Collecting the data

Questionnaires can be designed to capture the desired data variables during the project. To ensure that all relevant data is collected, these questionnaires should be designed both for the main contractor in the project, and all the subcontractors and suppliers in the supply chain.

Construction projects are usually divided into certain milestones. These milestones are usually designed to monitor progression, and establish when payments from the contracting authority to the supplier are going to be made.

Sometimes, whether a milestone is met also depends on the quality control reports that are submitted by the supplier. These reports include all the relevant information regarding quality standards, and relevant tests, that have been carried out according to the agreed terms.

It can be established that these reports also include relevant data on sustainability variables (i.e. data regarding the use of sustainable, recycled, or reused materials).

• The supplier can set up a “Materials Register”, indicating provenance, quantity and destination of all materials used during the project, this list should be available to the procuring agency for evaluation. To monitor the use of sustainable materials, the procuring agency can also require the supplier to submit proof of purchase of these materials, together with any document that guarantees compliance with agreed characteristics.
• To monitor compliance with Site Waste Management Plans (SWMP), a registry can be used to record each time a waste container leaves the site. To facilitate this process, there should be someone in charge of monitoring waste management, and training relevant stakeholders.

Involving third-parties to audit the project is one way to collect relevant data. Sometimes procurement authorities hire a specialist consultancy to monitor the sustainability of a specific construction project.

This company will collect the relevant sustainability data set on the tender documents. This is common in projects funded by development banks. The supplier can also include hiring a third-party to monitor the sustainability of the project as part of their proposal to meet the targets set in the tendering documents.

One of the ways to monitor construction projects is to designate a dedicated government Task Force to visit construction sites intermittently and without previous notice. This can be especially useful to collect any relevant data on labor conditions.

Monitoring construction projects can require a lot of workforce and, often, public agencies do not have the resources to monitor and collect data from all ongoing and past construction projects. For this reason, engaging civil society in monitoring activities can be particularly useful in the construction sector. Citizen collaboration can be required to collect data on health and safety measures, labor rights, and corruption (i.e. abandoned projects).