New environmental roadmap for the construction sector underway
Work on the Construction Sector Accord Transformation Plan Environment workstream, announced in September 2020 is underway. Led by BRANZ’s CEO, Chelydra Percy, the outcome of this work will be a roadmap for how the built environment and construction sector can contribute to Aotearoa New Zealand’s climate and other environmental aspirations.
This workstream will build on current initiatives across the sector and will work closely with the Building for Climate Change (BfCC) programme, which aims to see a reduction of carbon emissions in the construction sector.
One of the first priorities for BfCC will be ensuring that government construction projects lead the way and influence change in the sector. As a result, Cabinet has agreed that government construction projects should prioritise low carbon designs and construction methods, documenting reasons why low-carbon options are not selected. To help agencies achieve this, New Zealand Government Procurement is working with the Accord to supplement existing guidance focusing specifically on reducing carbon emissions from construction. We are currently consulting across the sector on the content of this guidance, so please contact your Account Manager if you’d like to know more.
The general direction of government procurement since October 2019 has been to seek greater public value through decision making by mandated agencies. The approach is documented in both the Government Procurement Rules and the construction procurement guidelines, with many agencies already employing them as they look for positive environmental outcomes in their contracts.
Construction procurement guidelines
Workstream announced in September 2020 – Accord welcomes new members to lead transformation delivery - Construction Sector Accord
Building for Climate Change programme - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment
Government procurement: supporting New Zealand’s COVID-19 economic and social recovery [PDF, 1.4MB] - Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment