Are the Eurocodes mandatory?
Under the Public Procurement Directive, the Member States must accept designs to the Eurocodes. When published, the Eurocodes will become the standard technical specification for all public works contracts: where a contract for a public body contains a technical specification this should reference the appropriate European Standards. Accordingly, the Highways Agency will be obliged to specify Eurocodes for the design of new highway structures in contracts made after 31 March 2010. Whilst it will not be mandatory to design to the Eurocodes in the UK, should a designer propose alternative design standards, they will have to demonstrate that the alternative is of ‘technical equivalence’ to a Eurocode solution. As the British Standards Institution (BSI) will not maintain the withdrawn UK standards, in reality there will be little option but to use the Eurocodes.The engineering industry is therefore encouraged to prepare for the changeover to Eurocodes as soon as practicable.
