News

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) now required for NI Government construction contracts

From 1 April 2016, all construction works contracts procured by a Centre of Procurement Expertise (CoPE) will include a requirement that all main contractors seeking to tender shall have and maintain an EMS certified by a third party.
 
An EMS is the part of an organisation’s overall management system that relates to the development, implementation, achievement, review and maintenance of the organisation’s environmental policy. An EMS and its associated standards help an organisation:

•  to minimise how its operations affect the environment;
• to comply with applicable laws and regulations; and
• to continually improve in relation to each of the above.

An EMS certified by a third party will benefit a contractor by helping it:
 

• to improve its management of environmental risk and thereby reduce both the organisation’s impact on the environment and its environmental liability;
• to deal with increasingly stringent and demanding environmental regulations and demonstrate compliance;
• to demonstrate Corporate Social Responsibility and compliance with its own environmental policy, helping to improve its image and credibility with the public, clients and regulatory bodies;
• to facilitate enhanced operational performance and continuous improvement through efficient use of raw materials, leading to cost reductions in energy consumption, waste and materials; and
• to reduce its administrative burden by removing the need to respond to multiple environmental management questions at prequalification stage.

 
Most small organisations normally achieve EMS accreditation within three months. However, for larger and more complex businesses accreditation can take up to 12 months.
 
CPD in conjunction with the CoPEs will approve and accept third party certification of an EMS provided that:

• it is based on a recognised standard e.g. ISO 14001, BS8555 or equivalent;
• it is construction focused incorporating site inspections; and
•  the third party certification body is accredited or recognised1.

 
The EMS third party certification:

•  shall be obtained /renewed within three years of the main contract award date; and
• shall include an annual verification audit undertaken in the intervening years.

 
It is anticipated that this requirement will be included in the selection criteria of Pre-Qualification Questionnaires (PQQ) for Government construction works contracts from 1 April 2016.
Therefore main contractors interested in bidding for future Government construction works contracts should act now to ensure that, by 1 April 2016 they have in place an EMS certified by a third party which satisfies the above requirements.
Further information on this requirement is available from CPD at the following email address: ConstructionProcurement.cpd@dfpni.gov.uk
 Useful information and guidance on EMS is available from the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). IEMA maintains an A – Z guide for EMS on a dedicated website: http://ems.iema.net/home
 
 
 
1 The certifying body must be accredited by the National Accreditation Body, for example UKAS, to undertake third party certification to ISO 14001. In other circumstances the certifying body must be recognised by a professional environmental body, institution or regulator as having the knowledge and skill to undertake construction focused third party EMS audits.