Climate Smart Policy and Procurement

An Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) Online Course

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Course Description

The course looks to examine opportunities to integrate concepts of climate change adaptation and resilience into procurement practices, and to understand overarching climate change adaptation and resilience policy drivers at multiple scales to accelerate the development of climate-ready infrastructure.  

Participants will learn how to understand and interpret procurement frameworks, processes, and instruments, and to develop or respond to procurement processes for infrastructure in a way that integrates climate resilience and aligns with climate-related policies.  It will examine procurement and its intersections with resilient infrastructure and communities from two distinct perspectives: the entities initiating procurement processes to solicit infrastructure services, and the bidders responding to these processes.  

A wide range of procurement-related documents ranging from recommended guidelines to requirements are rolling out from various levels of governments, non-profits, and large corporations. This course helps make sense of these changes for infrastructure planning. Participants will gain insights into climate-smart procurement strategies including evaluation criteria, key language, and other considerations.   

The course includes training modules customized for those interested in resilient infrastructure procurement integrating various perspectives to help engineers, procurement professionals and other technical experts address climate impacts with appropriate adaptation solutions through procurement frameworks.   

In taking this course, participants will develop:

1. An increased understanding of key climate mitigation, risk management, adaptation, resiliency and infrastructure policies at multiple scales, and relate these back to procurement;
2. An increased understanding of key, relevant stages of procurement processes, reviewing various types and approaches to procurement, including public private partnerships (P3’s/PPP’s);  
3. A basic understanding of progress around the integration of sustainability in procurement, and gaps and progress relating specifically to infrastructure resilience;  
4. Practical knowledge through the introduction of case studies that demonstrate good practice around resilience and infrastructure, as implemented through procurement processes or policies;   
5. Increased understanding of strategies and approaches for incorporating climate change infrastructure risk and resilience in various procurement-related scenarios; and,  
6. Insights related to the proactive integration of climate change adaptation and resilience principles and practices within procurement processes.

This professional development course is virtual and aims to educate infrastructure professionals on policy and procurement issues and the associated implications on their practice. The course is required as part of the Infrastructure Resilience Professional (IRP) Credentialling Program, but it can also be taken as a stand-alone course for professional development. The IRP certification recognizes an individual’s additional knowledge in planning, designing and managing resilient infrastructure and building assets and their components in the face of extreme weather and our changing climate. Click here for more information about the IRP Credentialling Program.  

The course is divided into five modules: 

• Module 1 provides a case for resilient infrastructure, looks at climate policy as it relates to procurement and begins to review why procurement is key to resilient infrastructure. 
• Module 2 looks at the procurement processes and frameworks identifying opportunities for adaptation and resilience. 
• Module 3 focuses on challenges and opportunities for larger projects and explores the case for Public Private Partnerships (PPPs/P3s) for the procurement of climate-resilient infrastructure. 
• Module 4 explores the assessment of climate resilience requirements and criteria from both the public and private sector perspectives. 
• Module 5 examines the post-procurement phase, including contract and project Monitoring, and key performance indicators. 

Module 0

Module 0 – Climate Change 101 is intended to provide a foundation on the fundamentals of climate change to prepare participants for upcoming modules and support their progression in the IRP program.  This module will ensure that students can understand components of the global climate system; understand basics of climate modeling and how climate has changed in the past and present, have an understanding of climate impacts and risks, and understand relationship between climate change, climate risk and infrastructure systems. It is recommended that candidates complete this module in advance of their first course.  

Each week will follow a similar format. An introductory video will set the stage for the week ahead. Weekly readings and pre-recorded lectures introduce new concepts and information, and students are prompted to engage with and test that knowledge via discussion board questions, activities, and quizzes. The weekly modules will wrap up with a live session with the lead instructor, where learners can expect a mix of presentations, review of key concepts, case study and scenario explorations, and facilitated discussions.  

Course Assessment

The assessment framework for all IRP courses allocates 30% of final grade to each of discussion forum participation, final assignment or task, and a short multiple choice final exam. 10% of student mark is allocated to live session participation. Exams and final assignments are to be completed within a week of the final live sessions.  

The final or summative task is not designed to be long, however, we are looking for IRP candidates and all students to demonstrate application of the concepts and knowledge gained through the readings and live sessions. Students have opportunity to submit their short in their preferred format (e.g. 2-page document, or 7-10 slides).  

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Meet the Instructors!

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