Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers - Disclaimer  

Date: 
10-24-2016

The Federal Government does not endorse products nor does it recommend for or against the purchase of specific products. Environmentally preferable purchasing seeks the overall best value, taking into account price competitiveness, regulatory requirements, performance standards, and environmental impact. Because government purchasers typically have clear sources of information on procurement and safety regulations and well-established methods for evaluating price and performance, this tool was compiled to help federal purchasers consider the environmental factors in the EPP equation. For more information about the federal government's EPP mandates, please visit the EPA's Environmentally Preferable Program (EPP).

No warranty is made as to completeness or accuracy of information contained herein. References to organizations, programs and/or manufacturers do not represent a guaranty, warranty, or endorsement thereof. For many environmental issues, there is a range of opinion regarding appropriate, environmentally preferable options. Furthermore, various environmentally preferable options for "green" building may at times be mutually exclusive. For example, it may not be possible to have recycled content simultaneously with biobased content and/or locally available products. Therefore, the user is cautioned to review the Guide in terms of the environmental objectives and parameters for the project and location.

This Federal Green Construction Guide for Specifiers tool acknowledges the existence of non-governmental entities—including, but not limited to, environmental standard-setting organizations, third party certification programs, environmental labeling or environmental "report card" programs, and other environmental consulting organizations—to which executive agencies in appropriate circumstances may refer for technical assistance in Environmentally Preferable Program (EPP). This tool should in no way be interpreted as a federal agency endorsement of any specific non-governmental entity, organization, or program cited, nor should federal purchasers feel obligated in any way to utilize the technical assistance of such entities. Executive agencies should note that they must avoid favoring, without reasonable justification, one non-governmental entity over another. Agencies should also inform their personnel about the Federal Trade Commission's Guides for the Use of Environmental Marketing Claims which govern environmental claims made by anyone, including manufacturers or environmental labeling or "report card" programs. Agency personnel must not rely solely on third party certifications for decision making, but are required to take into account the underlying environmental information for relevance. Agency personnel should be cautioned to avoid making purchasing decisions based on broad claims of environmental superiority. All agencies must critically examine all information from non-governmental entities and must make all final determinations regarding environmental preferability.