In order to integrate sustainability criteria into the construction process related to road infrastructure projects, this research project by the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt) has examined practicable ways in which such criteria might be used as selection and award criteria in the process of tendering and awarding contracts for planning and building services. The basis for this study was provided by the previous BASt studies entitled 'The Development of Standardized Evaluation Criteria for Road Infrastructure Projects with a View to Sustainability' (FE-Nr. 15.0494/2010/FRB) and 'Standardized Evaluation Criteria for Elements of Road Infrastructure with a View to Sustainability – Roads and Tunnels' (FE-Nr. 09.0164/2011/LRB). In addition to examining the provisions governing procurement, the project also assessed the sustainability criteria with respect to mandatory legal and normative requirements. The sub-criteria contained within the sustainability criteria were examined for their specific applicability to the process of tendering and awarding contracts for planning and building services. Three modified sustainability criteria were identified as award criteria (construction time, the use of energy, emissions and noise-reducing construction machinery, and project-specific quality assurance). In addition, the research report will look into methods which can be used for checking, penalising (i.e. setting up a system of punishments) and verifying the sustainability criteria during their implementation. Because the systems for monitoring and evaluation contain a plethora of sustainability criteria that cannot be brought into line with the requirements governing selection and award criteria in the process of tendering and awarding contracts for planning and building services, the recommendation is that a new procedure for verifying sustainability (NN) be developed. This certification of sustainability (NN) might be awarded after the contract has been concluded, within the framework of the Additional Technical Terms of Contract and Guidelines for Sustainability [ZTV-N]. (Author/publisher)
Abstract