Procurement of LCA Services
Outsourcing LCA services provides a
viable alternative when the necessary competence is not available within the organization,
or when the work volume does not justify the cost of maintaining internal
resources and LCA software license fees. When procuring LCA services it is
recommended to consider awareness and compliance of the service provider to ISO
14040/14044 and EN 15804 standards, as well as the content of the present
document. In addition, it is recommended to ensure that the service provided
will be using LCA tools and databases that comply with methodology and data
quality requirements defined in ISO 14040/14044 and EN 15804 standards.
9.1 Methodological
considerations
Awareness and implementation of ISO
14040/14044 and EN 15804 standards provides a foundation for delivering LCA
related services to the level of quality needed. Following the methodological
principles defined in the standards and this guide will ensure consistent study
definition and modelling principles and minimize margins of error.
In addition, it is recommended that LCA
service providers ensure that the content of this guide, together with national
versions of the document, is followed during LCA project delivery. This is
important as specific methodology and implementation related issues are
addressed, which have a profound impact on the quality and consistency of the
study.
9.2 Applied
LCA tools and LCA databases
LCA service providers will have access
to LCA tools and databases available in the market. Examples of such tools are
Klimatkalkyl, VegLCA, One Click LCA and FORE. Proficiency in working with
specific tools is recommended to ensure project delivery quality and
efficiency.
In addition, it is recommended that LCA
service providers as users of the tool and even tool developers demonstrate
that applied software and databases are in line with standardization and data
quality requirements presented in this guide and in national guidelines. This
will ensure that the methodological principles defined in this guide can be
followed.