BESA backs Building Safety Regulator’s warning to main contractors

Building Safety Regulator chair Lord Andrew Roe KFSM has stated that the watchdog will step up scrutiny of how main contractors manage supply chains, particularly so as projects move from Gateway 2 design approval towards Gateway 3 completion. His message is clear: better designs will not protect residents unless they’re delivered properly on-site.

Lord Roe has called for stronger evidence of management, accountability and quality control across sub-contracted work. The former London Fire Commissioner, who attended the Grenfell Tower fire, also warns that although the industry had made progress, weak oversight still poses an unacceptable risk.

“This is exactly the intervention the sector needs,” said Rachel Davidson, BESA’s director of specialist knowledge. “Demonstrating the competence and quality of the supply chain is no longer an option. Rather, it’s a fundamental element of meeting legal duties.”

Davidson continued: “Clients must have confidence that those whom they appoint have the skills, knowledge, experience, behaviours and organisational capability needed to deliver safe and compliant buildings.”

Member Pledge

BESA has asserted that the Building Safety Regulator’s warning reinforces the importance of its Member Pledge initiative, itself launched last year when leading BESA members committed to putting professional and technical competence at the heart of their operations, while in tandem requiring the same standards from their supply chains.

This has led to more supply chain firms applying for membership so they can demonstrate competence and compliance through the BESA’s independent technical audit system. The Association’s Competence Assessment Standard is aligned with the Build UK Common Assessment Standard and has been updated to align closely with the requirements of the Building Safety At 2022.

Further, BESA has stressed that the audit process focused specifically on whether companies could ‘actually do the job’ to which they were being appointed. Companies are reaudited every three years (or more often where required), giving clients stronger assurance that contractors not only meet quality requirements, but are technically competent to carry out their role.

Guide to the Act

The BESA recently published its Clients’ Guide to the Building Safety Act 2022, which sets out the legal duties attached to that role and how to keep projects compliant at every stage.

Additionally, it clarifies the specific requirements for HRBs, common pitfalls to avoid and the consequences when things do go wrong.

“Crucially,” concluded Davidson, “the Guide should also give contractors the confidence to challenge poor client decisions and procurement errors that could compromise safety or quality. Under the legislation, contractors are duty bound to refuse to start work unless they’re satisfied that the client fully understands their responsibilities.”

*For more information and targeted guidance visit the BESA’s dedicated Building Safety Act Hub