Tilbury Douglas CEO Paul Gandy explains why the contractor is putting its project managers through CIOB’s Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme.
As someone who has spent over 40 years in the construction industry, I feel confident in saying that the Building Safety Act is one of the biggest changes the industry has seen for a generation. It will impact everyone – contractors, designers, customers, building operators and building control.
All of us need to face the challenge. Now is the time to invest in our people so we can meet the Building Safety Act requirements – and demonstrate the competency required by the new legislation.
Pioneering qualification
In particular, the spotlight is on the dutyholder role of principal contractor. Tilbury Douglas was proud that two of our project managers, Dan Harmer and Stuart Palmer, recently participated in the CIOB’s pilot Principal Contractor Competency Certification Scheme (PCCCS).
This groundbreaking scheme aims to certify competence for anyone executing the principal contractor role, as defined by the new legislation. The pilot phase, which involved a rigorous selection process, involved 10 construction professionals from diverse backgrounds, with Tilbury Douglas among the first tier 1 contractors to participate.
Dan and Stuart were honoured to be among the first recipients of the certification, which validates their competence. They realise that under the requirements of the Building Safety Act – and to improve overall standards in the industry – providing evidence of competence is key.
The PCCCS is moving from pilot to full rollout and it is big a step forward for the industry to have a competency scheme in place that will certify people needing to fulfil the principal contractor role. The scheme provides a path for the entire industry to follow as it adapts to the new building safety regime.
A time of rapid change
At Tilbury Douglas, we regard putting our project managers through the PCCCS as a proactive step to ensure our construction teams possess the necessary qualifications to deliver safer buildings. We expect clients will increasingly prioritise contractors with certified competent teams, so more and more construction management professionals will have to start the certification process in the coming months.
Competency certification is just one of many building safety rules and regulations coming into the industry, along with building control registration, a new higher-risk buildings regime, the golden thread, product and materials compliance, to name a few. As the industry culture adapts to this new regime, Tilbury Douglas will be at the forefront of the changes.
Paul Gandy is chief executive at Tilbury Douglas, vice-president of CIOB, and serves on the Build UK board as a contractor director.
