Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana

Directorate-General for Economic Planning and Budgets.

Subdirectorate-General for Economic and Statistical Studies

LUIS GONZALEZ TURNER

MINISTERIO DE TRANSPORTES, MOVILIDAD Y AGENDA URBANA

Paseo de la Castellana 67, C-408

28071 MADRID - SPAIN

RAFAEL SANCHEZ DE RIEVERA MOSET

MINISTERIO DE TRANSPORTES, MOVILIDAD Y AGENDA URBANA

Paseo de la Castellana 67, C-420

28071 MADRID - SPAIN

The Construction Production Index.

The index was obtained via the Encuesta de Índices de Producción de la Industria de la Construcción (EIPIC, Survey of Construction Industry Production Indices), which is a statistical investigation conducted at regular intervals to evaluate and analyse trends in the main economic variables of companies primarily engaged in construction activity. The aim of the survey is to obtain a complete, consistent and homogeneous set of quantitative data on the behaviour of the “Construction” sector in the business cycle, and show the monthly evolution of the added value generated by the construction activity.

Main characteristics measured by the survey:

Construction undertakings provide information on a monthly basis on a series of economic variables related to their activity: contracting, works carried out, operating revenue, subcontracts, etc., and variables relating to employment: wages and salaries, staff numbers and hours worked.

The Statistical Classification of Economic Activities in the European Union, NACE 93 Rev. 2. For the products, the Classification of Community Production (PRODCOM) is used.

All undertakings listed in Section F of NACE 93 REV 2.0 (CNAE-2009 in Spain) are covered.

Production values ​​(sales and income) (Amounts not including VAT)

Sales: Collects the total amount of sales made in the reference month including:

•  Revenues from sales of finished, executed, certified or pending work, as well as by-products and waste. Sales  must be net, that is, discounting rappels, sales returns and similar operations and include product subsidies.
•  Provision of services corresponds to the services of the construction activity; Income from subcontracts taken.
•  Sales revenue from commercial stocks includes the sale of goods (including land and lots) in the same state in  which they were acquired (resales); Should be recorded at net value, ie discounting the value of rappels and  returns and similar.

Other production values

• Change in inventories of works in progress and of completed works.
• Work performed by the company for its fixed assets.
• Subsidies for exploitation 
• Other management income 

Consumer values ​​(purchases and other production expenses) (Amounts not including VAT)

• Net purchases of raw materials and other supplies.Costs for Purchases of raw materials and other supplies, include expenses for the acquisition of construction materials and the storable items used for the execution of the works, as well as land and lots Intended for the construction of buildings. They must be net, that is to say, discounted in their case "rappels" and returns of purchases.
• Works carried out by other companies (subcontractors). Expenditure on work carried out by other companies (subcontractors assigned), are the payments made for the work entrusted to other companies, whether or not they have strict consideration of subcontractors.
• Net purchases of commercial stocks (goods, for resale in the same state in which they were acquired.

Other consumption values

• Change in stocks of raw materials and other supplies.
• Variation in commercial stocks (goods, including land and lots for resale)
• External services
• Taxes linked to production and products 
• Other management expenditure 

These statistics use the definitions and procedures established for the REGULATION (CE) Nº 1503/2006 OF THE COMMISSION, of September 28, 2006, which applies and modifies the Regulation (CE) nº 1165/98 of the Council relative to the short-term statistics regarding the definition of variables, the list of variables and the frequency of data collection.

Reporting unit: The Council Regulation on short-term statistics (Regulation (EC) No 1165/98) provides that the basic statistical unit (or reporting unit) is the kind-of-activity unit. This is defined as the one carrying out a single activity, at the four-digit level in NACE 93 Rev. 2, included in Section F.

In practice, the statistical units to be investigated are “the undertakings included in the scope of the survey”.

The statistical population consists of undertakings with paid employees whose main activity is construction, both on their own behalf and for other parties. The number of undertakings studied each month is 4 000, distributed as follows: all undertakings with 100 or more employees are taken into account and a sample is taken of the rest. The population framework referred to in the study changes each year: the most recent figures available are for 2020 (SBS 2020), when there were 172.258 undertakings.

The main activity of an undertaking is considered to be the one that provides the highest gross value added at factor cost.

According to the National Classification of Economic Activities for 2009 (CNAE-2009), activities relating to construction are those listed in Section F, “Construction”, as follows:

41.1 Development of building projects: development of projects for the construction of residential and non-residential buildings.

41.2 Construction of buildings: residential and non-residential.

42.1 Construction of roads and railways, bridges and tunnels: roads and motorways, railways and underground railways, bridges and tunnels.

42.2 Construction of utility projects: utility projects for fluids, electricity and telecommunications.

42.9 Construction of other civil engineering projects: specialised construction activities.

43.1 Demolition and site preparation: demolition, site preparation, test drilling and boring.

43.2 Electrical, plumbing and other construction installation activities: electrical installation, plumbing, heating and air-conditioning installation and other construction installation.

43.3 Building completion and finishing: plastering, joinery installation, floor and wall covering, painting and glazing.

43.9 Other specialised construction activities: roofing activities and other specialised construction activities.

It covers all legal units registered in Section F of NACE 93 Rev. 2 Central Directory of Companies of the National Statistics Institute of Spain.

Data for the study> Comprehensive framework> all companies with more than 99 employees. Sampled frame> companies with fewer than 100 employees.

Seasonal Survey of the Construction Industry (Encuesta Coyuntural de la Industría de la Construcción - ECIC). Quarterly series 1988-2005.

- Construction Industry Production Indices (Índices de Producción de la Industria de la construcción - EIPIC - CNAE 1993). Monthly series 2005-2008.

- Construction Industry Production Indices (Índices de Producción de la Industria de la construcción - EIPIC - CNAE 2009). Monthly series from January 2009 onwards

The base period is the year 2015. 

As an index for the value of construction production.

Reference period for the publication of the results of the Survey: Monthly.

Reference period for gathering information: Monthly.

The gathering, processing and dissemination of data from statistical operations for State purposes is governed by the provisions of Law 12/1989 of 9 May 1989, on the Public Statistical Function (LFEP) and the Fourth Additional Provision of Law 4/1990 of 29 June 1990. Under the LFEP, the National Statistical Plan is the primary instrument for organising the Government's statistical activity and contains the statistics to be produced over the four-year period by the Government departments or any other bodies responsible to the Government and those to be prepared with the total or partial participation of the Autonomous Communities and Local Corporations under cooperation agreements with the State statistical services or, as appropriate, in compliance with the provisions of the legislation. All statistics included in the National Statistical Plan operative are for State purposes and are mandatory. 

The Survey of Construction Industry Production Indices is subject to:

• Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics, repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistics (EBS-Regulation)
• Commission Implementing Regulation 2020/1197 laying down technical specifications and arrangements pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council on European business statistics repealing 10 legal acts in the field of business statistic (General Implementing Act)
• Commission Implementing Decision 2021/1003 granting derogations to certain Member States with respect to the transmission of statistics pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 (Derogations)

The Spanish version of these European Union instruments is available at http://www.ine.es/normativa/leyes/UE/minine.htm#30050

The Survey of Construction Industry Production Indices (EIPIC) obtains all of its information via the specific survey carried out by the Subdirectorate-General for Economic and Statistical Studies of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda for these statistics; no other institution is involved. The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda makes all non-confidential data available on its dissemination website: https: https://www.fomento.gob.es/

The only international body to which EIPIC data are sent is Eurostat.

Law 12/1989 on the Public Statistical Function prohibits the dissemination or making available in any other manner of individual or aggregated data that could lead to the identification of previously unknown information concerning a person or body. Moreover, European Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics provides for the need to establish common principles and guidelines to guarantee the confidentiality of the data used to produce European statistics and the access to these confidential data, taking account of technological progress and the needs of users in a democratic society.

The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda takes all the logical, physical and administrative measures necessary to ensure effective protection of confidential data from collection to publication.

Survey questionnaires include a legal clause informing users of the protection of the data collected.

When tables of results are published, the information is analysed in detail to prevent any deduction of confidential data about the statistical units. When micro-data files are transmitted, the data are always anonymised.

Release of the data corresponding to the reference month t is staggered so that the data appear on the The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda website at t + 55-60 days, in accordance with a predetermined release calendar.

The release calendar is published on the The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda website:

Calendario de disponibilidad de las estadísticas | Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (mitma.gob.es)

Data are released simultaneously to all interested parties in accordance with the release calendar. At the same time, the data are published on the The Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda website Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (mitma.gob.es) . The data is transmitted to EUROSTAT according to the schedule established for the STS statistics.

Tailor-made orders are also sent to registered users. Some users can receive embargoed information as specified in the

https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-catalogues/-/KS-02-18-142

The data are disseminated on a monthly basis.

Not applicable

All the information related to the EIPIC is published and distributed monthly. There you can find the following publications:

- Methodological notes

- Monthly series (CNAE 2009)

- Yearly publications (2006-2008)

- Availability timetable

All of these publications can be consulted at the following address:

https://www.mitma.es/informacion-para-el-ciudadano/informacion-estadistica/construccion/indices-de-produccion-de-la-industria-de-la-construccion-eipic

Historical data and other studies is the system used by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda to store all of its statistical information and disseminate it online. It contains all of the information produced by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda in electronic format. It is basically organised using a thematic classification. The basic unit is the statistical operation, defined as the set of activities leading to the obtaining of statistical results for a given sector or theme from individually-collected data, and can be consulted at the following address:

Datos históricos y otros estudios | Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (mitma.es)

Users can order specially tailored micro-data files for scientific research purposes. Once the viability of the orders has been examined, users may be granted access to the information under strict conditions of confidentiality.

Micro-data are not accessible to the public.

There is the possibility of ordering tailored information via the functional mailbox. When such orders are processed, restrictions relating to confidentiality or precision are taken into account.

EIPIC data are transmitted to Eurostat within the regulatory timeframes.

Documentation on methodology can be consulted at: Microsoft Word - 2023NMEIPIC.doc (mitma.gob.es)

Until May 2012, based on Council Regulation (EC) No 1165/98 on short-term statistics, amended by Regulation (EC) No 1158/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 July 2005, the European Commission (Eurostat) assessed the quality of the data transmitted and reported on the quality of European statistics to the European Parliament and the Council every three years. To that end, each country provided the information requested by the Commission.  Eurostat would provide information on the main quantitative indicators, calculated on the basis of the data provided by the Member States.

From 2013, similar processes will continue to be applied for quality assessment.

A quality evaluation and an overview of the statistical situation are produced each month.

The quality assurance framework for the statistics produced by the Subdirectorate-General for Economic Studies and Statistics of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda is based on ESCoP, https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-catalogues/-/KS-02-18-142 produced by Eurostat. ESCoP sets out 15 principles, grouped into three areas: Institutional Environment, Processes and Products. Each principle is associated with a series of indicators enabling it to be measured. For quality assessment, various tools provided by EUROSTAT are used: the indicators referred to above, self-assessment (DESAP), peer review, quality audits and user satisfaction surveys.

The EIPIC production process is designed to guarantee the quality of the information used and of the results obtained from it.

To this end, different quality controls have been devised for all the stages of the process:

Data provided are compared and contrasted with historical information from the same reporting unit, comparative analyses are carried out and rapporteurs are asked to explain any fluctuations in production.

- Detection of invalid values.

- Estimates in the absence of responses.

- Supervision and inspection of fieldwork.

- Other permanent monitoring of information flows.

The framework Regulation (EC) No 1165/1998 stipulates that the quality of the data produced by each Member State and sent to Eurostat must be constantly assessed.

The data delivered to EUROSTAT in t + 45 days of the variables B110, B115 and B116 are very reliable in comparison with the definitive data provided later (the last definitive data is sent in t + 150, as a consequence of the final obtaining of the deflator ). The EIPIC indicators are of high statistical quality that meet all the criteria of consistency, comparability, precision, and punctuality. The methodology follows the recommendations of the United Nations (UN), EUROSTAT and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The survey responds to the information needs of the main users of which the following are of particular note:

• EUROSTAT, UN, OCDE, IFM
• ministries and other public bodies
• Autonomous Communities
• businesses
• researchers and universities
• press and specialist media
• private individuals.

Each of these users has different needs according to the destination and use of the information required. For this reason, tailored information is frequently provided.

The parties responsible for the survey are in constant contact with the main users when they express a specific need for information.

There is no specific user satisfaction survey for the EIPIC.

The survey meets all information requirements laid down in both national and international standards.

The EIPIC is governed by Regulation (EC) No 1165/1998 of 19 May 1998 on short-term statistics and successive Regulations amending and complementing that Regulation. This survey satisfies the requirements laid down in all of the above. 

Definitively speaking, the survey provides all of the information required under the regulations: the “level of mandatory results available” is therefore 100 %.

The statistics used in the production of the EIPIC are designed in such a way as to guarantee the reliability and accuracy of the indices and data calculated.

Validity checks and analyses of the information take place at all stages of the process of obtaining the indices and data. Errors and missing responses are addressed, resulting in high levels of statistical reliability with low error rates and bias.

The accuracy of the statistics is determined by the accuracy of the sources of information used from the Structural Survey of the Construction Industry and the Central Directory of Companies of the National Institute of Statistics, used in the preparation of the same. The sample design tries to minimize the sampling errors and the different processes of the survey are aimed at eliminating or reducing as much as possible the errors of the same, both in the collection phase (response rate and debugging control) and in the later phases.

For more information check the EIPIC survey website: Índices de producción de la industria de la construcción (EIPIC) (Base 2015=100) | Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (mitma.gob.es)

Stratified random sampling with optimal allocation: a sample is taken of companies with less than 100 workers, in the strata without automatic representation, while all large companies with 100 or more workers are included.

Companies with less than 100 workers included in the survey sample represent 80-83% of the 4,000 units studied monthly. Companies with 100 workers or more represent 17-20% of the survey sample. The percentages are proportional to the population.

Checks on non-sampling errors are carried out throughout the statistical process. EIPIC is a specific and unique survey to obtain production data for construction:;the sample used is based on the Central Register of Undertakings and Section F of NACE 93 Rev.2.0.

Specific information on non-response rates is also available. At the time of publication the non-response rate was below 5 %.

The EIPIC is published 55-60 days following the reference month. Advance data are made available to Eurostat within the regulatory timeframes.

The results of the survey are published in accordance with the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda release calendar for statistics, which can be consulted at the following address:   Calendario de disponibilidad de las estadísticas | Ministerio de Transportes, Movilidad y Agenda Urbana (mitma.gob.es)

Each publication was issued on the date announced in the release calendar.

The survey is designed to be homogeneous across the geographical area taken into account in terms of methodology, design, method of collection of information, analysis and verification and screening of data.

In addition, at European level the comparability between countries is guaranteed by the Regulation (CE) 1168/98 on short-term statistics, which confers homogeneity in statistics across all European Union countries that disseminate the same information for their respective geographical spheres and industrial sectors.

The EIPIC was published for the first time in 1988, when it was known as the ECIC (Encuesta Coyuntural de la Industria de la Construcción, Seasonal Survey of the Construction Industry). The changes made since then (changes in periodicity, changes to the sampling framework, change to CNAE, changes to the basis, etc.) have gradually modified certain methodological aspects of the survey, resulting in a degree of interruption to the series, which has been addressed to ensure linked series whenever possible.

•  Seasonal Survey of the Construction Industry (Encuesta Coyuntural de la Industría de la Construcción - ECIC). Quarterly series 1988-2005.
•  Construction Industry Production Indices (Índices de Producción de la Industria de la construcción - EIPIC - NACE 1993 Rev.1). Monthly series 2005-2008.
•  Construction Industry Production Indices (Índices de Producción de la Industria de la construcción - EIPIC - NACE 1993 Rev.2). Monthly series from January 2009 onwards. 

An examination of trends in annual data reveals that there is coherence between the structural surveys of the sector (Structural Survey of the Construction Industry) and the annual results of the EIPIC.

Data are contrasted with other studies directly related to the sector:

• Evolution of registered unemployment in the construction sector
• Permits for building works
• Tenders for construction

The data used to calculate the production indices are obtained via a specific survey (EIPIC). The data undergo various processes — analysis, validation and attribution — that render them completely coherent, resulting in advance or initial values that do not vary or vary very little relative to the final or definitive values.

The various subsectors of the construction sector - i.e. building and civil engineering - are obtained directly from the data provided by the reporting units.

The workload of the industrial establishments from which we request information has been decreasing in recent years since the implementation of a system that offers respondents the possibility of answering online: this, combined with the possibility of using other methods such as the web , email, fax or telephone, has greatly reduced the time and effort spent by respondents answering questions on the questionnaire. According to the latest available data, the time spent in the survey carried out by the respondent companies reaches 0.32 hours per month. Since the number of reporting units is 4,000, the monthly upload is done at 1,280 hours. Once again, according to the most recent data, the cost in hours of carrying out the EIPIC survey to obtain the production rates is the equivalent of 42,592 hours of work per year, or 3,549 hours per month.

The data is obtained directly from the ad hoc survey and the data collection takes place from the months after the end of the reference period. In the 45 days following the end of the reference period, provisional data is obtained with more than 90% of the reports validated. For the final data, 100% of the questionnaires received are included.

The data remains provisional for three months from the first publication
national. National data is not deflated and is not adjusted.
Possible revisions only apply to data sent to Eurostat (deflators may be revised) within t + 150 days from the end of the reporting period.
reference.

Average variations between the data offered as arrest data and the final data:

Pearson's coefficient>

Historical Pearson coefficient: 0.980

National data become final three months after their first publication, regardless of any interim revisions that may occur.

The data on production in construction is compared with other indicators of the construction sector, such as employment.
Users are promptly informed on the website of potential data revisions and methodological changes that may have occurred.
Users can download the data from the official website.

After the publication of the indices during a given month, new information corresponding to the lack of response produced is added, and data analysis and verification tasks continue to be carried out, which may cause modifications and corrections of the initial information, as well as the revision of deflators. These processes result in changes to the published indices. They normally affect the two months prior to the calculated one.
The MAR indicator, defined as the average of the absolute value of the differences between the first published data for each month and the last published data for that month, calculated for the last 30 definitive months, has the value of 0.628840.
The RMAR indicator, defined as the quotient between the sum of the absolute value of the differences between the first published data for each month and the last published data for that month, and the sum of the last published data for each month, calculated for the last 30 defined months has the value of 0.000215.

Directory: The survey framework is the Central Business Registry (DIRCE), which includes information on companies with their identification data, location and territorial distribution, and their classification by size and economic activity.
Sample size and design: The selection of the sampling units (companies) was carried out by strata defined by the size of the companies and the activities in which they are engaged in accordance with the National Classification of Economic Activities for 2009: at the level nationwide, an exhaustive selection was made of all companies with 100 or more workers and a random sample was taken from those with less than 100 workers, with an optimal allocation within each stratum. The sample size is approximately 4,000 units.
Rotation system: Approximately 20% of the sampled units change each year.

Data is collected monthly

Data collection: In order to collect the information that construction companies must provide for the preparation of these statistics, a questionnaire is used to meet the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No. 1165/98, of May 19, 1998 , on short-term statistics.

In the same way, all efforts have been made so that the requested economic data is adapted to the General Accounts Plan that covers construction companies and, in order to facilitate the answers, a reference to the account, accounts or groups of accounts corresponding to the information with the requested variable.

The questionnaires corresponding to the following three months are sent to the reporting units with the pertinent instructions for completing them. Responding companies can respond by post, fax, email, or on the website.

The most recent data indicate that the response methods are as follows:

During the finalization phase, a system to detect inconsistencies is used to alert respondents and ask them to confirm or modify the information provided.

When information is entered, a verification system alerts users to any inconsistencies that may arise. During this process, if any data contains discrepancies, the staff member responsible for collecting the information contacts the respondent to ask him or her to confirm or amend the information provided.

Once the information is compiled, the coverage of the information is checked to ensure that the data entered is complete and to detect duplications and gaps in coverage, lack of responses, etc.

Specific software is used for all these processes.

Once the information is received, the data screening process can begin. This process consists of two phases: during the first, the micro-screening or micro-data screening is carried out, while the second consists of an analysis for various levels of aggregation or macro-screening.

The micro-screening consists of verifying the validity of the data of each company, taking into account the historical series provided by the same. The analysis establishes month-to-month and year-on-year comparisons.

The second part of the screening takes place after the combined data has been processed. The aggregated information goes through a centralized screening process, where errors detected in the main variables are manually corrected and other variables are automatically examined. When information is available from other sources, consistency between these and the survey results is checked.

Estimators: The estimators or extrapolation coefficients are the factors that, from the data obtained in the sample, allow obtaining results for the population as a whole. The transition of the data from sample to population is carried out using a matrix of extrapolation factors for each activity group and occupational stratum. The variable used to obtain the extrapolation factors was the number of companies in the DIRCE (population group).

The coefficients applied are an attempt to solve the problem presented by the Board of Directors in relation to incidents at the site: stoppages, periods of inactivity, activities other than construction works, etc. Respondents have the same structure when it comes to incidents.

The production indices under construction are sent in indices:

• deflated original series
• adjusted calendar series (Easter and national calendar)
• seasonally adjusted series

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