CEEQUAL
Encyclopedia
CEEQUAL, is an assessment and awards scheme for improving sustainability in civil engineering and public realm projects, based in the United Kingdom
. It is promoted by the Institution of Civil Engineers
(ICE) and a group of civil engineering organisations including CIRIA, CECA and ACE. Its objective is to encourage the attainment of environmental excellence in civil engineering, and thus to deliver improved environmental and social performance in project specification, design and construction.
, with government financial support from the DETR and DTI Partners in Innovation schemes, and from the ICE's Research & Development Enabling Fund.
The development of CEEQUAL was managed by Crane Environmental Ltd, and received support and participation from relevant government departments and agencies, professional and industry associations, and civil engineering consultants and contractors.
Following industry-wide consultation and trialling, the scheme was launched in September 2003 and the first eight Awards presented at the ICE.
Since then, CEEQUAL has become the UK industry scheme for assessing environmental and sustainability performance in civil engineering and public realm projects, and is now widely used by major civil engineering clients, designers and contractors. In June 2008 CEEQUAL was recognised by HM Government's report, Strategy for Sustainable Construction as an initiative helping to 'drive forward' the Government’s design agenda for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.The total construction value of all projects assessed or in process of being assessed under CEEQUAL reached the £6 billion mark in autumn 2008 .
Project assessments are self-assessments carried out by an Assessor from within any part of a project team, or contracted in, who must have been trained by CEEQUAL. CEEQUAL also appoints a trained Verifier to the project, who is independent of the project team and acts to support the Assessor and provide validation of the completed assessment and subsequent Award.
The first step involves the Assessor and Verifier agreeing which questions are not relevant to the project and should be scoped out. The project is then assessed against the remaining question set. The Assessor completes the assessment by gathering the appropriate supporting evidence and completing a Scoring Spreadsheet. This is then submitted to the Verifier, together with the supporting evidence, for review and approval. Once the Verifier is satisfied with the assessment, the Scoring Spreadsheet is submitted to CEEQUAL for ratification, and a CEEQUAL Award certificate is issued.
There are several different CEEQUAL Award levels that a project can achieve, depending on the percentage number of points scored against the scoped-out question set. These are:
For larger or long-term projects an Interim (Client & Outline Design) Award is assessed en route to a final Whole Project Award.
In November 2008, Version 4 of the CEEQUAL Manual was launched. This provided a significant update to previous versions, including new questions specifically targeting carbon emissions and whole-life-cycle carbon analysis.
The CEEQUAL Manual should be read in conjunction with the Scheme Description and Process Handbook, which introduces the process of a CEEQUAL assessment and acts as a 'how to' guide for the Manual.
Bridges
Public Realm
Rail
River/Coastal Defence Structures
Roads
Water Supply & Sewerage
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is promoted by the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
(ICE) and a group of civil engineering organisations including CIRIA, CECA and ACE. Its objective is to encourage the attainment of environmental excellence in civil engineering, and thus to deliver improved environmental and social performance in project specification, design and construction.
History
CEEQUAL was developed by a team led by the ICEInstitution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...
, with government financial support from the DETR and DTI Partners in Innovation schemes, and from the ICE's Research & Development Enabling Fund.
The development of CEEQUAL was managed by Crane Environmental Ltd, and received support and participation from relevant government departments and agencies, professional and industry associations, and civil engineering consultants and contractors.
Following industry-wide consultation and trialling, the scheme was launched in September 2003 and the first eight Awards presented at the ICE.
Since then, CEEQUAL has become the UK industry scheme for assessing environmental and sustainability performance in civil engineering and public realm projects, and is now widely used by major civil engineering clients, designers and contractors. In June 2008 CEEQUAL was recognised by HM Government's report, Strategy for Sustainable Construction as an initiative helping to 'drive forward' the Government’s design agenda for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.The total construction value of all projects assessed or in process of being assessed under CEEQUAL reached the £6 billion mark in autumn 2008 .
How CEEQUAL Works
The scheme uses a points-scoring-based assessment, which is applicable to any civil engineering or public realm project. The scheme is made up of 200 questions within the CEEQUAL Manual relating to environmental and social aspects of a project such as the use of water, energy and land, impacts on ecology, landscape, neighbours, archaeology, as well as waste minimisation and management, and community relations and amenity. Awards are made to projects in which the clients, designers and constructors have gone beyond the legal and environmental minima, to achieve distinctive environmental standards of performance.Project assessments are self-assessments carried out by an Assessor from within any part of a project team, or contracted in, who must have been trained by CEEQUAL. CEEQUAL also appoints a trained Verifier to the project, who is independent of the project team and acts to support the Assessor and provide validation of the completed assessment and subsequent Award.
The first step involves the Assessor and Verifier agreeing which questions are not relevant to the project and should be scoped out. The project is then assessed against the remaining question set. The Assessor completes the assessment by gathering the appropriate supporting evidence and completing a Scoring Spreadsheet. This is then submitted to the Verifier, together with the supporting evidence, for review and approval. Once the Verifier is satisfied with the assessment, the Scoring Spreadsheet is submitted to CEEQUAL for ratification, and a CEEQUAL Award certificate is issued.
There are several different CEEQUAL Award levels that a project can achieve, depending on the percentage number of points scored against the scoped-out question set. These are:
- more than 25% - Pass
- more than 40% - Good
- more than 60% - Very Good
- more than 75% - Excellent
Award Types
Five types of award can be applied:- Whole Project Award, which is normally applied for jointly by or on behalf of the client, designer and principal contractor(s)
- Client & Design Award
- Design Only Award, applied for by the principal designer(s) only
- Construction Only Award, applied for by the principal contractor(s) only
- Design & Build Award, applied for the designer(s) and constructor(s) of a project.
For larger or long-term projects an Interim (Client & Outline Design) Award is assessed en route to a final Whole Project Award.
The Manual
The CEEQUAL Assessment Manual for Projects contains the 200 questions that comprise the CEEQUAL scheme and against which projects are assessed. The Manual also contains background information and references, guidance on scoring and scoping out, and examples of what is considered appropriate evidence. The question set is split into the following 12 topic areas:- Project Management
- Land Use
- Landscape
- Ecology and Biodiversity
- The Historic Environment
- Water Resources and the Water Environment
- Energy and Carbon
- Material Use
- Waste Management
- Transport
- Effects on Neighbours
- Relations with the Local Community and other Stakeholders
In November 2008, Version 4 of the CEEQUAL Manual was launched. This provided a significant update to previous versions, including new questions specifically targeting carbon emissions and whole-life-cycle carbon analysis.
The CEEQUAL Manual should be read in conjunction with the Scheme Description and Process Handbook, which introduces the process of a CEEQUAL assessment and acts as a 'how to' guide for the Manual.
Projects Awarded
Some of the civil engineering projects to have achieved CEEQUAL AwardsBridges
- Victoria Footbridge, HerefordHerefordHereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
Public Realm
- Custom House Square, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
Rail
- London OvergroundLondon OvergroundLondon Overground is a suburban rail network in London and Hertfordshire. It has been operated by London Overground Rail Operations since 2007 as part of the National Rail network, under the franchise control and branding of Transport for London...
- East London Line Project - Hademore Level Crossing, West Coast Main LineWest Coast Main LineThe West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
River/Coastal Defence Structures
- Dartford CreekRiver DarentThe River Darent or River Darenth is a Kentish tributary of the River Thames in England. Its name is believed to be from a Celtic word meaning 'river where oak-trees grow'...
Flood Embankment Stabilisation, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - New St Germans Pumping Station, Middle LevelMiddle Level CommissionersThe Middle Level Commissioners are a land drainage authority in eastern England. The body was formed in 1862, undertaking the main water level management function within the Middle Level following the breakup of the former Bedford Level Corporation....
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county... - Twin Rivers Diversion Scheme, Heathrow
Roads
- A58 Blackbrook Diversion Scheme, St Helens, MerseysideSt Helens, MerseysideSt Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
- A590 High and Low Newton Bypass, CumbriaCumbriaCumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
- Cross Valley Link Road, NorthamptonNorthamptonNorthampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
Water Supply & Sewerage
- Thames Water Ring MainThames Water Ring MainThe Thames Water Ring Main is a major part of London's water supply infrastructure that consists of an approximately 80 km system of mostly concrete pipelines used to transfer potable water from water treatment works in the Thames and River Lee catchments to distribution within London.The...
Tunnel Extensions, LondonLondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its... - ReadingReading, BerkshireReading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
Sewage Treatment Plant