CIOB, RIBA and RICS collaborate on initiative to improve building quality

The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) Past-President Paul Nash, Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) President Ben Derbyshire, and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) President John Hughes have signed the ‘Building in Quality: Joint Memorandum of Understanding’ (JMU).

As part of this agreement, the partners launched an industry-wide consultation on a proposed system for establishing a chain of custody for quality in construction projects, on the RIBA stand (C:10) at ecobuild.

Led by the RIBA’s Client Liaison Group, which includes CIOB and RICS representation, the ‘Building in Quality’ initiative aims to encourage better collaboration, improved procurement, and to introduce new methods to improve the quality of the built environment for the benefit of society.

The signing commits the three institutes to working together to agree and publish a 'Quality Risk Tracker: setting up a chain of custody', to be launched in October 2018.

CIOB Past-President Paul Nash said, “Successful projects are built on the back of strong teams working together to create great places for people to live, work and play in. But they also depend on achieving the right balance between cost and quality and, as recent events have highlighted, as an industry we don’t always get that balance right. It’s for this reason that the ‘Building in Quality’ initiative is so important if we are to bring about the change in behaviours that are so urgently needed.”

RIBA President Ben Derbyshire said, “I am pleased to be working with colleagues in the CIOB and the RICS to develop this new quality tracking tool to improve procurement and building projects. Our initiative proposes intelligent new measures to safeguard building quality, particularly for D&B schemes, and I am proud to champion its integration. I encourage RIBA members and other professionals in the construction industry to help shape this important tool.”

The consultation process will run from April until end of June 2018 leading to a launch of the 'Quality Risk Tracker: setting up a chain of custody' at UK Construction Week from 9-11 October 2018. Parties wanting to participate in the consultation should go to our Building in Quality consultation page to register their interest.