Consultation now open – the CIOB seeks industry views on a new draft Code of Quality Management

The CIOB has now published its draft Code of Quality Management and has opened a consultation on the document, seeking views from CIOB members and others within the construction industry.

This comes as a result of our Construction Quality Commission, which launched in 2017 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 urgency following the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in June 2017. The Commission, led by a group of CIOB Past Presidents, worked with members and other industry organisations to identify the main issues either promoting or preventing the delivery of quality in construction.

At the CIOB’s parliamentary reception in December, a number of MPs and senior industry figures came together to talk about the interim report “Improving Quality in the Built Environment” and to announce the consultation on the Code. Giving the opening remarks at the event, Paul Nash FCIOB, Chairman of the Commission, said: “Quality, or rather the failure of quality, is arguably the most important issue facing the construction industry today.” He added: “Our research identified … an underlying cultural issue in the industry. Quality was being sacrificed to achieve targets.”

The aim of the Code of Quality Management, published this week in draft form, is to highlight quality issues across the construction process and offer guidance on current best practice in construction quality management. The Code brings together, in a single resource, much of the information already available, e.g. practice notes, regulations, codes and standards, to help any project team improve construction quality by establishing a quality management process to be customised according to a firm’s needs.

The draft version of the Code is now available online. We would value your feedback on the draft.

The consultation will remain open until 17:00 GMT on Friday 29 March 2019.