Glossary of terms

BC Procurement Strategy 2018, BC Procurement Strategy Update 2022, and BC Procurement Plan 2024 - lay out the framework for our procurement practices to responsibly help drive change towards a more equitable, accessible, and sustainable economy for everyone.

Biodiversity - the variety of life in the world or in a particular habitat or ecosystem.

Circular economy - circular economy provides an alternative to existing economic structures. It is a system that is restorative by design, and in which economic and social prosperity are not linked to resource extraction and environmental degradation. The main idea of a circular economy is to extract the maximum amount of utility from the materials that we already have, rather than extracting new materials from the earth.

CleanBC Roadmap to 2030 - is British Columbia's plan to expand and accelerate climate action to meet the province's 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target and create a pathway to reach the 2050 net-zero emissions target.

Core Policy and Procedures Manual - the Core Policy and Procedures Manual (CPPM) outlines government objectives, standards, and directives for sound management and promotes consistent, prudent financial practices. Procurement Policy within CPPM provides direction for the procurement of goods, services, and construction.

Declaration Act - the Declaration Act establishes the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN Declaration) as the Province's framework for reconciliation, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.

Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) - the ESG Centre of Excellence offers services, tools and resources to help your business start or improve its ESG strategy. ESG is a framework that:

• Looks at organizational impacts on the environment
• Considers the treatment of employees, partners, and community members
• Addresses the quality of governance structures

Feed BC - works with institutions, stakeholders, and partners across the food service supply chain to increase the use of British Columbian foods in government-supported institutions, facilities, programs, and services. See Feed BC for more information.

GBA+ - is an analytical tool used to support the development of responsive and inclusive policies, programs, and other initiatives.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions - are releases of gases that trap heat in the atmosphere and warm the planet. Common GHGs include carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane, and nitrous oxide, all of which contribute to climate change. For more information about GHGs and how human activity is changing the climate, see CleanBC for more information.

Life cycle of goods and services - a product life cycle is the length of time from a product first being introduced to consumers until it is removed from the market. A product's life cycle is usually broken down into four stages: introduction, growth, maturity, and decline.

Plastic consumption - the rate and manner in which plastic materials are used, and its implications on sustainability.

Renewable resources - can be replenished naturally over time. As a result, they are sustainable despite their consumption by humans.

Reusable products - can be used multiple times for the same purpose that they were originally designed for, or for a completely different purpose.

RFx - means "Request for x." It is an umbrella term for solicitation tools such as Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), and Request for Information (RFI).

StrongerBC Economic Action Plan - the StrongerBC plan focuses on building a stronger British Columbia for everyone including plans for healthcare, cost of living, housing, jobs and training, safe communities, climate action, economic plan, Budget 2024, and legislation.

Sustainable procurement - uses procurement intentionally to improve social and environmental outcomes and promote innovation; simplifies processes to make them more intuitive; supports, grows, and sustains a community of suppliers; and enhances training and support within the BC Public Service.

Total cost of ownership - is the cost to buy a good or service plus the cost to operate it over its useful life. The idea is to take into consideration the total cost that a business will incur to operate an asset, not just the upfront acquisition cost.

The United Nations Standard Products and Services Code (UNSPSC) - are an open, globally used categorization that provides the Department of Commerce with a predefined classification structure: a four-level hierarchy (Segment, Family, Class, and Commodity) coded as an eight-digit number.

Use of water - refers to water used by end users (e.g. households, services, agriculture, industry) within a territory for a specific purpose such as domestic use, irrigation, or industrial processing.

Waste reduction - is anything that reduces waste by using less material in the first place. Reducing waste can be as simple as using both sides of a sheet of paper, using ceramic mugs instead of disposable cups, or buying in bulk rather than individually packaged items. The result of producing less waste is money saved, resources conserved, pollution reduced, and landfill space saved.