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CSEP Performance Scoring

CSEP scoring definitions (Word document)

Colorado Stormwater Excellence Program (CSEP)
Scoring and Performance Criteria
January 2020

Minimum CSEP performance requirements and ethical standards have been established by the CSEP Advisory Board and must be adhered to by the participants and other stakeholders. CSEP Participants must first meet the minimum or Basic CSEP performance level on all of their active projects in the state to be considered a “Participating” company. Companies will automatically be considered participating upon initially joining the CSEP and will have a 60-day grace period to acquire the required USMS training and to convert their existing projects to the ComplianceWise digital recordkeeping system. Once a company meets the Basic participation level on all active projects, they may challenge themselves to achieve “Qualified” CSEP company status.

Project owners may, and are encouraged to, participate in the CSEP when represented by a CSEP participant. CSEP awards and recognition are based on individual project performance. After a Participant meets the basic CSEP requirements, individual CSEP projects are eligible for silver, gold or platinum annual awards based on the performance standards established by the Board. Project Owners may "opt-in" to receive dual recognition for their part in supporting stormwater permit compliance on their project(s).

The CSEP Advisory Board has approved the following performance and award levels for companies and projects participating in the program.

Monthly Project Performance Levels

Basic CSEP

(Individual projects are scored a “2” and are added to the Participant’s cumulative monthly average)

Status is achieved when:

  1. Participant Executive has signed the annual CSEP Corporate Commitment letter, adopts the USMS compliance methodology, and renews the CSEP commitment letter at least annually,
  2. Participant Executive utilizes CSEP standard (or more stringent) automatic email compliance performance notifications based on the Intermediate CSEP performance expectations,
  3. Participant Executive reviews project CSEP performance summary scores in the ComplianceWise online database at least once per month and confirms such review in the ComplianceWise database,
  4. at all times at least one AGC/C USMS Certified SWMP/SWPPP Administrator will be assigned to, and be responsible for, Construction General Permit (CGP) compliance on every permitted project,
  5. participant assures that all projects permitted under the CGP are registered in the CSEP and submit to monthly CSEP audits by a Board approved Construction Reviewer (CR), and
  6. participant has not been found by the Board to have violated any CSEP ethical policies during the program calendar year.

Note: New participant companies entering the CSEP for the first time will have a sixty-day (60) grace period to provide USMS training for their project SWMP Administrators and to implement the USMS process on their projects. During the grace period, projects must participate in the CSEP monthly audits but project months during the grace period are not eligible for, and do not contribute to, company performance levels or project award levels. The grace period is optional and may be declined by the participant for any entire program month of results. When the grace period is declined, all results for all projects audited during the program month will be entered into the official performance and award calculations.

Intermediate USMS

(Individual projects are scored a “1” and are added to the Participant’s cumulative monthly average)

Status is achieved when:

  1. Participant Company maintains the "Basic CSEP" participation requirements,
  2. CR documented Project E-Impact score calculated with all "open" or "in progress" findings remains at or below ten (10),
  3. A maximum of one (1) offsite discharge is observed (Only one finding may have an E-Impact Severity Rating of three (3) or more), and
  4. USMS Score is at or above 70%.

Advanced USMS

(Individual projects are scored a “0” and are added to the Participant’s cumulative monthly average)

Status is achieved when:

  1. Participant company maintains the "Basic CSEP" participation requirements,
  2. CR documented Project E-Impact score calculated with all "open" or "in progress" findings remains at or below six (6), and
  3. No offsite discharges are observed (All findings have an E-Impact Severity Rating of two (2) or less), and
  4. USMS Score is at or above 80%.

CSEP Company Participation Levels

“Qualified” and “Participating” are the two participation levels available for companies who meet the basic participation levels for all projects active in the CSEP. The CSEP offers significant risk reduction benefits for companies meeting the “Qualified” level and fewer benefits for those that remain at the “Participating” level.

The CSEP Advisory Board determines which companies are “qualified” by reviewing company performance for all CSEP companies on a quarterly basis. Generally, participation levels are based on CSEP companies meeting the following minimum requirements:

Participating – Company has meet all Basic performance requirements on all active projects in the CSEP

Qualified – Company average scores for all active projects over the last quarter are at, or below, a “1” (one). The CSEP Advisory Board has reviewed performance scores for the last quarter and has determined that the company is “Qualified”

CSEP Active Project Award Levels

Annual award levels are not yet utilized by the CSEP Advisory Board for formal public awards and recognition but are intended to be in the near future. A number of CSEP Companies utilize the following structure for internal awards and recognition to provide performance incentives for project teams and individuals.

In the Future, “Qualified” companies may be recognized for their superior performance at the following Annual Award levels:

Note: Basic CSEP performance levels and compliance with the CGP must always be maintained regardless of construction activity level.

Platinum CSEP Project

Status is achieved when a participant's active project meets the following requirements:

  1. Project has at least three months of performance data in the program year,
  2. has no Basic performance levels,
  3. has one or less Intermediate performance levels, and
  4. has an average performance level less than 0.2 (Advanced = 0, Intermediate = 1, Basic = 2).

Gold CSEP Project

Status is achieved when a participant's active project meets the following requirements:

  1. Project has at least three months of performance data in the program year,
  2. has no Basic performance levels,
  3. has four or less Intermediate performance levels, and
  4. has an average performance level less than 0.4 (Advanced = 0, Intermediate = 1, Basic = 2).

Silver CSEP Project

Status is achieved when a participant's active project meets the following requirements:

  1. Project has at least three months of performance data in the program year,
  2. has one or less Basic performance levels,
  3. has seven or less Intermediate performance levels, and
  4. has an average performance level less than 0.6 (Advanced = 0, Intermediate = 1, Basic = 2).

Eligible Months: Projects that are inactive, as defined by the Construction General Permit, may not be eligible for annual awards even though the CGP is still open. CSEP Project Awards can only be achieved on active projects that participate for at least three (3) months in the program calendar year and maintain at least Advanced or Intermediate performance during the program calendar year. Any months of active project performance data that are not used for award levels in the current program calendar year will be added to the performance data for the next program calendar year. Scores from the Baseline Audit (first audit performed on a project) will not count toward project awards.