Public sector construction frameworks are increasingly requiring bidders to demonstrate professional qualifications as evidence of competence, as clients respond to the tougher building safety regime.
CIOB trustee Craig Battye, who spent nearly three decades in main contracting and now advises contractors and consultants on framework bids, said he had seen a marked change in procurement requirements over the past 18 months.
“The general trend I am seeing is a move away from generic ‘experience’ requirements toward strict compliance with the Building Safety Act,” he said. “Framework operators are increasingly asking for CIOB membership as evidence of competence.”
Battye said professional membership was appearing as either a gateway requirement for particular roles or a means of securing higher quality scores on major frameworks. The Welsh Government’s Construction Consultancy Services framework is one example. Its selection requirements specify membership of CIOB or RICS as mandatory for bidders at employee or corporate level.
Battye said: “In 20 years of pre-construction and bidding, I’ve never seen CIOB mentioned, but in the past couple of years, I’ve started seeing CIOB membership referenced in bid documents and it is around competency.”
Recognition of professional accreditation
He added that other frameworks run by public organisations, including the Government Commercial Agency and NHS, are recognising professional accreditation such as CIOB membership at employee and company level through their supplier assessment and quality scoring processes.
Battye said the trend was not confined to large frameworks. “I have encountered specific references to CIOB qualifications and competency schemes when helping smaller contractors bid for relatively modest public sector projects, including a contract worth around £200,000 to repurpose former public toilets as retail units,” he explained.
Battye said competency checks had historically been less rigorous, but he had noticed that framework operators were now “starting to drill down” into the evidence provided by bidders.
The increased scrutiny has been noticed by major contractors and consultants, he added, who are putting more staff forward for professional accreditation.
Use of qualified professionals on construction contracts is one of the aims of CIOB’s Client Champions programme, which brings together clients and industry leaders to promote best practice in procurement and project delivery.
CIOB has also developed the Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme, launched in March 2024, to help individuals demonstrate their competence to fulfil the principal contractor dutyholder role under the Building Safety Act.
