TERMS OF REFERENCE

1. To monitor European initiatives and identify significant sustainability issues that may impact on the engineering consultancies’ market in Europe (opportunities and challenges)

2. To prepare an overview of policy tools, regulative measures and market forces in support of sustainability in Europe

3. To exchange information on sustainable construction assessment and certification systems that can be applied in Europe and promoted internationally, and ongoing harmonization efforts

4. To benchmark national associations’ activities on sustainability matters and to develop EFCA initiatives (e.g. guidance, seminars) relating to the European market

SCOPE OF WORK (2010-2011)

• Support programmes, networks and R&D funding: involvement of engineering consultancies
  → to identify business opportunities and communicate practical information (e.g. budget, provisions for participation, contact points etc.
  → to relay European viewpoints to the consultancy industry representatives in the ECTP High Level Group
  
  
• International initiatives: UNEP – SBCI (Sustainable Buildings and Climate Initiative), FIDIC PSM (Project Sustainability Management), ISO/TC59/SC17, ISO 26000
  → to discuss critical issues and required EFCA actions
  
  
• Sustainable building certification
  → to identify the industry’s interests and objectives and discuss the comparability of process and content (methodology and indicators) and the rating system (i.e. required minimum performance levels for certification and rating criteria such as LCC)
  → to define critical issues, potential impact on the industry, required EFCA actions 
  
  
• European sustainable development policies/strategies
  
  • Sectorial policies and instruments: energy related EU law and standardisation
    → to collect information on the national implementation of EU law and to assess its impact on the industry
  • The industry’s integrated sustainability approach: key challenges and coherent and comprehensive policies and long-term vision
    → to identify political challenges and to develop in a second stage the industry’s global views and position on sustainability, which is to include overall life cycle impacts of buildings and sustainable sites
    → to promote an integrated and coherent sustainability approach, including a life-cycle perspective, to policy makers and the European Commission

Member List