I am pleased to announce the AVS Awards 2018, whose purpose is to publicize, value and disseminate the work that we do in the public sector and private non-profit organizations in favor of social housing and its administration, sustainability, rehabilitation, urban regeneration and management of public services.

Likewise, in these times of crisis, it has been necessary to change the forms of intervention due to the scarcity of resources and the increase in needs and families at risk of exclusion, with interventions in the social sphere taking on special importance.

For this reason, we have established four awards that we estimate cover the most important activities we carry out. So:

To the best New Building in New Construction, taking special consideration of values such as: energy saving measures. The adaptation of design to the environment for a better environmental performance. Innovation, uncomplex construction systems for passive climate control, the use of recyclable materials and the performance/cost ratio will be valued.

To the best Acting in the Scope of Administration and Management of the social housing park, which can take place in the own housing stock or in historic centres and neighborhoods, with priority being given to social cohesion, the dignification of citizens' living conditions and the integral intervention in the development of programmes aimed at preferential care groups and business management, with special consideration given to coordination between the different departments and economic management that makes the actions viable.

To the best performance in the field of Urban Rehabilitation and Revitalisation, taking into account, in the rehabilitation of buildings, the introduction of energy efficiency and sustainability measures, accessibility and improvements in energy certification and, with regard to the revitalisation and regeneration of neighbourhoods, the quantitative and qualitative results of the intervention with sufficient public funding and good connections with the urban areas generating activity, without forgetting social cohesion and dynamisation.

To the best Instrumental Management of Public Services, through the different management formulas by instrumental entities (public companies, local business entities or similar) that demonstrate a more efficient and effective public sector action, both from the point of view of the optimisation of public resources, as well as their economic sustainability and the implementation of environmental, social, energy efficiency and interaction policies with citizens in the referred public management.

The awards will take into account economic sustainability, the replicability of the intervention, the profile of the successful bidders and the solutions provided according to existing conditions.

We look forward to your active participation in this 6th edition of the AVS Awards which we hope will reflect the good work and seriousness of our work.

Jerónimo Escalera Gómez
President of AVS