Day five - catching up with the Quality Commission

This morning I was delighted to meet with Paul Nash, a CIOB Past President and current Chair of our Quality Commission. As members will know, the CIOB has been examining the issue of quality in construction for some time; our Quality Commission was launched at Members’ Forum two years ago, set up in response to a report into defects that led to the closure of a number of Edinburgh schools. The work of the Commission was given a new impetus following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017.

Members of the Commission have worked with the CIOB’s members and other industry organisations to identify the main issues either promoting or preventing the delivery of quality in construction. So far, the Commission’s work has resulted in the launch of a course in Construction Quality Management, the drafting of a new Code of Quality Management and the development of a massive open online course (MOOC) on quality, going live later this year.

In addition to driving our own projects forward, we have also collaborated with RIBA and RICS to launch and promote ‘Building in Quality’ initiatives. Launched last year, a key part of the BiQ programme is a free-to-download digital tool, the Quality Tracker, designed to improve the quality of outcomes in the construction industry.

I’m delighted that the work of the Commission has achieved so much and been such an important part of the necessary conversation around quality in our industry. I’m also pleased that, following Paul’s delivery of an update at the last Members’ Forum, there is an appetite among the membership to continue pushing forward work to raise standards and promote best practice.

Paul will be leading on the next phase of the Commission’s work and will be joining forces with Eddie Tuttle, the CIOB’s Director of Policy, Research & Public Affairs, to develop a Quality Implementation Group, tasked with delivery of work to drive quality higher up the agenda. This is particularly important at a time when the government’s ‘Building a Safer Future’ report is generating proposals for changes to Building Regulations and a new regulatory framework. Consultation responses on the proposed changes, including one from the CIOB, are currently being examined by government and will no doubt generate further debate and more consultations - the CIOB will continue to monitor and respond to the changing environment, providing support and education for our members. 

The work on quality in our industry will be a key part of the CIOB’s activities over the next year or so and we will, of course, keep you updated.

You can find out more about the CIOB’s Construction Quality Commission here