RICS - General - Going for.........Green!

Date: 06 Feb 2006

The Government should give credit to companies and contractors who employ sustainable construction methods when awarding contracts in the multi billion pound procurement round for the 2012 Olympics, says RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), today (06 February).

Tessa Jowell, Culture Secretary and Minister for the Olympics, indicated last week that she is keen to see contracts awarded to firms with good employment practices such as health and safety, terms and conditions and pay. While this is a welcome initiative, RICS believes sustainable construction must be added to this list.

RICS spokesman, Andrew Williams, said:

'The Government is rightly seeing the 2012 Olympics as an opportunity to take forward a progressive agenda on employment. But its also the perfect podium to make the business case for sustainable working practices to a large and diverse industry. Some of the larger firms have already adopted these to some extent, but the message has yet to land with many smaller firms and contractors.'

Tessa Jowell's comments were made the day after the Government announcement that energy minister Malcolm Wicks would lead a review of UK energy policy. A primary goal of the review is to significantly cut UK carbon dioxide emissions. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has also announced the launch of a consultation on sustainable construction.

Construction and the operation of building services are big carbon dioxide contributors, responsible for a third of all UK CO2 emissions.* In a new study RICS confirms that, though some progress has been made on the Government's sustainability agenda, on key measures such as minimising energy use, reducing pollution and cutting waste, this has been unspectacular.

BCIS spokesman Joe Martin said:

'The Government already produces sustainable key performance indicators (KPIs ) which could provide the basis for systems requiring firms to recycle on site, deliver full loads and conserve water. Olympic contracts represent billions of pounds, and the industry will listen and take direction when the stakes are that high.'

A recent survey by RICS showed that 6 percent of construction firms were already involved in 2012 Olympic related projects though nearly 20 percent expected to be involved over the next twelve months.

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