Application of environmental data in procurement
Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in procurement within civil engineering. Public clients take the environmental performance of projects into account when awarding contracts. The Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) is an important instrument in this process. The Dutch Environmental Database provides the environmental data used for this purpose.
In civil engineering procurement, environmental performance is increasingly applied as an award criterion. The Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) makes differences between design and material choices transparent. Contracting authorities determine the scope of the calculation themselves, but when data from the Dutch Environmental Database is used, the frameworks of the Assessment Method for Environmental Performance of Construction Works apply. Only raw material LCAs A1 to A3 or full product LCAs A to D are permitted within this method.
Sustainability is playing an increasingly important role in tendering within Civil Engineering (GWW). Public clients are seeking ways to incorporate environmental performance into the awarding of projects. The Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) is a key tool in this process. The Dutch Environmental Database provides the environmental data used for these calculations.
This page explains how environmental data and the ECI are applied in practice during tendering, as well as the key considerations for defining the scope of environmental performance calculations.
Applying the Environmental Cost Indicator as an award criterion
The environmental performance of construction products and Civil Engineering (GWW) works is increasingly included as an award criterion in tenders by various public clients. This enables competition on sustainability within the GWW sector. Sustainability considerations are incorporated into tenders by organisations such as Rijkswaterstaat, ProRail, provincial authorities, municipalities, and water boards.
Which scope may be used in procurement?
Currently, including environmental performance as an award criterion in tenders is not legally mandated. As a result, the client is free to determine the scope of the LCA calculation for the award criterion.
The NMD Assessment Method is clear on this matter and only permits cradle-to-gate LCAs (A1-A3) or product LCAs (A-D). If a public client wishes to include only the production and construction phases (A1-A5) while using NMD-reviewed data, this must be taken into account.
This can be achieved by:
- Extracting the relevant life cycle stages from a full environmental declaration (A-D), or
- Supplementing a cradle-to-gate LCA (A1-A3) on a project-specific basis.
Any such supplement falls outside the NMD Assessment Method review process.
The Dutch Environmental Database supports clients and market parties in applying environmental data and the Environmental Cost Indicator (ECI) in tendering. This enables sustainability to be incorporated in a transparent and comparable manner into the awarding of Civil Engineering (GWW) projects.
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