Ever since its inception more than 25 years ago, the Heart Foundation Tick has helped consumers make healthier choices on their weekly supermarket shop.
Featured on food products that meet strict nutritional standards, including a combination of lower saturated fats, salt and kilojoules and more health pluses, the Heart Foundation Tick guides consumers towards healthier products, when compared with similar items on the shelves.
This incentive has set a precedent for the food manufacturing industry, whereby this seal of approval is a must-have symbol on food packaging for any manufacturer. It’s no surprise then that the road construction and civil engineering sectors have employed a similar concept for endorsing new technology.
As part of an incentive to create more harmonisation within the Australia road industry, national research body ARRB has been endorsed to administer the Transport Infrastructure Product Evaluation Scheme (TIPES). Launched in 2014 and originally developed by Queensland Transport and Main Roads (QTMR), TIPES is a process aimed at providing an independent, fit-for-purpose assessment of innovative road construction products. Like the Heart Foundation Tick, the TIPES certification or ‘tick’ is awarded to products that pass certain assessment criteria.
“TIPES provides assurance that the product does what it claims to do,” explains Erik Denneman, Team Leader Pavement Technology at ARRB and one of the leaders of the incentive. “The real purpose of the scheme is to reduce uncertainty on product performance for road agencies.”
Dr. Denneman says that TIPES was created to assist in the assessment of non-standard products that fall outside the scope of standards and specifications across the country. This would allow innovative products in the road and civil construction industries to gain market acceptance through a single process. These products could be anything from non-traditional stabilisers, ultra-thin surfacing products, line-marking, drainage systems, traffic controls or even intelligent transport systems. This process would ideally help the road agency identify and choose the most appropriate, nationally approved technology for them.
TIPES, in theory, alleviates uncertainty, ensures consistency, shares learnings and offers potential savings for road agencies in Australia when deciding to invest in a new technology or product.
The concept is not new to the global road and civil works industries, which are typically administered by national accreditation bodies. “There are a lot of variables but similar systems exist in Europe, the US and South Africa,” says Dr. Denneman.
He says the idea of a single, national approach to trial, assess, approve and endorse new technology in this manner is new for Australia in the civil engineering sense. “Every road agency in Australia would have something similar in their processes,” says Dr. Denneman. He refers to the internal procedures undertaken by state road authorities, which TIPES aims to streamline into one single process.
“We drafted up a process and talked to the road agencies to see if they would come on board for having one national standard,” he says. The scheme is currently endorsed by all state and territory road agencies.
“It’s a complicated process and it sounds easier than it is. I think every industry and road agency sees the need for a national scheme, but there will always be a debate about what it should look like exactly.”
The TIPES assessment process, as it currently stands, involves four steps: the application, an initial laboratory assessment, a field performance trial and registration of technical opinion.
The proponent submits an application detailing their product, specifically its intended use, what it claims to do, quality assurance documentation and data on past performance.
ARRB assess the submitted information and, if the provided data is sufficient, the application will progress.
The initial laboratory assessment follows, which includes the appointment of a product evaluation panel, and the formulation and conduction of a laboratory test program (with tests accepted from any National Association of Testing Authorities-certified laboratory). The panel then assesses the outcomes of the laboratory tests and decides on the progression from there.
Following successful laboratory tests, the panel sets requirements for a field performance trial, which the applicant can organise with a road agency. The technology performance is then monitored over a suitable time period.
“Basically anything the product claims to do has to be tested,” says Dr. Denneman. “It’s costly, but it’s also a very necessary process.”
Finally, once the assessment process is complete, the appointed panel prepares a technical opinion. If the outcome is positive, the technical opinion is included in public register and the proponent receives a TIPES certificate of registration.
Dr. Denneman presented on the progress of the incentive so far at the 2015 Australian Asphalt Pavement Association International Flexible Pavements Conference in September.
It’s been a year and a half since TIPES was introduced and the first certificate under the scheme is on the verge of being awarded. There are currently nine active applications, including non-traditional stabilisers, an intelligent transport system and a drainage system.
“It’s really helping road agencies with a tool to specify innovative products,” he says. “I think it’s a process that’s most definitely needed in Australia, but it’s quite involved for everyone.” The appropriate committee members need to convene and assess the right criteria for assessment, come to conclusions, identify expectations and so forth.
While TIPES is still in its infancy, the first issued certificate will be a major milestone for the incentive, and Dr. Denneman is confident the idea will branch out even further. “I think that it’s a learning process both for us and the applicants because they definitely learn a lot about their product,” he says. “I expect it to evolve further. It’s all very positive at the moment.”