BAM calls for CSR issues to be formalised in the contract award process
Bunnik, Netherlands, 4 October 2006 – Royal BAM Group has presented a proposal for a range of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) elements to be formally integrated into the tender prequalification and contract award process for construction projects within the Netherlands. BAM has identified ten key issues to be addressed under the headings of People (health & safety, community relations, education/training), Planet (waste, energy efficiency/climate change, use of sustainable materials, air quality) and Profit (innovation, customer focused construction, improve infrastructure/built environment). The first formal copy of this proposal was presented to the Dutch Directorate General of Public Works and Water Management at a conference organised by BAM in Wassenaar, Netherlands.
In the BAM proposal, a client would specify a range of CSR issues that are either fundamental to its own defined policies, or are particularly relevant to the project concerned. In the case of non-public tendering procedures, it proposes that the CSR policies of construction companies could be graded through the objective allocation of points (ranging from zero to one hundred) under each of the specified elements. The total score would then be used to classify the bidding companies, with only those achieving the highest scores being selected to submit their tenders.
In this way, the client will be able to formally assess tenders not just on the basis of tender costs, but also taking into serious account the ability to adopt and integrate key CSR issues into the overall project delivery process. The tender bids would include specific plans addressing how the contractor would implement each of the CSR issues specified by the client into the construction process for a given project. These plans can then be assessed, compared and rated by the client. The BAM proposal is that this rating can then form a measurable proportion of the overall tender value in determining a contract award.
In addition to this proposal, BAM will also within the framework of Bouwend Nederland (the organisation for the Dutch construction industry) draw up a new, accessible version of the Regeling Aannemer-Onderaannemer (Contractor - Subcontractor Regulations) first developed in 2001. The regulations were intended to ensure that contractors and subcontractors deal with each other professionally and ethically to prevent what is referred to as 'hawking'. BAM believes that, in the current market, these regulations link up well with the ethical and transparent way in which general contractors approach subcontractors. However, the original regulations, which were based on the Uniform Aanbestedingsreglement 2001 (Uniform Rules for Public Tender), have become outdated. BAM regards it as essential that these regulations are incorporated by clients in their call to tender if these are not already adopted voluntarily by contractors and subcontractors.
Further information: Arno C. Pronk, +31 (0)30 659 86 21.