Infra Relatiedagen welcomes CROW

The list of participants at Infra Relatiedagen keeps growing, as CROW will also be present. Together with Tom de Water, knowledge worker of Team RAW at CROW, we discussed the objective CROW has set for itself, and how participation in Infra Relatiedagen can contribute to achieving this objective.

''CROW covers a broad spectrum. Among other things, we provide guidelines and manage contract systems for everything built and maintained in public space. Our presence at the Infra Relatiedagen relates to RAW, a contract system used by all public clients in just under 10,000 contracts a year. We manage this system, but the content, requirements and rules are provided by working groups consisting of users. Basically, we are looking for specialists who review the RAW systematics through umbrella organizations such as Bouwend Nederland or the Union of Water Boards. Participation and representation from the entire sector is essential.''

CROW has a clear plan to take quick, big steps: ''We have given ourselves the following objective: we want to revise about 50 of the 120 subchapters of the RAW system in three years. This is a huge number, especially considering that we have revised about 20 subchapters over the past five years. We are aware that we are asking for extra commitment from the market with this. After all, we have to get these working groups formed. The working groups consist of clients, contractors and, where necessary, suppliers or engineering firms if they have specialized knowledge in a particular area.''

We find that the market is open to working with it, but it cannot be repeated often enough. On the theme of 'sustainability' everyone is catching on, both companies and government agencies. Together we can make an enormous impact, by making the RAW system more sustainable and thus helping the GWW sector to become more sustainable through tenders and contracts. We want to get that message across, and then get a commitment from the users to join the working groups.''

Tom is pleased with a trade fair like Infra Relatiedagen: ''Things and terms like sustainability, biodiversity, low environmental costs and zero-emission construction will certainly come up frequently during the trade fair. We cannot make the transition we are facing alone; we have to do it together. That is why it is good to find each other on a stage like Infra Relatiedagen, because I am convinced that it helps to accelerate this process.''

The Infra Relatiedagen are on February 6,7 and 8 in Evenementenhal Hardenberg. Free tickets are available at www.infrarelatiedagen.nl.