Activate the power of institutional food purchasing
This toolkit guides institutions to assess their existing purchasing practices, identify values-informed strategies that serve their institutions, and implement purchasing practices that reflect their values.
What is values-based purchasing?
Institutions hold distinct values
Values-based purchasing is an approach to food procurement that intentionally uses an institution’s purchasing power to advance its values (social, environmental, economic, etc.), not only to secure the lowest price or the most efficient contract. This toolkit guides institutions through a widely applicable implementation process that sequences legal, communication and management tools, tips and examples. Each institution has its own unique assets and challenges. This toolkit provides best practices, particularly around legal language for contracts, bids and other resources and supports institutions to adapt these tools to their own local circumstances.
Two ways to navigate the VBP Market Access Legal Toolkit
Institution Self-Assessment
Identify the strengths and challenges your institution faces for implementing values-based purchasing.
Implementation Guide
A step-by-step guide for implementing values-based purchasing in your institution.
Legal information, not legal advice
These resources inform public and private institutions on legal and operational tools for implementing values-based purchasing in US institutions. This toolkit does not take the place of legal advice and is not meant to provide legal advice. Many valuable external resources are referenced throughout, and users are directed to them for additional information.
Values-Based Purchasing helps institutions use their purchasing power to achieve the outcomes they seek.
Activate your procurement purpose for
local economy.
the environment.
workers’ rights.
nutrition
animal rights.
social justice.
A three-phase process to guide implementation
Each phase includes a set of specific activities to make implementing values-based purchasing simpler and easier.
Tools and templates
A list of all values-based purchasing legal tools and templates within this toolkit.