Design

15. In 2019, a dedicated ‘WiiSE By Design’ training programme was developed and has been rolled-out across the internal Costain design community ever since. Following the success of these sessions, the course will now be extended to selected external attendees within our eco system who can also benefit from the same information, messaging and opportunity to embed the principles of WiiSE By Design (including the elimination of harm and carbon reduction opportunities) in their design work. Requests for attendees will be sought from Contracts, the Costain design community and Sector SHE Managers. Once approved, these delegates will be assigned by invite to the next available session.

16. A dedicated audit team assigned and led by the Heads of Design Management and Engineering Design (supported by the Central SHE Team) will develop a question-set and assessment of the implementation of the WiiSE By Design (eliminating harm) principles so auditees can demonstrate use of the principles. This deep dive development work will take place in the first half of the year and the audit itself during Qtr. 3, reporting back in Qtr. 4 with learning communicated to enable improvement opportunities to be embedded during 2021.

17. Our Contracts have been measuring biodiversity impacts and targeting net-gain using Biodiversity Action Plans for some time and this is now an embedded requirement for many of our clients. In 2021 we want our contracts to start measuring and evaluating natural capital (NC) impacts. NC is defined as ‘elements of nature that directly or indirectly produce value to people, including ecosystems, species, freshwater, land, minerals, the air and oceans’. By measuring our impacts and in collaboration with our clients, we can plan and evaluate how to reduce these impacts and provide compensation and ultimately target a net-gain.

All new contracts starting construction work from January 1st, 2021 that will have an effect on biodiversity or natural capital (i.e.: habitat will be lost), or a significant opportunity to enhance these attributes (e.g.: the client wishes to enhance the biodiversity/ natural capital of the site), must use the Costain digital GIS tool or client equivalent to measure and evaluate these impacts. The appropriate Contract staff member should contact Geraint Rowland (Group Environmental Manager) and Katie Dawson (GIS Analyst) to agree a plan for delivering this work on contract award. If you do not believe the effects of your contract are significant this will need to be agreed with the Group Environmental Manager. Frameworks should undertake this assessment on at least one project.