Long-Term Administration Plan

Administration of Programme Elements

SCOPE 

To guarantee the sustained administration of the ERS Standard over extended periods, a systematic procedure is in place for reviewing programmatic elements spanning multiple decades.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The ERS Secretariat is responsible for leading this review process. It is charged with the initiation, coordination, and oversight of regular evaluations and subsequent plans based on the feedback from all ERS Entities. 

REVIEW SCHEDULE

• Frequency: Once every four (4) years.
• Announcement: The ERS Secretariat will provide a four-month notice to all teams involved, ensuring adequate time for preparation and data collection.

LEAD OVERSIGHT

The ERS Secretariat is designated as the principal body for this review process, ensuring:

• A comprehensive initiation of the review procedures;
• Coordination of feedback and evaluations from ERS entities;
• Oversight of recommended actions and their subsequent implementation.

REVIEW CONTENT

This section describes the content that each ERS Entity must report to the Secretariat. The Secretariat will then compile the different elements and share it with the Executive team and the Technical Advisory Board.  

1. Report from the Secretariat 

   1. ERS Registry maintenance. The Secretariat shall gather information on Buffer Pool management, projected and verified unit issuance, and unit cancellation and retirement. Annual reports from the Registry provider can be considered sufficient. 
   2. ERS VVB network. The Secretariat shall provide details on ongoing accreditations, training, performance reviews and auditing processes.
   3. Methodological improvements. The Secretariat must communicate information regarding methodological improvements and Standard revisions, as well as their alignment with current science, market practices, and accreditations.
   4. Governance. The Secretariat must report on TAB members and meetings, flagging any misbehaviour.  
   5. Grievance Mechanism. The Secretariat must report on the resolution of grievances. 
   6. Legal & Compliance Review. The Secretariat must report on the Programme's alignment with prevailing laws, regulations, and industry standards.
   7. Feedback Mechanism. The Secretariat must report on the feedback received from other ERS Entities and how this feedback was leveraged for Standard improvements.
   8. Record-Keeping. The Secretariat must report on the system in place for archiving old reports, data, and other relevant information.

2. Report from the Fiduciary Board

   1. Financial assessment. The Fiduciary Board shall report on the financial stability and viability of ERS.

3. Report from the Engineering Team

   1. Digital tool maintenance. The Engineering team shall report on the performance of internally developed tools, such as web and mobile applications.
   2. External tool benchmarking. The Engineering team must share its assessment of tools like AGB data, land cover assessments, and registry providers.
   3. Technology updates. The Engineering team must report on ERS’s plan for integrating new tools or platforms to support certification and monitoring processes.

4. Report from the Certification Team

   1. Operational assessment. The Certification team must report on certification capacity and necessary resources.
   2. Feedback. The Certification team must summarise feedback gathered from Developers’ Certification journeys and their use of the ERS Apps. 

5. Report from the Executive Team

   1. Risk Management. The Executive team shall report on potential threats and the preventive and corrective measures taken to address them.
   2. External audits. The Executive team must summarise findings from annual third-party audits and their recommendations for improving Programme administration.  

   3. Training & Development. The Executive team must communicate its plan for keeping the teams informed on continuously evolving standards and tools, such as the organization of regular workshops, courses, or seminars.

      
      
      

KEY CONSIDERATIONS FOR REPORTS 

Each report should be comprehensive, including:

• Stakeholder Feedback: Derived from surveys targeting Developers, Buyers, and VVBs, as well as summaries of Public Comment Periods;
• Industry Trends: Regular review of current industry practices;
• Operational Capacity: Assessed in the context of predicted growth;
• Technical Debt: Addressed if relevant to the specific Programme element;
• Risks and Opportunities: Highlight potential risks to the Programme and their mitigation strategies. This is key to preparing for uncertainties and ensuring the Programme's resilience;
• Financial Feasibility: Explored if relevant to the particular Programme element;
• Quality Objectives: Performance on quality objectives over the past 4 years of Programme management. Such metrics help us define what success looks like for each Programme element. 

EVALUATION METRICS

Each report should employ a traffic light system to indicate the status of each Programme element:

• Green: Satisfactory performance;
• Yellow: Some concerns; recommendations needed;
• Red: Significant concerns, immediate action required.

💡 Whenever a programme element is designated yellow or red, the report must provide specific recommendations alongside a detailed action plan.

PROGRAMME MULTI-DECADAL STRATEGY

Based on this report, the Secretariat jointly with the Executive team devises a new Programme strategy for the administration of the ERS Programme over the next four years. This plan must include the following: 

• ERS mission, vision and values; 
• ERS strategy for the next four years, including growth planning, methodology development, improvements in certification and MRV processes, and R&D objectives; 
• The resource allocation for the implementation of such a plan, including manpower, finances, infrastructure and tools.

PROVISIONS IN CASE OF DISSOLUTION

In the event that ERS is no longer able to oversee its Programme, or foresees that this may be the case within the next four-year period, ERS must transfer the management of its Programme, methodologies, registry, and active projects to another operating entity.

To guard against this risk, a partnership has already been put in place between ERS and:

• CERTIFICADORA DE CARBONO S.A.S. (CERCARBONO), a company incorporated under the laws of Colombia (company registration number 901025991-0 with its offices at [Calle 7 Sur # 42 70 Office 1707, Colombia] (“Cercarbono”).
• RIVERSE, Société par actions simplifiée (“Simplified Joint stock company”), a company incorporated under the laws of France (company registration number 908 082 332) with its offices located at 28, avenue des Pépinières 94260, Fresnes (France).

The partnership covers the following:

• Support of obligations. In the event of the dissolution of either Party, the other Party shall ensure that it will act as a substitute for the registration and certification of projects registered at the time of dissolution.
• Data and information provision. The party presenting the dissolution must ensure the provision of complete information on projects and credits in order to be able to assume the obligations as a certification programme.
• Periodic exchange and cooperation. The Parties will be willing to exchange information on the methods by which the procedures and normative structures governing each other’s programmes would be integrated.