Jiri Skopek
ECD Energy and Environmental Canada Ltd.

This paper describes how Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) has incorporated sustainable development issues to evaluate the building management services delivered by the Department as well as by private sector firms through service delivery contracts. The paper also shows that, after two years of implementation in the field, the system developed by PWGSC has proven to be highly satisfactory.

Amendments to the Auditor General Act of Canada in 1995 required that all Canadian Federal Departments produce their own Sustainable Development Strategies (SDS). For Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), this included consideration of the operation and maintenance of the building stock for which it is responsible. To meet this objective, a careful review was conducted of current building practices and their environmental impacts with respect to the specific Sustainable Development goals set by the Canadian Government as well as by the Department. The existing evaluation systems used to measure performance and progress for building management were also reviewed. A system was then developed using the BREEAM Canada building evaluation system as a guide.

Among the requirements of SDSs is the identification of issues, goals and targets, along with a time frame for their realization. To do this requires the recognition that the quality of service rendered will generally rest upon three basic elements:

1. the physical tool or product used to deliver the service, ( for example, a particular building system)
2. the knowledge of the staff delivering the service, (i.e. training)
3. the activities for the staff as they use the tool or product to deliver the service. (i.e. O&M practices)

Consequently, in order to meet the SDS requirements, the method used to design and implement the building management system must address these three elements and, in particular, the knowledge and delivery activities aspects of the service. These relationships mean that different principles of sustainability must be applied, depending on whether they refer to services or products. For example, measuring the application of services, such as life cycle analysis/costing and reuse/recycling, will differ from measuring the effectiveness of training and communications needed for the proper application of physical products. This was one of the challenges faced by PWGSC in developing its SDS for office building management services.

The success of the method can be attributed to several factors, including the input of in-house experts who helped to adapt BREEAM so that the criteria would clearly and simply reflect the goals and targets of the Government of Canada and of the Department. The team also conducted a thorough evaluation of the existing systems in order to salvage and integrate the strong elements previously used by PWGSC, thereby facilitating a relatively seamless transition to the new protocol. The results of applying the system indicate measurable progress in designing and delivering environmental building management services to meet the goals and objectives of PWGSC's Sustainable Development Strategy.

Back to Top | Back to 3S abstract programme

Last updated: 13 November, 2008