ISO and tender writing

The International Organisation Standard (ISO) is at it again with the introduction of ISO 50001, a standard dedicated to improving the energy performance of businesses World-wide. The launch of this new ISO standard is an addition to the existing ISO portfolio of over 18,600 standards, which provide governments and businesses with the tools and procedures necessary for continued sustainable economic, environmental and social development. So what does this all mean for businesses? In the Tender writing process the inclusion of ISO within the submission provides the assessor with confidence that your business has in place structured policies and procedures to meet and exceed expectations promoting an attitude and ability of “doing things right the first time”.

The new ISO 50001 is aimed at providing both public and private sector businesses with management strategies to improve their energy performance, energy efficiency and overall reduce costs associated with environmental damage. The new ISO is designed to ensure maximum compatibility with existing 9001 Quality and 14001 Environmental standards, allowing for seamless integration within the management systems. It is designed to be used by corporations, supply chain partnerships, utilities, and energy service companies, with others expected to use ISO 50001 as a tool to reduce energy intensity use and carbon emissions in their own facilities to benchmark their achievements. ISO 50001 provides the following benefits to your organisation;

• Make better use of existing energy-consuming assets
• Benchmarking, measuring, documenting, and reporting energy intensity improvements and their projected impact on reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Transparency and communication on the management of energy resources
• Energy management best practices and good energy management behaviours
• Evaluating and prioritizing the implementation of new energy-efficient technologies

Energy management and environmental conservation is proving to be very prominent and at the forefront of boardroom discussion, as organisations look for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. PQQ and Tender writers will need to be aware of the requirments and ensure they are incorporated into every response.
A common problem encountered by many is that paper usage is rising at an alarming rate, on average about 20% every year, with office workers using approximately 50 sheets in a typical office each day. These figures appear to be high but do not even take into account paper waste from newspapers and magazines, increasing the total amount of paper wastage. The UK alone uses 12.5 million tonnes of paper and cardboard every year. Source: Confederation of Paper Industries

It is expected that once the ISO becomes mainstream later this year it will influence up to 60% of the Worlds business energy use. With several early adopters of the new ISO standard already reporting numerous early gains through significant reductions in power consumption, carbon emissions, energy costs and benefits to manufacturing plants, communities and the environment. Pro-active energy management incorporating a number of ISO standards will score highly with the assessor and enhance your success rate when completing a PQQ and writing tenders while also reducing the depletion of energy resources and mitigating worldwide effects of global warming.

Luke O' Neill