Baker Tilly was engaged by a not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving education, health and economic opportunities for people of all ages. Their mission is to promote equity and improve people’s lives through education and health. The organization works across various domains, including education, health, workforce development and social and economic development.
The not-for-profit organization is already recognized for its positive social impact within its communities, but wanted to ensure transparency and accountability related to the environmental impact of its operations when responding to the OASIS+ request for proposal (RFP).
What is OASIS+? It was introduced by the GSA Office of Professional Services and Human Capital (PSHC) to give federal agencies easy and efficient access to innovative professional services from highly qualified businesses. As part of the RFP process, offerors are evaluated and awarded contracts based on a point-scoring system. An offeror is eligible for additional points for publicly disclosing their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
To increase their score and future business opportunities, the not-for-profit marched forward in gathering their scope 1 and scope 2 GHG inventory and establishing baseline GHG emissions calculations for public disclosures.
The OASIS+ pre-award evaluation criteria regarding GHG emissions disclosures requires data collection and reporting on scope 1 and 2 emissions. The not-for-profit needed to collect the emissions data from approximately 50 locations worldwide and establish an emissions baseline following the GHG Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol). Time constraints, limited resources, and communication barriers between international locations made it challenging for the organization to complete the GHG calculations independently.
Gathering and reporting on GHG emission data was brand new to our organization. Collection from 50 locations with a time crunch made the task even more daunting. We were motivated to move quickly but make sure we set up the systems for future reporting success.Vice President, Director of Operations of a not-for-profit organization
At the beginning, GHG emissions reporting can feel overwhelming, but the burden can be mitigated by working through a strategic process. The not-for-profit and their trusted advisor, Baker Tilly, worked to together to:
1. Understand the extent of its emission reporting through working sessions to identify the not-for-profit’s locations, operations and types of emission sources, which lead to the formalization of the organizational and operational boundaries
2. Ensure alignment with the organization’s management team specific to data availability across each location
3. Calculate scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions utilizing the EPA’s Simplified GHG Emissions Calculator
4. Identify gaps and recommendations for future reporting requirements using best-in-class resources from the GHG Protocol and the EPA
5. Comply with the disclosure requirements of OASIS+ by gathering the information and data needed
By publicly disclosing GHG emissions and meeting the OASIS+ RFP GHG disclosure requirement, the not-for-profit became eligible for additional points on the RFP scorecard, giving the organization a leg up against other offerors.
The not-for-profit also recognized the need to transparently report the environmental impact of its operations outside of the OASIS+ RFP. They are working to implement recommendations and best practices provided by Baker Tilly to strength their GHG emissions reporting. With this proactive preparation for future reporting, the organization is better positioned to avoid compliance issues and continue to impact communities across the globe positively.
