# 23.405 Procedures.

(a) Designated items and procurement guidelines.

(1) Recovered Materials. Contracting officers should refer to EPA’s list of EPA-designated items (available via the Internet at https://www.epa.gov/smm/comprehensive-procurement-guideline-cpg-program#products) and to their agencies’ affirmative procurement program when purchasing products that contain recovered material, or services that could include the use of products that contain recovered material.

(2) Biobased products. Contracting officers should refer to USDA’s list of USDA-designated items (available through the Internet at http://www.biopreferred.gov) and to their agencies affirmative procurement program when purchasing supplies that contain biobased material or when purchasing services that could include supplies that contain biobased material.

(3) When acquiring recovered material or biobased products, the contracting officer may request information or data on such products, including recycled or biobased content or related standards of the products (see 11.302(c)).

(b) Procurement exemptions.

(1) Once an item has been designated by either EPA or USDA, agencies shall purchase conforming products unless an exemption applies (see 23.404(b)).

(2) When an exemption is used for an EPA-designated item or the procurement of a product containing recovered material does not meet or exceed the EPA recovered material content guidelines, the contracting officer shall place a written justification in the contract file.

(c) Program priorities. When both the USDA-designated item and the EPA-designated item will be used for the same purposes, and both meet the agency’s needs, the agency shall purchase the EPA-designated item.