CPA publishes results of industry Consultation on new Code
The Construction Products Association (CPA) has released the results of its industry-wide consultation on the new Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI).
The 65 page report – downloadable at www.buildingsafely.co.uk – details feedback from 35 trade associations representing the views of many thousands of member firms across the supply chain, and 180 individual provider and user organisations of construction product information, including most of the largest companies in the industry.
The new Code was developed to prevent some of the issues raised in Dame Judith Hackitt’s report ‘Building A Safer Future’, following the Grenfell Tower fire. The CPA was tasked by Dame Judith Hackitt and the Government with tackling the shortcomings identified in Chapter 7 of the report relating to product information. The consultation opened on the 1st February 2021 with an official closing date of the 31st March 2021. This was extended to the end of May to urge everyone who had a view to submit them, and to encourage the widest representation from across the industry.
The highly-publicised consultation was undertaken for the CPA by MRA Research. It invited trade associations, manufacturers, distributors, specifiers and users of product information to comment on the proposed new CCPI and its eleven Clauses.
A key requirement of the consultation was that respondents read the new Code before completing their respective questionnaire or providing feedback. A number of additional and insightful comments were also submitted by provider and user organisations alongside their completed questionnaires. Feedback from the trade associations was detailed, expert and extensive, providing in-depth comments and suggestions on behalf of their members.
The findings confirm that the industry welcomes and supports the Code, and considers it a crucial step in the right direction. Comments confirmed that more clarity was needed in some areas of the Code, particularly around the training and competence requirements, and on what exactly was required to comply with the different Clauses. The MIG spent a further two months analysing and working through the Code so it reflects the massive amount of expert feedback from the consultation.
The Code has now been finalised, based on the extensive feedback from the Consultation, and is in the process of being handed to Construction Product Information Ltd (CPI Ltd) – a not-for-profit organisation with independent governance and management being set-up to administer the CCPI when it is launched later this year. Prior to the Code’s formal launch, the CPI Ltd will be carrying out pilot test cases and will also be recruiting a new Non-Executive Board of Directors to develop an independent governance structure. The industry can stay abreast of the Code and its launch at www.cpicode.org.uk.
The report, along with the full press release with statements from the CPA, can be found on the www.buildingsafely.co.uk website.
