A good product is the first step to a good end result. But it doesn’t stop there: perfect execution is also necessary to achieve a high quality project.
Which is why a number of leading public developers have taken the initiative to have their confidence in the conformity of a construction confirmed through execution certification.
Framework
The Steering Group is at the basis of the execution certification. It includes representatives of public building owners, contractors, experts and users.
The Steering Group defines and monitors the general principles of implementation certification. It determines the general and specific needs of the execution certification and ensures that all necessary parties are involved.
The entire sector can be consulted in a sounding board meeting. This can also be organised around a specific topic where all actors involved can attend this meeting.
Mark
To make the difference with product certification clear, a separate quality mark was applied for:
The COPRO.EXE quality mark is a voluntary collective quality mark of which COPRO is the holder, and confirms confidence in an execution (EXEcute). Other certification bodies use the same .EXE suffix for execution certification.
Requirements
Specific requirements are imposed by the sector to demonstrate the suitability of an executor. These requirements can relate to the personnel, the equipment, the products, the location and the execution itself. All of these requirements are collected in a Technical Prescription or PTV for short.
Execution certification always takes place according to the requirements of the PTV for this execution. It is a public reference document that can be downloaded for free via the search menu on our website.
Because it can happen that there is a PTV for a product and a PTV for applying that product, a choice was made to include all technical prescriptions for executions in the PTV 8xxx series. This way the distinction between production and execution is immediately clear.
Procedure
The practical elaboration of specific execution certifications is done in Sectoral Commissions. These are composed of representative representatives of the project owners, users, executors and experts of this specific execution. This group develops the rules that certificate holders must follow and lists the requirements that apply in the context of certification. The rules are published in the form of a Special Regulation (BRS); the requirements are collected in a Technical Regulation (PTV).
The Application Regulation and the Technical Prescription also serve as guidelines for external oversight that will be carried out by the inspection body/bodies. See inspection.
COPRO functions as a certification body in accordance with established procedures, which are based on the ISO/IEC 17065 standard and are accredited by BELAC. COPRO is accredited by BELAC under certificate number 107 PROD.
Certificate
The confidence that the certification body has in the executor is confirmed by issuing a certificate.
If you want to check the validity of a certificate, it should be verified on our website.
Recognise
In order to verify whether or not an executor has a certificate for a specific execution, the website of the certification body must be consulted. This is the only way to check whether a certificate is valid.
Prescribe
How to prescribe execution certification depends on the region and the type of specifications used.
The "Standard Specifications 250" for road construction in Flanders has already included execution certification for certain work since version 4.1.The special specifications also refer to the website www.execert.be where you can find which execution certification is applicable from when.
Execution certification is also currently included in the Walloon Qualiroutes. Possible new execution certifications that are applicable are added with each new version of the Qualiroutes.
The Brussels Standard Specifications currently do not include any reference to execution certification.
Advantages
An awarding authority can expect execution realised under an execution certificate to be done in a quality manner agreed by the sector and to meet a series of requirements that are considered relevant by that sector for the quality of the execution.
Thanks to execution certification:
- the awarding authority can expect a quality execution;
- the designer and the architect can focus their attention on their core tasks;
- the general contractor has sufficient confidence that it is working with high-quality executors;
- the executor receives the necessary confidence in its services.
Role of COPRO
- COPRO is active as a certification body in the construction sector and has BELAC accreditation according to the ISO/IEC 17065 standard.
- COPRO started with the certification of executions in 2020.
- COPRO is accredited by BELAC under certificate number 107 PROD.
