ITFG publishes built environment competency guidance

Guidance from the Industry Task and Finish Group (ITFG) on the management of competence in organisations is now available.

Managing Competence in the Built Environment aims to help organisations in the built environment develop and strengthen the ways they plan, manage, monitor and evidence competence.

It seeks to put the Industry Competence Committee’s (ICC) 15 principles of competence management into practice. The ICC was formed under the Building Safety Act 2022 with a remit to provide strategic leadership and assistance to improve competence across the built environment, advising both the Building Safety Regulator and industry. It has a particular focus on higher-risk buildings.

The ITFG was created in June 2025 to seek feedback on the guidance through a consultation, which closed in November. The ITFG consists of more than 40 professional bodies and trade associations, and associations with observers from the Building Safety Regulator and ICC.

“It’s been a collaborative effort,” Shaun Lundy, technical author of the guidance, said. “The publication represents an important step in supporting the built environment sector’s continued response to the building safety reforms introduced following the Grenfell Tower tragedy.”

It is hoped the guidance can help organisations reframe high-level expectations around competency to proportionate arrangements across different stakeholders.

It acknowledges that competency is not only an individual responsibility, but exists in an organisational capacity which requires leadership, governance, proportionate processes, suitable supervision, procurement, ongoing development and appropriate assurance.

The guidance is also designed to be scalable and complements small and medium-sized organisations by laying out clear and manageable arrangements.

You can find the guidance here and at the BSI’s Built Environment Competency hub, which includes of other resources and information.