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Selecting Green Service Providers

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When selecting service providers to support an organization's green initiatives, facility executives should be careful to really know, and be comfortable with, what they're asking for. Being specific may make finding just the right service provider a shade more difficult, but it will be worth it in the end.

To start with, facility executives should understand that if they require certification from Green Seal or another organization, it could significantly reduce the pool of otherwise-qualified providers and possibly raise prices. One option to keep the applicant pool a little wider is to use certification as a way to choose between equals instead of a must.

Facility executives should also know what they are willing to commit to in terms of green services. Some green measures are going to require more significant investment, either in time, attention, money or all of the above. Once facility executives have a grip on what they want and what resources are available, one tactic is to prioritize the green initiatives, starting on the easy and inexpensive ones first.

When finally sitting down to evaluate all the different candidates, using a matrix and assign a weighting to each of the criteria could be helpful. For example, on a scale of 1 to 10, having a LEED Accredited Professional credential may be worth three or four points, while being a certified energy manager may be worth 10 points. Once the points are tallied for each provider, facility executives should have a good indication of which provider is the most qualified.