Building a Stronger and More Influential BAFE

Brian Sims (BS): What’s the major development BAFE has announced, Justin?

Justin Maltby-Smith (JMS): We have reshaped the way in which the BAFE Group operates, creating a closer and more co-ordinated relationship between BAFE Holdings, the BAFE Fire Safety Register and FireQual.

This is an important organisational change, but the structure itself is only part of the story. Its real purpose is to give BAFE the capacity, expertise and agility to make a greater contribution at a time when the fire and life safety sectors are coming under increased scrutiny.

Expectations around competence and assurance are developing at a rapid pace. BAFE needs to be ready to support that progress and play a more active role in defining good practice.

BS: What does the new structure look like?

JMS: Responsibilities are now more clearly defined, with a Group-wide approach to several of the functions that support BAFE and FireQual. Alongside the organisational changes, we’re investing in technology and improving processes so that we can be much more responsive in our engagement with the people and organisations that rely on us on a daily basis.

David Barnes has been appointed technical manager for BAFE and will oversee the delivery, performance and continued development of all BAFE Schemes.

FireQual’s qualifications work will be led by Gillian Lees, our new qualifications development and assessment manager, who’ll be working alongside qualifications and assessment officer Maria Annakin.

Recruitment is also underway for a Group service delivery manager and a Group finance manager.

The intention is to create a more joined-up organisation in which knowledge, people and resources can be deployed wherever they add most value.

BS: Why was the restructure necessary?

JMS: BAFE has a well-established role in developing BAFE Schemes and maintaining the BAFE Fire Safety Register, but the environment around us is becoming more demanding and we have to respond. Regulation continues to evolve, competence is under greater examination and those responsible for appointing fire and life safety-focused solutions providers are being asked increasingly searching questions about their decisions.

We are a relatively small organisation, but to remain relevant, we cannot concentrate solely on administering what already exists. We need to identify changing requirements earlier, respond more quickly and devote more attention to the longer-term needs of registered organisations, buyers and the wider sector.

The previous structure didn’t always make the best use of the expertise available across the Group, but the new model removes those internal barriers and creates more scope for joint working.

BS: What does the restructure mean for BAFE?

JMS: In essence, the Group restructure allows us to be more ambitious. BAFE will remain firmly focused on the quality and integrity of its BAFE Schemes, of course, but we can contribute much more to the fire and life safety sectors than we currently do.

Going forward, we want to participate more consistently in discussions about standards, competence and assurance, while in tandem building deeper relationships with Government, regulators, industry bodies and the organisations commissioning fire and life safety-centred work.

BAFE has a unique role to play as it connects many different parts of the fire and life safety sectors, from technical standards and certification through to qualifications, service providers and procurement. We now have a structure that enables us to bring those perspectives together more effectively and use our influence to encourage positive change.

BS: What will the restructure mean for those organisations listed on the BAFE Fire Safety Register?

JMS: Achieving and maintaining BAFE registration demands a genuine commitment from certificated organisations. We want the service and support they receive – and the recognition that their registration carries – to reflect that commitment.

The changes we’ve made will allow us to spend more time developing and improving BAFE Schemes, developing and providing more qualifications, addressing emerging sector issues and helping registered organisations to understand and respond to developments affecting their work. The changes will also strengthen our ability to promote the value of registration among clients, specifiers and other decision-makers more effectively.

One major priority is to build wider recognition of independently verified competence on that basis that the more buyers understand what sits behind BAFE registration, the more effectively registered organisations can differentiate themselves from providers whose competence has not been assessed to the same standard.

BS: What will the new structure mean for buyers and specifiers?

JMS: Procuring fire and life safety services and solutions involves significant responsibility. For their part, buyers must be able to show that their decisions were informed, proportionate and based on credible evidence of competence rather than assurances taken at face value.

We want to make BAFE more useful to those people, which means explaining more clearly what our BAFE Schemes verify, making competent providers easier to identify and learning directly from those who specify and purchase services.

Better engagement with buyers will also help us to understand where existing assurance arrangements are working and where greater clarity or support is needed. Those insights can then feed into the development of BAFE Schemes to ensure they remain practical, robust and relevant to real procurement decisions.

BS: What could the Group restructure mean for the wider sector?

JMS: Fire and life safety bring together a broad range of professions and technical disciplines. While that diversity provides considerable expertise, it can also make it somewhat difficult for the sector to speak collectively or build momentum behind shared objectives.

BAFE can assist in connecting those different interests. We want to create more opportunities for constructive discussion between industry, certification and qualification providers, buyers, standards bodies, policymakers and regulators.

No single organisation can resolve the fire and life safety sectors’ challenges alone, but by combining evidence and experience, we can identify common priorities, develop more coherent responses and make a stronger case for competence and independent assurance to occupy a more prominent place in policy, regulation and procurement.

BS: What happens next?

JMS: The organisational work is now translating into practical activity with a number of BAFE Schemes already reviewed and nearly ready to be relaunched, while FireQual is in the closing stages of delivering a Level 7 (ie Master’s degree) qualification in Fire Risk Assessment. You’ll hear a lot more about these and other developments in the coming months.

We will also increase our engagement with registered organisations, buyers and industry partners, while continuing to modernise the systems that underpin our work. As we learn more about what different parts of the fire and life safety sectors need, we will consider where new BAFE Schemes, qualifications or development opportunities could make a meaningful difference.

The Group restructure has created the conditions for BAFE to do more. As such, the next phase is all about turning that additional capacity into stronger support, greater influence and demonstrable progress across fire and life safety.

The restructure is complete, but the change it makes possible is just beginning.

*Further information is available online at www.bafe.org.uk