BACKGROUND: In recent years, some transportation agencies have moved toward adoption of Green Public Procurement (GPP) as a means for reducing infrastructure’s environmental impact and often require material Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) to document their potential environmental impacts (often in terms of global warming potential, emissions, or gallons of water conserved). However, much of the current procurement practices do not consider a holistic pavement life-cycle assessment (LCA) approach that incorporates the quality assurance measures needed to ensure infrastructure performance. Currently, there are no widely accepted procedures for incorporating quality assurance in GPPs. There is a concern that in the absence of a rational consideration of quality assurance, implementation of GPPs may impact infrastructure performance.
There is a need to identify the procedures currently available for incorporating quality assurance into GPPs, develop procedures that better address the different applications and related issues, and prepare guidelines for their application. These procedures and accompanying guidelines should help those involved in the different aspects of infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance in considering GPP practices that promote sustainability without adversely effecting infrastructure performance.
OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this research are to (1) recommend procedures for incorporating quality assurance into GPP practices and (2) prepare guidelines for their application in highway pavements.
Accomplishment of the project objectives will require at least the following tasks.
PHASE I: (1) Collect and review information on current domestic and international practices relevant to the procedures for incorporating quality assurance into GPPs, and identify available procedures. This information may be obtained from published and unpublished information and contacts with public and private organizations involved in such procurements. (2) Evaluate the procedures identified in Task 1, identify potential procedures, and recommend modifications of existing procedures and new procedures that merit evaluation in Phase II. (3) Develop a research plan for work to be executed in Phase II to (a) further evaluate the potential, modified, and new procedures identified in Task 2; (b) identify and develop recommended procedures for incorporating quality assurance into GPP practices; and (c) prepare guidelines for their application in pavement procurement. (4) Prepare an interim report that documents the research performed in Tasks 1 through 3. Following review of the interim report by the NCHRP, the research team will be required to make a presentation to the project panel. Work on Phase II of the project will not begin until the interim report is approved and the Phase II work plan is authorized by the NCHRP. The decision on proceeding with Phase II will be based on the contractor’s documented justification of the updated work plan.
PHASE II: (5) Execute the plan approved in Task 4. Develop the procedures for incorporating quality assurance into GPP practices and related guidelines. (6) Using the procedures developed in Task 5, prepare examples to illustrate use of the guidelines for different scenarios of pavement procurement, and prepare a technical memorandum titled “Implementation of Research Findings and Products” to facilitate implementation of the developed procedures and guidelines. (7) Prepare presentation material in a PowerPoint or other format to facilitate implementation and use of the developed procedures and guidelines. (8) Prepare a final deliverable that documents the entire research effort. Deliverable will include (a) a research report documenting the work performed in the project and used to develop the procedures and guidelines; (b) the guidelines as a standalone document; and (c) a technical memorandum on implementation of research findings and products as a separate document. The procedures developed in Task 5 shall be presented as an appendix to the research report, and the examples presented in Task 6 shall be included as an appendix to the guidelines.
STATUS: Research in progress.
