(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The state purchases a number of commodities, including, but not limited to, lighting fixtures, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning units, and copiers, that cumulatively account for a significant portion of the energy consumed by state operations.

(2) The state can realize significant energy savings and reduced energy costs by purchasing brands or models of commonly used commodities with low life cycle costs.

(3) Commodities necessary for state operations may be purchased directly by the state department or agency using the commodity, or may be purchased by the Department of General Services on behalf of other state departments or agencies.

(4) In order to increase energy efficiency and reduce costs to the taxpayers of the state, the state should make every reasonable effort to identify and purchase those commodities that have the lowest life cycle cost and meet the operational requirements of the state.

(b) The Department of General Services shall, on an ongoing basis, do all of the following:

(1) Identify commodities purchased by the department that, individually or on a statewide basis, consume a significant amount of energy.

(2) For each commodity identified pursuant to paragraph (1), determine the life cycle cost of the following:

(A) The brand or model of the commodity purchased by the department.

(B) The brand or model of the commodity that has the lowest life cycle cost, provided it is available for purchase by the state and meets all operational specifications of the state.

(3) Consult with the Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission in the development and revision of one or more methods of determining the life cycle costs of commodities.

(c) In order to assist other agencies and departments in identifying commodities with the lowest life cycle costs, the Department of General Services shall distribute the following to all state agencies and departments:

(1) A list of those commodities with the lowest life cycle costs, as determined pursuant to paragraph (2) of subdivision (b).

(2) The method or methods used by the Department of General Services to determine the life cycle costs of commodities.

(d) The method or methods used by the Department of General Services to calculate the life cycle costs of commodities shall be designed to be easily understood and used by purchasing agents and other personnel in making purchasing decisions.

(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, all state agencies and departments shall purchase those commodities identified pursuant to subdivision (b) that have the lowest life cycle costs and that meet the applicable specifications, and shall make every reasonable effort to identify and purchase other commodities with the lowest life cycle costs.

(f) “Life cycle cost” for the purposes of this section, means the total cost of purchasing, installing, maintaining, and operating a device or system during its reasonably expected life. It includes, but is not necessarily limited to, capital costs, labor costs, energy costs, and operating and maintenance costs.

(Added by Stats. 1991, Ch. 962, Sec. 2.)