn0R November 22, 2002 Mr. James B. O'Neill II City of Fort Collins Purchasing Division 215 N. Mason Street Fort Collins, CO 80521 Dear Mr. O'Neill: Subject: RFP P-867, Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins I am writing you today to provide my full support for the proposal being submitted to you by The Brendle Group in reference to the above mentioned RFP. First, I would like to commend the City of Fort Collins for proposing such an ambitious and forward -thinking project such as the development of a Sustainability Management System (SMS). I have been working with diverse groups on Environmental Management Systems (EMS) for quite some time. While EMSs are good at getting people to look at issues such as pollution prevention and continuous improvement, because of their voluntary nature and the current standards they fail at the setting of aggressive environmental goals. An SMS seems to offer the opportunity to take EMSs to the next level, and it is wonderful to see a city in Colorado stepping out into a leadership role. I believe that no other consulting firm in the country is better positioned to help the City with the development of an SMS than the Brendle Group. I have had the good fortune of working with 'The Brendle Group, and specifically Ms. Judy Dorsey, for over five years. The Brendle Group's strengths lie in its high degree of technical expertise, ability to pull together strong teams, and commitment to making this world a better place. The Brendle Group has a diverse portfolio of successful past projects, some of which were done with the City of Fort Collins. I believe that the Brendle Group's technical capabilities, experience in working with the City of Fort Collins, and investment in the community on both a professional and personal level are unique strengths which should not be overlooked. It is without hesitation that I encourage you to give The Brendle Group's proposal your highest degree of consideration. Sincerely, /f . A�-e4 Tamera A. Bedford Administrator, National Environmental Performance Track Program U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 0 Printed on Receded Paper The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 13 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Attachment 2. Example Projects - The Brendle Group Policy and Program Development 2001-2002: Environmental Conditions and Directions Studv Through funding from the Governor's Pollution Prevention Advisory Board (PPAB), managed a multidisciplinary team to evaluate and prioritize the State of Colorado's primary environmental issues. The purpose of the study was to prioritize future pollution prevention strategies by compiling environmental data across media and sectors, establishing data benchmarks and gaps. 2001-2002: Colorado Springs School District 11 Currently facilitating the district's green team in development of their sustainable design program and process for the construction of new facilities and renovation of existing structures, including specific tasks of performance goals specification, best practices guidance on design team selection, and creation of the school district's Sustainable Design Guidelines, gap analysis and implementation plan documents. Awarded supplemental funding for effort through Colorado's Pollution Prevention Advisory Board and Colorado's Office of Energy Conservation and Management. 2001: Sustainable Slopes: Environmental Charter for the Ski hidustry Provided contract support to the National Ski Areas Association in developing an assessment tool to measure progress by endorsing ski resorts to the industry's environmental charter. The tool monitors progress of over 76 endorsing resorts to more than 200 best environmental practices for ski are operations. Assisted NSAA with compiling and analyzing results for its first annual report and with compiling over 200 case studies of principles in place at ski areas nation-wide. 2002: Greenhouse Gas Inventory and Prop -ram Development - City of Boulder Worked with city staff to quantify existing and proposed greenhouse gas inventories, as well as recommend future strategies for city government, residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. 2000: Poudre School District Developed the school district's Sustainable Design Guidelines for the construction of new facilities and renovation of existing structures. Provided input to technical and educational specifications for a new elementary school prototype. 2000: City of Fort Collins Benchmarked other City's approaches to promoting sustainable design, preparing recommendations for the City. Developed a resource binder to be provided to contractors during project planning phases and City review. 1999-2002: Argonne National Laborator +L(ANL) Ongoing sustainable design support, including annual training, for ANL's Facilities Engineering and Construction Department (FEC). Developed website and associated documents for internal sustainable design program, examining policy drivers, ANL sustainable design history, case studies and internal/external resources. Conducted a gap analysis comparing existing design practices with DOE guidance; created a sustainable design implementation plan for the Facilities Engineering Construction (FEC) department; developed a reference for engineers to select and specify environmentally preferable building products and construction methods. 1998: Cities for Climate Protection - City of Fort Collins Worked with city staff to quantify existing and proposed greenhouse gas mitigation strategies within the city government as well as residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. Mitigation strategies focused on methane and carbon dioxide reductions through pollution prevention and energy efficiency. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 14 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Technical Evaluation and Analysis 2002: Energy Assessments of Municipal Buildings As a consultant to Platte River Power Authority, conducted energy -efficiency assessments of municipal buildings for the City of Longmont (Colorado). Information directly provided to municipal staff for incorporation of projects into annual budgeting. 2002: Energy Assessments of Religious Facilities As a consultant to Platte River Power Authority, conducted energy assessments for 2 local religious institutions. Issues focused on very practical measures that were low cost and/or related to operation and maintenance. 2001: Energy Assessments of Municipal Buildings Conducted energy assessments of 10 City of Fort Collins municipal buildings including: City hall, two community centers, fleet services, police services, office buildings, performing arts center, library, museum, and indoor swimming pool. 2000 - 2001: City of Fort Collins Climate Wise Program Responsible for providing energy efficiency and pollution prevention technical support to the businesses participating in this voluntary program (20 and growing). The businesses represent a range of industrial and commercial sectors including breweries, manufacturing, schools, and retail. 2001: On -Site Assessments for Colorado Surface Coaters Provided on -site Energy Efficiency and Pollution Prevention assessments of 16 Colorado surface coating facilities including fiberglass manufacturing, structural steel, paperboard, plastic injection molding, furniture finishing, electronic enclosures, metal finishing, and miscellaneous metal parts and products. 1999: City of Fort Collins — Internal P2 Program Provided pollution prevention assessments for five city departments: Parks, Streets, Fleet Services, Transfort, and Facility Services 2000: Mark Twain Homes Conducted a pollution prevention assessment of this residential home builder's construction practices; created a plan for increasing environmental features in homes and developing a "green" marketing strategy to target environmentally conscious home buyers. 1998 — 2002: City of Boulder Provide annual review of the City's voluntary Pollution Prevention program. Monitoring progress by participating businesses towards stated goals and measuring overall program achievements. Team Facilitation and Group Leaming 2002: Pollution Prevention Manufacturers' Workshop Currently assisting the City of Boulder's Office of Environmental Affairs with developing and conducting a''/z- day workshop for Boulder manufacturing companies. The goals of the workshop are to motivate, educate, recruit, and network manufacturers within the City of Boulder to promote continuing improvement in pollution prevention efforts. 2001 • "Environmental Compliance and Beyond for CO Surface Coaters: improving Performance and Profits" The Brendle Group developed this one -day workshop for Colorado Surface Coaters sponsored by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Air Pollution Control Division. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 15 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins 2001: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) Prepared and delivered a 1-day training course to Facilities Engineering and Construction (FEC) departmental staff on the sustainable design program that The Brendle Group helped ANL to develop and implement (see project description above). Wrote an award nomination for ANL to be recognized for their work in the area of sustainable design. The nomination was selected for award and top ANL management members were invited to Washington D.C. to receive honors from top government officials. 1998-1999: Poudre River Charrette The Brendle Group was responsible for event planning for two pollution prevention charrettes sponsored by the City of Fort Collins. The charrettes promoted sharing and collaboration among P2 practitioners statewide. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 16 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Attachment 3. References — The Brendle Group To assist in evaluation of The Brendle Group, the following references are offered. All listed individuals have specific project experience with The Brendle Group that is relevant to this proposed SMS effort. Reference Relevant Project Gary Schroeder 2001: Energy Assessments of (Fort Collins) Energy Services Engineer Municipal Buildings City of Fort Collins Utilities 700 Wood Street PO Box 580 Fort Collins CO 80522-0580 (970)221-6395 (970)221-6619 fax gschroedeEgci.fort-collins.co.us Cynthia Peterson 2001-2002: (Colorado) Environmental President, Colorado Pollution Prevention Conditions and Directions Study Advisory Board League of Women Voters, CO Education Fund Project Manager, Colorado Water Protection 1410 Grant St. #B204 Denver, CO 80203 (303)861-5195 (303) 932-9344 fax cwpp2@aol.com Thomas Fernandez 2001-2002: CO Springs School District I 1 Energy Manager Colorado Springs School District 11 5240 Geiger Blvd Colorado Springs CO 80915 (719)477-6011 (719)477-6065 fax fernatom@d I Lorg Sarah Van Pelt 2002: Pollution Prevention Manufacturers' Environmental Specialist Pollution Prevention Workshop City of Boulder 1300 Canyon Road 1998 — 2002: City of Boulder Annual Boulder CO 80306 Voluntary Pollution Prevention Program Review (303)441-1914 (303)4414070 fax 2002: City of Boulder Greenhouse Gas VanPeltSgci.boulder.co.us Inventory and Program Development The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 17 Confidentiality Statement In developing this proposal, confidential information has been developed by The Brendle Group through the investment of significant time, effort and expense. The confidential information is a valuable, special and unique asset of The Brendle Group and needs to be protected from improper disclosure. In consideration for the disclosure of the Confidential Information, the City of Fort Collins shall hold in confidence and not disclose the contents of this proposal to any person or entity without the prior written consent of The Brendle Group. This proposal may not be used in whole or in part by the City for any other purpose other than evaluating response to RFP Number P-867. Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Attachment 4. Example Projects — Natural Strategies ISO 14001 and Sustainability Management Systems Mitsubishi Electric Corporation: Provided training, advice and implementation support in aligning the company's practices with its strategic vision for environmental excellence. Facilitated an ISO 14001 implementation process with representatives of five manufacturing plants by providing training and guidance during regular committee meetings. Trained top managers in ecological principles and facilitated a consensus building process at all levels of the company. Facilitated communication between managers in the U.S., and at headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. Developed a unified reporting system and measurement tools to track environmental performance and improvements. Genencor International, Inc. — Training in Sustainability & Development of SMSs for on -going improvement in sustainabitity: Former Natural Strategies Principal, Charles McGlashan, led a project to develop comprehensive sustainability management systems in nine facilities worldwide. Utilized the Natural Step as a framework defining sustainability, for developing visions and plans, and for the organization of management systems. Management systems include environmental aspects, health and safety issues, labor fairness, operating efficiency, stakeholder communications, and cultural interventions. Systems will incorporate requirements for ISO 14001, EMAS, SA 8000, the GRI and BS-8800. Facilitated development of implementation curriculum, wrote and presented Natural Step and systems development modules, and providing plant support during systems development. Corporate and Site metrics for all aspects of sustainability are in development. US Army: Designing the Architecture for an Army -Wide Sustainability Management System Working with a team of policy, EMS, sustainability, strategy and compliance specialists to design the overall architecture of the Army's SMS. To do this we are reviewing the Army's current strategic and environmental programs, providing training in sustainability practices, and are conducting a 2 day working session with key individuals to design the system. The project will conclude with a white paper, tool box and how-to guide to help installations nation wide implement SMSs. The Mendocino Companies: Developed strategy for sustainability. Developing Natural Step training methods, management systems and plans for implementing sustainability in the company's forest and mill operations. Future activities include training of executive management, implementation of plans, and design of sustainability programs throughout the company. The Natural Step, Ecological Footprint and other SustainabiNy Frameworks Baxter Healthcare Corporation: Facilitated a sustainable development forum to build consensus among managers as to how sustainable development approaches could benefit Baxter. After the forum, a task force was established to promote sustainability within the company. The sustainability effort is now supported by the CEO and coordinated at the Vice President level. Baxter managers attribute much of their success to Natural Strategies' role in helping to launch the initiative. University of Texas -Health Science Center, TNS Training, Houston: Natural Strategies led bi-monthly training seminars in The Natural Step for employees of and vendors to the University of Texas Health Science Center. The TNS framework is highlighted, as are case examples of businesses and municipalities using TNS to make their operations sustainable. Outcomes from these training sessions have been numerous and diverse, and include: the incorporation of green building design and materials attributes in the new School of Nursing; a replacement of petroleum based pesticides with Integrated Pest Management practices for landscaping needs; dispensation of composting bins for all interested faculty and employees; installation of a photovoltaic array on the rooftop of the main The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 18 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins administration building; and an outdoor educational facility for staff and students that includes a restored wetland, with native plantings, and a windmill. City of Petaluma, CA — Using the Ecological Footprint to evaluate Wastewater Treatment Alternatives: Natural Strategies worked with Carollo Engineers to apply sustainability principles to evaluate alternatives for a wastewater treatment facility for The City of Petaluma, CA. The City required that treatment alternatives be evaluated using rigorous ecological principles. Natural Strategies developed an ecological evaluation process using both The Natural Step Framework and The Ecological Footprint. The TNS Framework was used to develop qualitative principles for evaluation, while the ecological footprint (measured in acres) of each treatment alternative was also calculated. The results of the project gave the City a clear understanding of the true ecological costs and benefits of each treatment alternative. J. OhWwn Consulting/Interface Carpets. In a partnership with J. Ottman Consulting, designed a questionnaire to measure employee's knowledge, attitudes and behaviors before and after The Natural Step training. Progressive Investment Management — Screening for Sustainability. Providing consultation and technical support to the research and analysis team which created a new sustainability driven mutual fund called "Portfolio 21". Natural Strategies has been instrumental in the development of the screening criteria and selection methodology used to evaluate companies for Portfolio 21. Through group facilitation and original research, Natural Strategies assisted in translating the principles of the Natural Step and other sustainability frameworks into a detailed set of criteria and a comprehensive scoring system. Natural Strategies brings to Portfolio 21 knowledge and expertise in the following areas: corporate sustainability research, benchmarking, best practices research, environmental management, corporate strategy and environmental reporting. The Natural Step —Curriculum Development for One -Day Workshops, Sausalito, CA: Steve Goldfinger, in 1997, then-TNS Director of Education and Susan Burns, Natural Strategies Principal, in collaboration with Paul Hawken, wrote the fast comprehensive one -day TNS workshop curriculum designed for use in the United States. It has since been revised and adapted for use in a growing number of countries. The curriculum includes a history and explanation of the Natural Step framework, the underlying scientific principles, how the framework in used in business, community and other settings, tools for applying the framework, and selected case studies. The one -day workshop usually includes presentation of this material along with carefully designed and facilitated group exercises that help participants grasp the material and learn to apply it in their individual context. UC-Berkeley, Haas School of Business: Natural Strategies taught an elective course on business sustainability for 2nd-year MBA candidates entitled "Environmental Strategies." The class uses business cases to demonstrate .that environmental issues increasingly create value and competitive advantage. The course covers all aspects of environmental management including audits, management systems, strategic planning, life -cycle analysis, industrial ecology, natural system economics, product and service design, and The Natural Step's framework for sustainability. Sustainability Indicators Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Development — Development of Sustainability Indicators: Worked on the Indicators Task Force from May 1998 — October 1999 (5/98 —11/98 as its Economics Caucus Chairman) to develop indicators for sustainability in the San Francisco Bay Area. Metrics included housing, access to resources, economic vitality, health, education, and environmental conditions of the entire Bay Area region. Led a multi -stakeholder group through workshops, planning meetings and events to choose indicators and revise them in partnership with groups, interests and the Alliance membership. Work is still in progress. Southern California Edison Company — Development of Indicators for Environmental Performance: Developing performance indicators across the spectrum of potential impacts to align incentive structures with environmental outcomes. Development of a single -metric Index to roll -up wide-ranging environmental The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 19 Sustainabil'ity Management System for the City of Fort Collins programs ranging from green purchasing to habitat protection. NSI has facilitated a series of workshops across all SCE disciplines to motivate and engage participants about the proposed approach, and achieved a broad consensus on steps forward. The resulting method includes a disciplined, systematic approach to measuring environmental performance and instituting continuous improvement across a range of metrics. This has been structured as a formal consensus -building process in the Company. Environmental Policy Lowe's Companies — Assisted in the adoption of a comprehensive wood products procurement policy designed to protect the world's forests. Natural Strategies provided strategic and technical advice on the many complex issues associated with this far-reaching policy. We also have an ongoing role in facilitating dialogue between the environmental and scientific communities, Lowe's vendors and other stakeholders. We continue to support Lowe's in the tracking and verification process as they implement their policy. Marin Conservation League: Facilitated strategic planning retreats for the development of a two- to four-year strategic plan. Provided environmental content expertise and facilitation to build focus and energy for the Board's vision for the organization. Marin County; Assistance in Update of the General Plan: Natural Strategies facilitates workshops for the County of Marin to solicit public input on ways to incorporate sustainability principles into an update of the General Plan. Components of the plan for which we have facilitated workshops include agriculture, transportation, housing, open space and equity. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 20 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Prepared by The Brendle Group Team December 16, 2002 Key Concepts of an SMS "Do the Right Thing and 2 "Do the Thing Right What is the Right Thing? Well ! help Fort Collins develop its own definition of sustainability How do you do the thing right2 With the structure of an EMS saiii Our Vision for the Project Practical • Build Upon Staff Groundwork -Coordinate With Ongoing City Activities Yet Innovative • Reflect Best Practices Nationally • Use Broad Experience -Base to Generate New and Creative Ideas Meet Our Team `�^-%-""""'`•' evelopmentlementationplementationable andted Designte REnvimnmenfal Facilitationmental and4 Cohesive Team with Subject AuditsMatter Expertise P2 Program Development 4 Cost -Effective Resource Mix Examples of Existing City Practices • Transportation Demand Management Programs • Alteroative Fueled Fleet Vehicles • LED Traffic Signals • Recycling and ongoing E2 in City Buildings • Increased City -Wide Tree Planting • Hydrogen Task Force • Wind Power for City Facilities • Heat Recovery from Wastewater Treatment • Asphalt Recycling Plant • Composting of Parks and Grounds Materials Our Approach Mirrors the SMS Process Damming Model SMS Project Approach 1. Plan 1. Develop SMS 2. Do —. 2. Implement Pilot Project(s) '%. Check/Act —• 3. Measure Progress/Refine SMS X Task 2. Implement Pilot Project Rationale E • Learn by doing • Explain by showing ' • Test the new SMS • Early wins are critical t • Matches City culture Possible Proiects • Green building demo • Refine building permit process • Sustainable purchasing program • Greening a City process Relevant Experience & Partner F,vn�E ➢ City of Fort Collins Projects P Architecture for Army -Wide SMS On -site review of Company EMS! e ➢ Fort Collins Environmental u` Learning Center Design Charrett Task 1. Develop SMS Design Parameters • Provides a definition of sustainability • Optimizes the triple bottom line • Comprehensive and integrated • Looks at past successes and lessons learned • Accounts for future growth Development Steps • Establish a team • Conduct gap analysis • Design Charrette — Define sustainabillty — Backcasting Exercise — Design SMS Architecture — Create/refine targets and metrics Task 3. Measure Progress/Refine SMS • Check progress against objectives • Strengthen the SMS • Set new objectives and targets in the coming year • Explore external funding In Closing... "nationwide sustainability leader among communities" • Locally based team • Direct experience with City staff, facilities, programs, and policies • We possess all the necessary skills • Best Value: resource mix, in -kind support, and supplemental funding potential 2 NATURAL STRATEGIES SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS SUCCESS Susan Burns "I find nothing more important - or daunting - than the quest for environmental sustainability. With experience, brainpower, and connections, Natural Strategies is blazing the trail, making it happen. l am forever looking to NS for inspiration, and I always find it." - Gretchen Daily, Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University, and author of Nature's Services Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Executive Summary This proposal provides the recommended approach and qualifications for The Brendle Group, Inc. to assist the Natural Resources Department (NRD) to design and implement a Sustainability Management System (SMS). Our team consists of Brendle Group staff and our subconsultants, Susan Burns of Natural Strategies LLC and Brian Dunbar from the Colorado State University Institute for the Built Environment. In addition, our proposal includes a letter of support from Tamera Bedford of the EPA Performance Track Program. Because of Performance Track's shared vision learning about and developing SMSs, they have agreed to contribute up to 96 hours of in -kind support to this project for an estimated value of $6,720. We feel our team is well qualified to perform the scope of work and that the approach we recommend would be an efficient use of project dollars. We have developed a proposed method to conduct the project, a network of people to draw upon, and a list of written guidance materials to assist us in the completion of the project. NRD has already made significant progress towards an SMS by completing an Environmental Management System (EMS) and a sustainability inventory. Under this project, we would help staff build upon that groundwork to convert the EMS into an SMS in a fashion that is well coordinated with city policies and programs, yet innovative and reflective of best practices in sustainability nation-wide. The Brendle Group Team is unique from other sustainability service providers because: • We are a local firm, allowing for easy communication and synergies with the local community; • We have direct experience with City staff, facilities, programs and policies; • We possess all the necessary skills including technical experience, expert knowledge of sustainability frameworks, and policy and program development experience; and • We have a proven track record helping clients to secure supplemental grant funding to meet their program goals. We estimate a project cost of $40,000 to $96,000 in order to: • Assemble a cross functional team to provide input into the SMS; • Conduct a gap analysis to determine any disparities between existing City programs and a full SMS; • Hold a design charrette with the team and other stakeholders to fill in any missing pieces; • Implement a pilot project to showcase sustainability; • Guide the City in the implementation of the rest of the SMS; and • Work with the City to review progress at the end of the year and to make revisions and improvements for the coming year. These figures could be further refined given access to the sustainability inventory and draft EMS, as well as a more specific project schedule and scope. We estimate the project would take six to twelve months to complete, with room for flexibility to meet City budget cycles and other relevant milestones. By incorporating the following features into the project, we believe that we are delivering a highly innovative and comprehensive response to the RFP: • A phased approach Following the Demming model of Plan -Do -Check -Act • Incorporation of Nationally recognized expertise and local leadership in SMS development • A consensus -based process, in the form of a design charrette, to gather the best ideas and build support for the program • The creation of a pilot project that can stimulate interest and show early progress The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 1 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins The remainder of this proposal is organized to follow the review and assessment criteria provided in the RFP. Proposal Outline Attachments Section 1. Project Scope and Approach Attachment 1. Letter of Support — National Environmental Section 2. Assigned Personnel/Resources Performance Track Program Section 3. Availability and Motivation Attachment 2. Example Projects — The Brendle Group Section 4. Cost and Work Hours Attachment 3. References — The Brendle Group Section 5. Firm Capability Attachment 4. Example Projects — Natural Strategies The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 2 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins 1. Project Scope and Approach 1.1 Project Description An Enhanced Version of the Draft EMS The RFP for this project suggests that the SMS can be an upgrade of the existing draft EMS or an original design. Based on our understanding of the City's accomplishments to date, this proposal recommends that the SMS be developed as an enhanced version of the draft EMS. The City has many of the major pieces of an SMS already in place. Our role would be to lay out existing pieces, find missing pieces and to integrate the programs into a cohesive whole. In particular, we would work with NRD staff to establish a standard definition of sustainability within the City, using benchmarks such as The Natural Step, Agenda 21, the CERES principles, and other frameworks that aim to develop core conditions of sustainability. The standard definition would then serve as the vision, while the EMS would serve as the vehicle for achieving the vision. Although an EMS provides a powerful system for managing change, by nature they have historically emphasized incremental continuous improvement. Enhancing the City's draft EMS into an SMS would allow the City to `think big' into the future at the same time it is making progress towards day -today incremental successes. Furthermore, the SMS would expand the EMS scope beyond environmental management to the `triple bottom line' of environment, economics, and social value. A Phased Approach Following the Demming Model of Plan -Do -Check Act The RFP for this project recommends, as one possible strategy, a phased approach to developing the SMS so that implementation can be pursued by degree. We agree with the phased -approach recommendation and have taken it one step further by developing a project approach that is organized to follow the Deming quality model of plan -do -check -act. In so doing, the project itself is a reflection of the SMS it seeks to develop and implement. We believe that a project of this nature needs to balance planning with action because early tangible `wins' are crucial to promoting a `sustainability culture' within the City. An SMS, like an EMS, is based on a cyclic process that repeats the plan -do -check -act quality process. We further recommend that this project operate as a cyclic process on an ever-expanding spiral. Our rationale is to mitigate the risk of expending valuable time and money setting up a high-powered management system that isn't used, or at least to a level commensurate with the change it seeks to manage. This spiral approach would also provide the flexibility to test and implement the SMS on a smaller scale so that what is invested in initial planning is paid back in benefits to the `triple bottom line', which in turn motivate the next round of expanded planning and implementation. Incorporation of Nationally Recognized Expertise and Local Leadership in SMS Development The SMS concept is relatively new in the environmental field with few concrete examples of organizations with a completed SMS in place. In fact, to date there are no known municipalities that have taken on the challenge of creating an SMS as its management system. In this sense, the City of Fort Collins will become a national leader for city -level sustainability. The most widely accepted SMS approach calls for an integration of The Natural Step (TNS) environmental framework with a traditional EMS such as ISO 14001. In Colorado, several organizations are employing TNS in their environmental programs and there are numerous examples of organizations with an EMS in place. However, the concept of integrating TNS and an EMS into an SMS is just coming on the scene. There have been presentations on this topic around the state, but the only known example of a Colorado organization working to develop an SMS is Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. In this case, developing an SMS is mandated to Fort Carson through higher Army Forces. In 2002, Fort Carson held a Sustainability Conference with 200 attendees (including city, county, and state government), the culmination of which was the adoption of an SMS framework and goals. The framework includes twelve 25-year goals. Since the conference, Fort Carson has been establishing teams to address the The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 3 Sustainabilrtr Manaaement Svstem for the Citv of Fort Collins individual goals and developing 5-year implementation plans. Effectively, Fort Carson is about 6 months ahead of the City of Fort Collins in their SMS development, but not too far ahead that information sharing wouldn't benefit both parties. As such, Fort Carson has agreed that they would be willing to support The Brendle Group team (or any team selected by the City) in developing the City's SMS. In particular, they would be willing to give a presentation to staff on the SMS concepts and Fort Carson progress, invite City staff to ongoing SMS planning meetings, and participate in periodic conference calls with City staff. These activities would support their existing goal to develop a regional SMS partnership. In addition to participation from local leadership, our project approach includes incorporation of nationally recognized expertise in SMS development. Susan Bums from Natural Strategies in Oakland California is a leading author on the topic of SMS development. She has facilitated the design and implementation of SMSs for several clients, including Army Forces, upon which the Fort Carson work is based. She would participate on the project in an advisory capacity, helping to shape the team's thinking, providing resources and tools for developing the SMS, and reviewing project deliverables. To further draw upon national leadership, our team approach includes participation by the U.S. EPA National Environmental Performance Track Program. This program is designed to motivate and reward top environmental performance by organizations nation wide. To qualify for the program, organizations must have an EMS in place. Currently, the program has nearly 300 members. Ms. Tamera Bedford, U.S. EPA Region VIII, would participate on the project, also in an advisory capacity, sharing perspectives from the numerous EMSs she has been involved with through her role on the Performance Track Program. Because of Performance Track's shared vision with the City to learn about and possibly promote development of SMSs, they have agreed to contribute up to 96 hours of in -kind support to this project for a combined value of $6,720. A Consensus -Based Process While the SMS would provide a sustainability vision as well as a vehicle for getting there, ultimately sustainability is achieved through organizational and human behavior change. As such, a key aspect of this project is to build staff consensus along the way. An outside consultant can design an SMS, but an outside consultant cannot lead a shift in organizational culture towards sustainability. We can assist in this process, however, by conducting the project scope in a way that obtains broad input and acknowledges past successes achieved through the myriad of existing policies, programs, and capabilities relevant to sustainability. 1.2 SMS Design Parameters We advocate to smart small and expand in a cyclic way for practical project management and staff adoption reasons. However, this in no way would compromise the ability to `think big' or dilute the definition of sustainability that will serve as the City's long-term compass. To the contrary, the following design parameters would be used to provide the framework for developing and implementing the SMS: • Comprehensive and integrated across all City activities • Evaluates the aspects and impacts of City activities • Takes into account future aspects and impacts due to growth and other change • Identifies and prioritizes improvement opportunities • Looks to past improvements as well as missed opportunities to inform the process • Accounts for the `triple bottom line' of economic, natural (environmental), and social capital • Includes procedures to monitor progress and provide ongoing feedback • Provides a standard definition of sustainability to act as a compass for the City These goals acknowledge the interconnectedness and complexities of City operations, their aspects and impacts. Together they provide both a vision of "Do the Right Thing" as well as a management system to "Do the Thing Right". The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 4 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins 1.3 Project Approach (Plan, Do, Check, Act) The tasks described in this section correspond to the quality steps described in Section 1. 1: Task 1: Develop SMS (Plan) Task 2: Implement Pilot Project to Showcase Sustainability (Do) Task 3: Measure Progress and Refine SMS (Check and Act) Task 1: Develop SMS (Plan) Under this task The Brendle Group would design the SMS using the design parameters of section 1.2 as guiding principles and the draft EMS as a starting point. The sustainability inventory and framework for action would also be used as baseline documents. Specifically, we would work with NRD staff and our team's sub - consultant to: 1) Assemble a cross functional team to provide input into the SMS, possibly using the City's existing Energy Management Team or the Environmental Management Team to oversee the SMS development 2) Conduct a gap analysis to determine any disparities between existing City's programs and a full SMS, 3) Hold a design charrette to fill in any missing pieces. This will include at a minimum: a. Clarify the meaning of sustainability, b. Backcasting exercise to create vision and chart a course c. Design the "architecture" of the SMS, 4) Other issues that may need to be addressed with the team include: a. Creating or revising objectives and targets b. Creating or revising metrics Because we have emphasized a consensus -based approach, the design charrette will be a central planning vehicle for the SMS. The term "charrette" is adopted from the practice of Ecole des Beaux Arts students in nineteenth century Paris. Charrette, in its modern day adaptation, refers to an intensive workshop involving people from various disciplines who actively set goals and design a system or project to meet the goals. To correctly address an undertaking as crosscutting and major as an SMS, a variety of disciplines are needed. In fact, a growing body of literature suggests that a multidisciplinary approach is the only method of achieving sustainability. Not only is a multidisciplinary approach necessary from a technical standpoint, it is necessary towards building consensus and ownership of the shared vision. Under this task, we would organize and facilitate a 1-3 day sustainability charrette hosted by NRD. This task is modeled after the charrette employed by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC) in the development of their SMS blueprint and action plan. It is also similar in approach to the Sustainability Conference required by Army Forces for all installations in development of their SMSs, and which was completed by Fort Carson in 2002. The charrette would be facilitated by Brian Dunbar from the Colorado State University Institute for the Built Environment (IBE). Task 2: Implement Pilot Projects) to Showcase Sustainability (Dol After the planning stage is complete and the city has set targets and objectives for the coming year, it will then be operating under the new SMS. One of the things the city may wish to plan for is the implementation of one or more pilot projects to showcase sustainability. As with any pioneering program, early wins are critical to the long-term acceptance of new ideas. This has been a key strategy employed by many organizations — to pilot test sustainability on an isolated project, then extrapolate the lessons learned to other projects and the organization as a whole. The Brendle Group has helped clients to identify candidate pilot project(s) to demonstrate sustainability. We have then assisted the client with every step of the pilot project, including providing measurement and evaluation of project successes, challenges, and implications for the broader programs and systems of which it is a part. We have had particular success applying these concepts to the design phases of new buildings. Under this task, we would work with NRD staff to identify and implement The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 6 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins activities that would help to obtain the early wins this project seeks. Potential projects cover a broad range such as: • Showcasing sustainability on a new building • Infusing sustainable principles into the building permit process • Refining City procurement processes to promote environmentally preferable purchasing and sustainable supply chain management • `Greening' an existing City practice or process shown through the EMS to have significant environmental impact The actual projects selected would be based on a number of factors such as available budget, existing plans within the City where sustainability can naturally be applied, technical feasibility and cost, and estimated benefits to the triple bottom line. In addition to any pilot projects, all of the city's normal operations that have environmental and social impacts would be managed under the new SMS. Task 3: Measure Progress and Refine the SMS (Check and Act) At the conclusion of the year (or shorter interval if desired), we can then assist the City in revising the SMS based on lessons learned and to set objectives and targets -for the coming year. We will assist the Cty's cross - functional team and management to check progress against objectives, review project outcomes and make revisions in order to strengthen the SMS. In addition, we can assist the City to look ahead to the coming year, to analyze gaps between current practices and future goals. As part of looking ahead, we would help the City to identify and pursue external funding sources that would further the goals established by the SMS. 2. Assigned Personnel and Available Resources 2.1 Assigned Personnel The Brendle Group team is comprised of Brendle Group staff as well as two subconsultants. Ms. Susan Bums from Natural Strategies would serve on our team as an SMS expert. She has direct experience helping several organizations to create and implement an SMS based as an integration of The Natural Step and EMS principles. She would participate on the project in an advisory capacity, helping to shape the team's thinking, providing resources and tools for developing the SMS, and reviewing project deliverables. Our second subconsultant, Mr. Brian Dunbar from the Colorado State University Institute for the Built Environment (IBE), would facilitate the charrette. Mr. Dunbar has facilitated sustainable design charrettes for a number of .projects and has assisted the American Institute of Architects (AIA) with developing their charrette protocol. He is well versed in sustainability issues and has conducted a number of college level and continuing education courses on the topic. In addition to our subconsultants, The Brendle Group team has secured a letter of support indicating in -kind support from Ms. Tamera Bedford from the EPA Performance Track Program. Ms. Bedford has assisted a number of organizations nation-wide with developing EMSs. Ultimately, NRD is seeking assistance from outside consultants to boost their SMS expertise and capabilities. Not only do the members of The Brendle Group Team provide strong experience in the sustainability field, the majority of us have direct experience working with NRD staff and other staff in various City of Ft. Collins departments. Overall, the members of the team complement each other well with balanced backgrounds in technical and policy/programmatic development arenas. Professional biographies for each of the key team members are presented as follows. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 6 Sustainability Management System for the City of Fort Collins Judy Dorsey, P.E., C.E.M. President The Brendle Group, Inc. Ms. Dorsey has 12 years experience in environmental and mechanical engineering in private industry and government. For the last 10 years, her engineering experience has been focused in the areas of Sustainable Design and Pollution Prevention, including energy, solid waste, hazardous waste, air emissions, and wastewater. Currently, she is principal engineer and founding president of The Brendle Group. Her sustainability projects include design planning for Colorado school districts, assessments and planning for small businesses in Northern Colorado, assessments of municipal facilities, evaluation of P2 programs and green purchasing strategies for the National Park Service, independent review of business plans for the City of Boulder voluntary program, technical assistance to the Colorado Ski Industry, energy and waste assessments for Fort Collins Climate Wise businesses, and technical consultant for the City of Fort Collins Climate Protection Plan (including energy and waste inventory of city-wide operations). Ms. Dorsey obtained an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Colorado State University in 1992 and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Northwestern University in 1989. She is a registered professional engineer in the State of Colorado and a Certified Energy Manager. Julie Sieving Senior Engineer The Brendle Group Inc. Ms. Sieving has 6 years of experience working in the environmental and energy engineering field. As an employee of The Brendle Group, Ms. Sieving has recently been involved in the development of a sustainable design program and guidelines for Colorado Springs School District 11. She has also completed work with both the City of Fort Collins Utilities and Platte River Power Authority, surveying city government facilities in both Fort Collins and Longmont to emphasize energy -efficiency opportunities and benefits of integrated building design. Prior to joining The Brendle Group, Ms. Sieving worked in the green building arena as an energy engineer for E-Cube, Inc., employing hands-on green strategies of building commissioning, completing energy -efficiency studies and consulting to the Colorado Governor's Office of Energy Management and Conservation and its Rebuild Colorado program. While completing her bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Colorado State University, Ms. Sieving was a research associate with the Industrial Assessment Center (LAC) and completed over 30 energy conservation and pollution prevention assessments. Ms. Sieving initiated her work experience in the green building arena as an engineering co-op for the U.S. Department of Energy's Golden Field Office located at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. Susan Burns Principal Natural Strategies Susan Burns is a popular speaker, writer and trainer on the subject of corporate sustainability and is one of the foremost experts in the United States on how sustainability principles are integrated into environmental management systems. In 1996 she received in-depth training in The Natural Step framework and went on to write (with Paul Hawken and Steve Goldfmger) the TNS curriculum currently in use in the USA. In 1998, she traveled throughout Japan with TNS founder, Karl -Henrik Robert to introduce Japanese business leaders to the TNS framework and has been instrumental in The Natural Step's establishment in Japan. One of the leading TNS trainers in the US, she has presented The Natural Step framework to hundreds of individuals, groups and companies. As a Principal in Natural Strategies, Ms. Burns facilitated an international consensus process on how a sustainability framework can enhance environmental management systems. This debate resulted in a 1997 article written for The World Business Academy's "Perspectives." The following year, working with 15 Portland, Oregon -based companies, Ms. Burns co -facilitated peer learning group and wrote a guidance document on how to integrate sustainability frameworks with ISO 14001, for The Oregon Natural Step Network. She also contributed a chapter on TNS and environmental management systems for the recently published book: The Natural Step for Business by Brian Nattrass and Mary Altomare. The Brendle Group, Inc. Page 7