Technologies/Products
What are sustainable technologies?
Within the scope of DoW STED Program demonstrations, a sustainable technology is defined as:
“Any cost effective system, material, or process that supports mission readiness and meets Warfighter needs while reducing harmful health, safety, and/or environmental impacts. This includes but is not limited to recycled, biobased, renewable, reusable, efficient, durable, or less toxic materials that enhance operational effectiveness, improve interoperability, and increase resilience.”
Why should I use sustainable technologies?
Using sustainable technologies not only supports Department of War (DoW) compliance with sustainable procurement statutes and regulations, but also supports and enhances the mission by allowing for additional operational capabilities, mitigating negative drawbacks, using resources wisely and efficiently, lengthening equipment service life, etc. Procuring energy efficient products reduces energy costs. Procuring non-toxic or less-toxic alternatives protects the health of DoW personnel, the warfighter, and the surrounding community. The DoW Sustainable Technology Evaluation and Demonstration (STED) Program also works diligently to validate that sustainable technologies perform as well or better than traditional non-sustainable technologies and meet DoW requirements. Enhanced technology performance supports the DoW’s mission, reduces total life cycle costs, and improves the workplace environment.
How do I know that sustainable technologies will meet my commercial and/or military technical requirements?
The DoW STED Program evaluates the performance of sustainable technologies in operational environments at DoW facilities. Prior to conducting sustainable technology test and evaluation, the DoW STED Program identifies applicable Government/Military/Commercial technical requirements and verifies that the demonstration products meet these requirements. This is achieved by working closely with manufacturers and owners of technical requirements.
How do I know if sustainable technologies perform well?
The DoW STED Program demonstrates the performance of sustainable technologies. The purpose of sustainable technology demonstrations is to ensure that sustainable technologies perform well and meet end users’ needs before being included in federal procurement systems. During the sustainable technology demonstrations, the project team closely monitors technology performance by soliciting user feedback. The project team uses this information to select the top performing technologies for inclusion in Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and other federal procurement systems. During some demonstrations, the project team works with manufacturers to redesign technologies for enhanced performance.
How do I find and purchase sustainable technologies?
Consult the Acquisition Life Cycle Tools page for more information.
If the STED Program website does not address your sustainable technology need, please use the contact feature on this site to communicate with the DoW STED Program. The product you are looking for may not yet be included in DoW procurement systems and could be eligible for a product demonstration.
Sustainable Technology Demonstrations
How are sustainable technology demonstrations executed?
A sustainable technology demonstration is a coordinated test and evaluation effort between sustainable technology manufacturers, DoW personnel, and a project team that operates as the third-party expert to evaluate the sustainable technologies. When a technology need area is identified, the project team works with DoW personnel to gather all technical requirements for a particular technology. The project team will then identify all sustainable technology alternatives and evaluate the sustainable technologies against technical requirements. This process can involve outreach to standardization preparing activities, engineering authorities, and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs). Once sustainable technologies that meet the technical requirements are identified, the project team works with sustainable technology manufacturers to acquire items for demonstration. During the demonstration, DoW personnel use the items and evaluate their performance. The project team collects feedback from end-users and will, on occasion, work with manufacturers to redesign technologies so that they meet DoW needs. If a sustainable technology meets all performance and technical requirements, the project team works with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to incorporate the item into the DoW supply and procurement systems or with the General Services Administration (GSA) to incorporate the item into federal agency supply and procurement systems. This enables future procurement of the sustainable technology.
What is the value of a sustainable technology demonstration?
A sustainable technology demonstration allows DoW personnel to try sustainable technologies without having to identify items that meet technical requirements. All upfront research, evaluation, and coordination are conducted by the project team. Installation personnel are freed up to simply try the technologies and provide feedback regarding performance to the project team. When a sustainable technology performs well, the project team works with DLA or GSA to incorporate the item in the supply systems so that DoW personnel can order it in the future. Sustainable technology demonstrations are designed to alleviate the burden of sustainable procurement from DoW personnel.
Who conducts sustainable technology demonstrations?
Technology demonstrations are typically a joint effort between the DoW STED Program, the participating installations: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and/or Defense Agency commands; and the Office of the Assistant Secretary of War – Energy, Installations and Environment (OASW(EI&E)), as well as industry stakeholders. Use the contact feature on this site to communicate with the DoW STED Program if you would like to pursue a technology demonstration. The DoW STED Program has extensive experience planning sustainable technology demonstrations, which includes identifying and including the appropriate stakeholders.
What kind of sustainable technologies are eligible for demonstration?
Any sustainable commercial off-the-shelf product/technology is eligible for demonstration. Consult the demonstration pages on this website for ongoing, planned, and completed demonstrations to find out what categories have been included to date. Use the contact feature on this website to inform the DoW STED Program of any sustainable technology that you would like to demonstrate.
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