The Buy American Act and What That Means for Materials Specifiers
Shades 2.0 porcelain tile at the John C. Kluczynski Federal Building. Read the case study.
The Buy American Act requires Federal agencies to procure domestic materials and products and applies to purchases valued over the U.S. micro-purchase threshold (currently $10,000). The act requires goods and materials to be produced in the U.S. when federal entities purchase them for public use.
For goods and materials to be considered as being produced in the U.S., they must not only be manufactured in the U.S., but at least 50% of the cost of components must come from the U.S.
What is the Build America Buy America Act?
SpeakEasy wood-look porcelain tile floor at Fort Lee Advanced Training Complex. Read the case study.
On November 25, 2021, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), which includes the Build America Buy America Act (BABA). This act encompasses manufactured products, stating that all manufactured products used in an infrastructure project must be produced domestically. Build America Buy America also requires all construction materials to be manufactured in the U.S. This means all manufacturing processes for the construction materials occur domestically.
What is Environmentally Preferred (Green) Purchasing?
The Environmentally Preferred Purchasing (EEP) program is the procurement of products and services that have less impact on human health and the environment over the life cycle of the products when compared with competing products that serve the same purpose. EEP supports efficiency in federal operations by giving federal procurement officials a convenient and streamlined way to make sense of the many environmental performance standards and ecolabels currently in the global marketplace.
The EPA has issued a set of guidelines called the Comprehensive Procurement Guidelines (CPG), which is part of EPA’s Sustainable Materials Management initiative that promotes a system approach to reducing materials use, associated greenhouse gas emissions, and other environmental impacts over the materials’ entire life cycle. The CPG designates those items that must contain recycled content when purchased by federal agencies or government contractors using federal funds. In some cases, state and local governments must also follow the recycled-content guidelines when using federal funds.
Green Squared® Added to EPA Recommendations
Color Blox 2.0 porcelain wall tile at Fort Lee Training Complex
In 2017, Green Squared® was added to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Recommendations of Specifications, Standards, and Ecolabels for Federal Purchasing, which helps federal purchasers identify and procure environmentally preferable products and services. Green Squared® is the first multi-attribute sustainability standard developed for tile and installation products by The Tile Council of North America.
The former assistant administrator of the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention, U.S. EPA, Jim Jones, stated in 2017, “By allowing federal buyers to make more informed decisions on environmentally preferable products and services, federal agencies are leading by example, stimulating the supply of greener products and services, and protecting our health and the environment.”
The Federal Sustainability Plan
Did you know the federal government is the largest energy consumer in the country? Recently, the government launched an initiative to reduce federal emissions to net zero. The plan outlines an ambitious path to achieve net-zero emissions across Federal operations by 2050. The General Services Administration (GSA) is leading the effort to transform all government buildings into sustainable facilities. By leveraging its procurement power, the federal government aims to accelerate the country’s transition to a clean energy economy.
The GSA Schedule, also known as the Federal Supply Schedule, is a government-wide contract with commercial companies that provide the government access to millions of commercial products and services at fair and reasonable prices. GSA Schedule Contracts streamline the government sales process because they have pre-established pricing, terms, and conditions. While GSA Schedule Contracts are primarily used to sell to federal agencies, they can also be used to sell to state and local governments in certain circumstances.
How Crossville Tiles Support Government Building Specifiers
Bluestone porcelain floor tile at Lynn University. Read the case study.
Crossville supports builders and designers specifying for city, state, and federally funded buildings in these ways:
- Our manufactured porcelain tiles for floor, wall, and other uses are made in the U.S.
- The majority of the material components of our manufactured tiles (basically, clay and water) are sourced in the U.S., and well over 50% of the cost is from U.S. components.
- All of our American-made tiles contain a minimum of 4% recycled content.
- All of our manufactured tiles are Green Squared® Certified.
- Our extensive line of ceramic and porcelain floor and wall tiles are available to customers at GSA pricing. (Contact us here to learn more about GSA pricing).
- Crossville tile products are available to non-federal agencies under the 1GPA and Omnia Partners national contracts. (Examples are universities, schools, and city and state governments)
Helping Governments Achieve Carbon Neutrality
And last but not least, we have introduced two carbon neutral tile collections, and they won’t be our last. As with all Crossville manufactured products, these collections are carefully and responsibly made in the USA, and they represent a significant first step toward achieving our current short-term goal of a 30% carbon footprint reduction. As the GSA pushes to buy only low and no carbon materials, our first two carbon neutral collections uniquely position us for when those procurement rules and opportunities begin to become available.
View carbon neutral Native Metal porcelain tile.
View carbon neutral Civilization porcelain tile.
Explore all of our porcelain tile collections that are made in the USA. Whether you’re searching for surfaces for a Government project, ensuring the quickest delivery, or striving to reduce a project’s environmental impact, Crossville has you covered.
