EBC

The European Benchmarking Co-operation (EBC) was initiated in 2004 by the national water associations and several water utilities from Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

Supported by

Objective of the co-operation is to facilitate water utilities in the continuous process of improving performance and transparency by:

• offering an international benchmarking programme for water services;
• providing a platform for exchanging best practices of management and operations;
• exchanging knowledge and experiences on benchmarking.

Benchmarking is a structured, continuous process to assess performance and identify and adapt best practices. To assess water utility performance, the EBC-partners have developed a benchmarking model for water- and wastewater activities, suitable for larger as well as for smaller utilities. The model is based on the Performance Indicator system of the International Water Association (IWA). It not just focuses on costs, but on all key performance areas: water quality, reliability, service, sustainability, finance & efficiency.

This model has been successfully field-tested in 2007/2008 in a pilot with 30 water utilities from 10 different European countries. Based on the positive feedback of the participants, the EBC-partners have decided to go on and offer a regular, international benchmarking programme for (primarily) European water utilities.
The next benchmarking project, with data of 2008, will run from mid April to November 2009.

The International Water Association (IWA) fully supports EBC’s benchmarking programme.