CIOB Call for Evidence on Construction Quality

Summary

The tragic events at Grenfell Tower focussed the attention of government, industry and society on the consequences of poor quality in construction.

But it was only the latest in a series of well publicised cases, both in the UK and internationally, which have served to highlight the fact that our industry is failing to consistently deliver the right standards of quality in the buildings and infrastructure that we create and manage.

And it is a situation which has consequences for the reputation of our industry and for those of us who work within it.

As the professional body responsible for the management and supervision of construction, the Chartered Institute of Building has a duty to respond to this issue, acting in the public interest.

In June we announced that we were forming a Commission of Past Presidents to investigate the issue of quality in the construction sector and what needs to be done to improve it.

Since that announcement, the Commission has been meeting to agree the actions that we will undertake to ensure that, collectively, we achieve the required standards of quality at all stages of the construction process.

To help inform the work of the Commission and to understand in greater detail what the current issues are, the CIOB is launching a call for evidence to gather views, data and substantiation from members, the wider construction sector, government and other interested stakeholders. We welcome responses from the global constructon sector, as this is clearly not an issue constrained to the UK.

Responses to the call for evidence will help the CIOB shape its work on improving construction quality and provide an evidence base to draw on. The Commission is looking for clear evidence to identify what improvements are necessary to achieve high standards of quality in the product, people and processes throughout the construction sector.

Suggested areas that evidence might cover, though this is by no means exclusive, are as follows:

• Is current management of quality at all levels of the workforce sufficient?
• Are current regulations, codes and standards fit for purpose to achieve good quality construction?
• Is construction quality taught effectively at educational establishments?
• Are existing certification schemes and qualifications fit for purpose to achieve good construction quality?
• Is value engineering adhering to its principles, or has it become a cost-cutting exercise?
• How can we change attitudes, behaviours and corporate culture to improve quality?
• What role does innovation and technology have to play in improving construction quality?
• Are there examples of best practice that can be shared and potentially scaled up?
• Are there any data or pieces of research that can help further inform the work of the Commission?

This call for evidence will remain open until 17:00 GMT on Friday 1 December 2017. Evidence that presents potential solutions and innovations that will provide opportunities to improve quality will be prioritised. Please do not feel obliged to answer all questions; partial submissions focusing on a particular topic will be welcomed.

There are two ways to submit evidence. You can visit our dedicated survey and submit your views, accessible here: http://ciobqualitycallforevidence.questionpro.com

Or you can send us evidence in Word or PDF form to [email protected]. More details on how to do this, including a full list of areas we are looking for evidence on and guidelines for submission, can be accessed here.

As professionals we all have a responsibility for the reputation of our industry and, most importantly, the wellbeing of those who use the buildings and the infrastructure that we create.

Your experiences and views matter and will help to shape both the work of the Commission and the future of our industry.

Thank you for your support.

Guidelines for submission

• Please submit evidence in Word or PDF form by email to [email protected]
• If submitting evidence in this way, it should include a brief introduction about yourself/your organisation and the reason for submitting evidence.
• The evidence must clearly state who the submission is from (i.e. whether from yourself in a personal capacity or sent on behalf of an organisation) and must include contact details, as well as your country of residence.
• If you would prefer, you can submit evidence to the call for evidence via our dedicated survey here: http://ciobqualitycallforevidence.questionpro.com
• This call for evidence seeks views and evidence from anyone with relevant knowledge, expertise or experience to help inform the CIOB’s Commission. We strongly welcome views from a wide range of interested parties internationally (e.g. CIOB members, businesses that operate throughout the built environment, clients, government, academics, training organisations, representative bodies etc.) Please respond to questions that are relevant to you or your organisation’s expertise; we do not expect respondents to answer every single question.
• If your evidence includes any supplementary documents such as case studies or data, these should be emailed to [email protected] alongside your main response.
• Upon submitting evidence and providing contact details, you agree for the CIOB to contact you to follow-up on your submission. Your data will not be used for any other purpose.

• Related Link: Call for evidence survey link
• Related Link: CIOB quality call for evidence page