The Voice of Construction Leadership Professionals |
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The Institute of Construction Management proudly presented Jon Vanstone Chair of the Industry Competence Committee [ICC] with an award of Honorary Fellow ─ the official presentation was made by ICM President Roy Blamey and ICM Vice-President David Jones
The ICC advises the Building Safety Regulator and industry, to help improve competence in the built environment industry |
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The Industry Competence Committee [ICC] was formed under the Building Safety Act 2022 to provide strategic leadership, assistance and encouragement to facilitate the improvement of competence in the built environment industry. It advises both the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and industry on matters of competence.
The ICC’s objectives are to:
- set clear expectations for industry on competence and what good looks like for individuals and organisations
- promote through a variety of communication channels advice relating to competence
- advise and assist industry in developing and maintaining competence pathways
- assist BSR both in improving the evidence base on industry competence and measuring industry progress
- support the building control profession and BSR by giving advice on matters relating to the competence of building control professionals
The Building Safety Act 2022 requires Health and Safety Executive [HSE] to operate an advisory committee with the following functions:
- monitoring competence in the built environment industry
- advising the regulator in relation to industry competence
- advising people in the built environment industry in relation to industry competence
- facilitating people in the built environment industry to improve industry competence
- providing guidance to the public (or a section of the public) about ways of assessing the competence of people in the built environment industry
- carrying out analysis and research in connection with a function mentioned in any of its functions
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Conflict Avoidance Conference 2024
On 2nd October 2024, Parliament hosted the first ever Conflict Avoidance Conference for the construction industry, organised by the Conflict Avoidance Coalition, which is comprised of around 70 industry bodies representing the broad sector. Construction disputes cost the economy £billions each year and result in tens of years cumulative delays to project delivery.
Speakers, which included Sir John Armitt, Chair of the National Infrastructure Commission, warned the conference that a track record of pushing risk down the supply chain, awarding contracts to the lowest bidder and insisting on fixed price contracts, has created an adversarial, litigious, industry, where “everyone blames everyone else” for cost overruns and delays. This will only continue unless procurement and contracting strategies change for good.
The coalition's aims are to encourage contracting parties to work together to achieve truly effective collaboration and adopt viable measures to proactively reduce contractual disputes.
The Small Business Commissioner, Liz Barclay, attended the conference and said afterwards “The construction sector has woken up to the need to change its culture to one of collaboration and conflict avoidance”.
The second Conflict Avoidance Conference is being planned for 2025.
• Conflict Avoidance Pledge – The coalition developed and launched the Conflict Avoidance Pledge several years ago. It commits businesses and individuals to actively working to avoid conflict and encourages contracting parties to think of themselves as part of the same team rather than adopting the traditional “us and them” way of thinking.
The Pledge has now been signed by around 500 businesses and has been endorsed by Westminster and the devolved governments. The Pledge is an integral part of guidance set out in the Construction Playbook.
• Conflict Avoidance Toolkit – The coalition has also produced a conflict avoidance toolkit which provides information about a variety of measures which can be applied to avoid, manage and resolve disputes. |
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The ICM will always keep absolutely true to its original objectivity and purpose as a true not-for-profit member-led professional body run by volunteers with a registered charity fund administered by trustees for the wider industry welcoming all disciplines to act in common good ...
... the ICM will now make its further plans as a natural progression of the successful Vision Construct '23 conference event held and inaugurated at Wembley Stadium in partnership with Resibuild Events, and then its continuance through into 2024 ─ in preparation, an excellent informative roundtable event of experts convened at The Building Centre in London on 3 October and a summary has been published and will shortly be launched to parliament ...
LINK TO THE ROUNDTABLE SUMMARY
... an essential part of that work ahead will be to address the severe challenge of restoring Trust ...
... a vital component of Trust is for observers and the served communities including the innocent users of the buildings the professional actors deliver is to know Due Diligence is being carried out appropriately. This process ensures (as best ways possible) only the right and proper persons and organisations are brought into the membership body of any industry council or authority that owes a duty to the community and carries a badge of respectability conveying a message of accreditation ... |
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ICM in The House of Lords
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It was a special event for ICM to present The Honorable Richard Evans with the award of Honorary Fellow for his exemplary work for the industry and founding the Affinity Collaboration Platform with its international depth ... ICM President Roy Blamey and V.President David Jones made the presentation in the iconic library at RICS HQ |
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Lord David Evans of Watford is a peer of The House of Lords who gave the welcome to the AI in Construction event |
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It was so timely for ICM's V.President David Jones to meet with Dinis Guarda, speaker, serial entrepreneur, and renowned author and expert in Blockchain and AI - Dinis is listed in various global FinTech, Blockchain, AI top lists ... his recent new book is titled '4IR' [Fourth Industrial Revolution] ... David proudly was given a copy with a personal written message from Dinis "Let's build a better blueprint for our cities and the world" ... |
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... more about this exciting new world of construction will be reported in subsequent newsletters ... |
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Collaboration ─ ICM's Open Door
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The Chartered Institute of Architectural Technicians annual Awards was held in iconic surroundings of a famous Hawksmoor building in the City of London to recognise the exceptional contribution that Architectural Technology practices and professionals make to the built environment, as well as outstanding achievements from students studying the discipline.
Beyond the recognition of excellence, the AT Awards provides an opportunity to network with industry leaders, fellow professionals, and emerging talents in the discipline ─ ICM was honoured to be invited ... |
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CIAT President Eddie Weir warmly welcomed ICM's V.President David Jones ... the spirit of collaboration is running high ... |
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It was a great pleasure when ICM's President Roy Blamey and V.President David Jones presented a sealed certificate to ICM Member Mervyn Pilley Business Development and External Affairs Executive at CIAT at the HQ of CIAT ...
... then, going through some old historic records in the ICM's archives and, interestingly, discovering from 1 January 1991 the Registered Office of our ICM was located at BIAT HQ at City Road which is now CIAT and that lasted until 2001 when our then Secretary Denis Howe and Treasurer John Sinfield moved the venue to Brackley, Northants. So, we do have good dna links! |
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What is 'Due Diligence' and why is it so important .. |
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The concept of due diligence features prominently in the Building Safety Act and the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report, with Judge Martin Moore-Bick and his panel emphasizing its critical importance in ensuring building safety.
Key points include:
Importance of Due Diligence
The inquiry report highlights that a lack of proper due diligence by various parties contributed significantly to the Grenfell tragedy. Sir Martin Moore-Bick noted that many of the failings were due to "incompetence, dishonesty and greed"
Systemic Failures
The report identifies "systematic dishonesty" on the part of manufacturers, involving deliberate manipulation of testing processes for building materials. This underscores the need for rigorous due diligence in verifying product claims and certifications ─ and that must include all and any of the new digital platforms from which such verification, accreditation, and certification may be derived.
Corporate Responsibility
The inquiry panel was particularly critical of companies like Arconic, Kingspan, and Celotex, describing their actions as "little better than crooks and killers". This harsh assessment emphasizes the vital role of due diligence in corporate decision-making and product development.
Regulatory Oversight
The report points to "systematic failures" by the government in its regulatory role. This suggests that due diligence is not just the responsibility of private companies, but also of regulatory bodies tasked with overseeing building safety, and the individual professional institutions and trade bodies; their collective networks and councils; must all step up to the plate to ensure there are no gaps nor workarounds that might obscure true culture change ...
Building Safety Act Implications
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduces new duties and responsibilities that inherently require enhanced due diligence throughout the supply chain, including all the actors; their professional bodies; and their collective networks and councils, particularly where those responsibilities relate to:
- The role of the Building Safety Regulator
- New competence requirements for industry professionals
- Stricter regulations for high-risk buildings
Ongoing Commitment
Martin Moore-Bick stressed the need for "an ongoing commitment to the development of professional skills" in the construction industry. This implies that due diligence should be an ongoing process, not a one-time check. In conclusion, the inquiry's findings and the subsequent Building Safety Act place a strong emphasis on the critical role of due diligence at all levels of the construction industry, from manufacturers and contractors to regulators and building owners. The tragic consequences of failing to perform adequate due diligence are starkly illustrated by the Grenfell disaster.
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Further informative updates will be provided as this develops and moves forward ... make sure you register onto the ICM newsletter for a free subscription ... |
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The ICM has started to explore and lead thoughts around the topic of what 'Due Diligence' actually requires in the wake of the published findings of the Grenfell Inquiry Panel, and has started the creation of a tool for industry to use and consider how best to embody such functionality to build the trust. This is an early pilot the team at ICM has put out for consultation linked to the ethos of creating the Certified Construction Leadership Professional™
Later in the consultation process and feedback from the industry the ICM will hopefully be supported to create an industry wide searchable publicly available register where actors and organisation can demonstrate to the served community true and robust Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership operating in a new landscape of Mission, Truth, Lawfulness, Integrity, Stewardship, Excellence and Diversity |
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The ICM is making available a special online PDF edition of the Plain Guide to The Building Safety Act 2022 : author - Chris Waterman : ISBN 978-0-9566709-3-9 : three volumes total 555 pages ; heavily discounted from the hard bound price of £230 for the set
Order PDF edition @ £132.00 + VAT = £158.00 |
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Registration of Competence ─ where it all began!
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... well, actually it all began in the mind of David Jones way back in 1994 at the very start of CDM in the UK - wasn't called CDM at the start, when casting around someone on CONIAC suggested a name for the enactment of EU Directive 92/57/EEC could be the CONDAM Regs - hmm, maybe Grenfell would have been avoided had the industry better used that expression of protection ??? ...
... in 2012 the European Commissioners first heard about the visions of competence in the construction sector and its registration through the excellent Enterprise Europe Network [EEN] operating from Greenwich University. EEN supported David to present his unique concept of a pan-european unified training portal linked to the EQF [European Qualification Framework] to colleagues at the Chambre de Commerce in Lisle. Later, David Jones was invited to deliver his concept to the European Commission meeting at Stuttgart which was highly praised and acclaimed but the maturity of the digital age was a barrier at the time ...
... in 2018 the Intellectual Property Office [IPO] granted wide Trademark protection to David Jones who further visioned the industry would need to be controlled in much the same way as Bernie Ecclestone did with hazardous motor racing - even though the hazard of a person driving at high speed still exists and has increased exponentially, so is the level of safety now fully controlled to regulate the professional constructors, designers, and managers of motor sport under the F1 formula to keep the innocent spectators safe and secure ... |
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... when David Jones first launched the news publicly and widely from the Skills Hub Stage at London Build 2018 the audience heard how the similar ethos of safety as F1 would be needed across the construction sector ─ an exclusive licence was issued to ICM who currently are the only body legitimately holding a licence under that Trademark ...
... there is more on the updated 2018 blog article addressing the unchecked explosion during 2023 and 2024 of a largely unregulated plethora of both commercial businesses and professional bodies setting up competence registration schemes across the industry following the enactment of the Building Safety Act ─ the original blog article has been updated with important information about possible infringement and probable long-term consequences to PII cover creating a huge problem for the validity of the insurance contract cover should some claim be made to which a counter-claim is lodged with a court to declare cover void because of an imperfect original accreditation ... (there is more on the link) ─ affected bodies and appropriate qualifying organisations with appropriate credentials and acceptable qualities may apply for a licence to legitimise their registers through written application to ICM to initially open communication and discuss to reach appropriate agreement on terms ...
... it is hoped that consultation with the PII world will move forward so the construction sector and all its actors can be clear as to what is actually covered under the plethora of liability cover contracts and what unknown issues may be lurking within those relationships that may have the potential to affect full cover or eventual payout in the event of some future claim ... due diligence is the clue! ─ competence is key! |
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... on 14 June 2017, a high-rise fire broke out in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower block of flats in North Kensington, West London, England, at 00:54 BST and burned for 60 hours ─ tragically seventy people died at the scene and two people died later in hospital, with more than 70 injured and 223 escaping. It was the deadliest structural fire in the United Kingdom since the 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform disaster and the worst UK residential fire since the Blitz of World War II. The Building Safety Act had not been drafted - it took five years to be enacted onto the Statute Books into law ...
... when the Building safety Act was finally enacted, Schedule 1 sets out the amendments to the Health and safety at Work Etc. Act 1974 under which CDM was enacted so, the continuum of CDM runs through the new law ... |
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... the sector now looks to the future beyond 2025++ |
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Competence future beyond 2025 ─ mapping new horizons!
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In September 2024 - some seven years after the tragic fire that engulfed Grenfell Tower with the loss of 72 persons who died in the fire - the Inquiry Panel led by Judge Moore-Bick concluded that the fire at Grenfell Tower was the culmination of decades of failure by central government and other bodies in positions of responsibility in the construction industry to look carefully into the danger of incorporating combustible materials into the external walls of high-rise residential buildings and to act on the information available to them ...
... although Dame Judith Hackitt urged the industry not to wait for guidance in her Independent Review Report saying that competent professionals "know what to do, don't wait for guidance, just do it!" - but, sadly, they waited! ─ but 2024 also marks the start of the new landscape of Competence and Accountability when the bulk of the new secondary legislation and regulatory instruments are in place across the piste ...
... it is a legal fact that it is now made a criminal offence for any construction or property professional to drive any project whilst under the influence of incompetence ... |
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Click here to access two short explainer videos about the cutting edge work of the ICM building upon those early seeds and the influence of the ethos of F1 ─ as the speed in the fast lane increases the hazard of drivers racing and risking their lives and the safety of the innocent spectators increases exponentially ─but─ all the professional racing car constructors and their drivers and teams are bound by that F1 'Formula For Safety' to keep all and the spectators safe from harm ─ so too for construction ─ enjoy the videos and let's get driving safety better ... |
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Web 3.0 the future of Digital ...
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The United Nations Internet Government Forum [IGF] meets every year hosted by different countries to discuss issues related to the internet. Typical attendance is about 10k. It is divided into many sub-groups called Dynamic Coalitions that do intersessional work throughout each year. each Dynamic Coalition is independently organised and is self-managed.
The Global Blockchain Association [GBA] hosts the Blockchain Assurance & Standardization Dynamic Coalition [BAS-DC] that was established to connect, communicate, and collaborate with government leaders and stakeholders to use blockchain technology to improve public services.
In 2012 David Jones initially visioned a technological digital solution to create a pan-EU unification of construction competence for the whole of Europe's construction workforce. At that time, the UK was part of the EU and David Jones had founded and created the UK's first and unique local authority CDM 2007 training and accreditation portal linked to the then Open University Awarding Body. Government austerity forced the closure of that portal in 2012 but the IP and seeding DNA came into ICM in 2017.
The maturity of the internet and the systems working in Web 2.0 were not mature nor developed ─ until the last few years when Web 3.0 emerged ...
David Jones was proud to be invited to present an entirely new innovation at the IGF meeting in Riyadh Saudi Arabia in December ... more details will be released on progress through 2025 ... |
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your ICM is a global player ...
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Competence is Key! ─ Safety is No Accident!
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