Joint announcement of NELP’s adoption of v2.1

In an industry first, North East Link has adopted version 2.1 of the Infrastructure Sustainability (IS) Rating Tool to ensure the project continues to achieve excellent environmental, social and economic outcomes as it moves into delivery.

With the Spark Consortium recently announced as the delivery partner for the North East Link Tunnels, the tunnelling package will be the first to implement IS v2.1 Design and As Built. Future works packages for the North East Link will also be required to implement IS v2.1.

This announcement marks the culmination of months of detailed planning and reviews of the Technical Manual to ensure it will drive strong sustainability outcomes for NELP in accordance with its sustainability objectives and targets.

The IS Rating Scheme brings together world best practice for designing and building sustainable infrastructure. The revised version of the tool, officially launched in September 2021, sets new ambitious standards for users with new methodologies and higher benchmarks.

Adopting IS v2.1 is a major step change for infrastructure sustainability as the newly released technical manual includes credits that promote best practice in the design and construction of horizontal infrastructure in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. In addition, ISv2.1 acknowledges the necessary adjustments required to meet the current sustainability challenges and opportunities faced by the industry.

With the adoption of this new rating version, North East Link plans to support the wider construction industry to move away from business-as-usual approaches and reward approaches that deliver positive sustainability outcomes.

“By adopting IS v2.1 North East Link is signalling its desire to achieve beyond business-as-usual outcomes and we commend the project for its leadership in sustainability performance” says Ainsley Simpson, CEO of the Infrastructure Sustainability Council.

“As the first rating partner to adopt IS v2.1, the team at North East Link will leave a lasting legacy in infrastructure sustainability, which should be celebrated and commended”.

As Victoria’s largest ever road project, North East Link has worked closely with the Infrastructure Sustainability Council during the final stages of development for the revised rating tool.

North East Link is also engaging early with the market to support the infrastructure sector’s transition to the latest version of the rating tool and alongside the Infrastructure Sustainability Council are working collaboratively with industry stakeholders to support the transition and adoption.

“Adopting IS v2.1 is a testament to North East Link’s ongoing commitment to sustainability and we look forward to working alongside the team throughout the process” says Ainsley Simpson, CEO, Infrastructure Sustainability Council.