EBC

The European Benchmarking Co-operation (EBC) is a not-for-profit benchmarking initiative for water services.

Supported by

Mission 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 proven management instrument for performance improvement through systematic search and adaptation of leading practices. It is not a single action, but a continuous, cyclical process consisting of of two consecutive steps: performance assessment and performance improvement.

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

For performance improvement, EBC organises benchmarking workshops to exchange knowledge and best practices and prepare action plans for improvement.

Since 2007, EBC has organised three benchmarking exercises, with a growing number of participants from Europe and even beyond.

The next benchmarking project, with data of 2009, runs from mid April to November 2010. Click here for more information about this exercise.

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