BREEAM Infrastructure Term Contracts
What is BREEAM Infrastructure for Term Contracts?
Most sustainability assessment tools are built for one-off capital projects. They start at concept and finish at handover. Term Contracts works differently. It assesses programmes of work delivered over years and across geographies — the maintenance, operation and improvement of infrastructure assets after the cameras have left and the ribbons have been cut.
A term contract might cover the maintenance of a national highway network, the operation of a rail depot, the management of a water utility’s drainage assets, or the upkeep of a city’s public realm. These are the contracts where the long tail of carbon, social value and resource use sits — and until BREEAM Infrastructure for Term Contracts, there was no third-party verified framework designed to assess them.
Term Contracts uses the same eight-category structure as BREEAM Infrastructure for Projects, tuned to the realities of multi-year delivery. Verifications happen annually, not at project end. Sampling reflects programme-level activity, not a single scheme. The result is verified, year-on-year evidence of sustainability performance across an entire contract.
Who uses it
BREEAM Infrastructure for Term Contracts has been used on contracts including:
- Scottish Trunk Road Network maintenance
- London Bridge Railway Systems (Thameslink)
- Train depot operations within multi-year rail frameworks
- Highways maintenance contracts across the UK and internationally
It is specified by procuring authorities — national and regional infrastructure clients who want a credible, comparable framework for embedding sustainability into procurement. It is used by tier 1 contractors who want a structured way to demonstrate sustainability performance year on year and differentiate their bids.
What it assesses
BREEAM Infrastructure for Term Contracts assesses the same eight categories as Projects:
- Management
- Resilience
- Communities and stakeholders
- Land use and ecology
- Landscape and historic environment
- Pollution
- Resources (materials, energy and carbon, water)
- Transport
Each category is assessed against criteria tuned to multi-year delivery. The full set of credits and weightings is published in the technical manual.
Why it matters
For procuring authorities. A pre-built, third-party verified framework removes the need to invent or police a bespoke sustainability scheme. Specify it in procurement and you get consistent, comparable evidence across every term contract — without administrative burden on either side.
For contractors. A structured framework reduces the cost of responding to sustainability requirements in tenders, creates verified performance data the contractor owns, and produces evidence that supports framework refreshes and reaccreditation. Sustainability becomes a competitive asset rather than a compliance burden.
For both. Year-on-year verified data builds the kind of credible, defensible sustainability record that procurement rules, regulator scrutiny and Treasury reform are increasingly demanding. Self-reported claims will not survive the next decade. Independent verification will.
Now on the BREEAM Projects Platform
BREEAM Infrastructure for Term Contracts now runs on the BREEAM Projects Platform alongside Projects assessments. One platform. One login. One environment.
For assessors, that means a consistent workflow across capital and maintenance work — no switching between systems. Existing Term Contracts assessments are migrated onto the BREEAM Projects Platform on request — contact breeaminfrastructure@bregroup.com and we'll transfer your assessment over.
For more details, see the Term Contracts FAQ.
Revising outdated plans
We are currently navigating a rapid transformation across numerous sectors, particularly in environmental, social, and economic aspects. Asset maintenance plans written five years ago or more may require updates to reflect our current economic and climate reality and anticipate future trends.
Resilient infrastructure
The industry is also facing the escalating impact of climate change. The increasing frequency of severe weather events underscores the urgent need for resilience in our infrastructure planning and execution. BREEAM Infrastructure Term Contracts, with its comprehensive assessment method, can help to meet that challenge.
Sustainable asset maintenance
The Term Contracts approach ensures that all aspects of asset maintenance, including strategy, management, and delivery, are evaluated through a lens of sustainability and resilience. This can play a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of climate change and delivering a safe infrastructure for stakeholders, fostering a sustainable and secure future for all.
How does BREEAM Infrastructure work?
Step 1: Trained assessor
BREEAM Infrastructure is a self-assessment process, requiring a trained BREEAM Infrastructure assessor.
Step 2: Scoping
Scoping out is used to remove questions not relevant to your project or contract.
Step 3: Record assessment
Following guidance in the assessment manual, the assessment is recorded.
Step 4: Verification
Your completed assessment is independently verified.
Step 5: Rating
Once verified, the assessment is ratified by BRE and receives one of 5 scores: Pass; Good; Very Good; Excellent; Outstanding.
Step 6: Certification
Once your assessment is complete, the project or contract will receive a certificate.
Get in touch
Get in touch
Learn more about BREEAM Infrastructure Term Contracts
Download our comprehensive introduction guide to gain valuable insights into how BREEAM Infrastructure Term Contracts can help you optimise your asset maintenance, enhance sustainability, and improve resilience in your infrastructure projects.
This PDF provides:
- Detailed explanation of the BREEAM Infrastructure Term Contracts scheme
- Key benefits for your organisation
- Case studies of successful implementations
- Step-by-step guide to getting started
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