Let There Be Light!

by Bara Waters, Communications and Training Manager, Procurement Services, UCOP

In keeping with the University of California’s motto “Let there be light,” UC Procurement Services is spearheading an innovative statewide procurement project known as the “Million Lamp Challenge” or “MLC.” The MLC aims to replace expensive and inefficient incandescent lights and toxic compact fluorescent lights with energy-efficient, high-quality, and cost-saving LED light sources throughout public buildings in California.

This enlightened effort will illuminate hundreds of public buildings at higher education campuses and state government facilities throughout California. It also includes an innovative staff- and student-buy program to encourage further mass adoption of LED lights. Deploying this pioneering lamp swap-out program in the country’s most populous state will facilitate rapid and extensive energy savings through the swift transformation from high-cost, poor-quality lighting to high-efficiency and high-quality LED lighting.

To maximize the program’s positive impact, the UC partnered with the California State University system, the California Community College system, and the California Department of General Services to launch a public request for proposal in the fall of 2017. Upon review and evaluation, the group selected Consolidated Electrical Distributors, Inc. and Sylvania LEDVANCE to provide all the lighting products for the MLC.

The sheer size of this procurement project enabled the negotiation of very competitive pricing for superior LED lighting products. Staff, faculty, students and alumni of the partnering agencies will also benefit from the value pricing of this large-scale procurement effort when the employee and student-buy program debuts in the Summer of 2018. Stay tuned for additional “illuminating details” in the next newsletter!