Building standards: professional competency framework for verifiers

3. Principles

Building Standards Verification

Given the high-risk nature of the construction and built environment sector, regulatory oversight is deemed necessary. The building standards system in Scotland is established by the Building (Scotland) Act 2003 (the Act). The 32 local authorities in Scotland are appointed by Scottish Ministers as verifiers to administer the building standards system for their geographical areas.

The primary function of verifiers is to protect the public interest by providing an independent check of applications for building warrant to construct or demolish buildings, to provide services, fittings or equipment in buildings, or to convert buildings. This includes checking the design before granting a building warrant and checking during construction before accepting a completion certificate.

Verifiers are appointed by Scottish Ministers under section 7(1)(a) of the Building (Scotland) Act 2003. Regulation 30 of the Building (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2004 requires that, before making an appointment of a verifier, the considerations to which Scottish Ministers shall have regard to include qualifications, competence, accountability to the public and impartiality. The appointment as a verifier is made on the condition that local authorities meet the requirements of the Operating Framework and Performance Framework.

Principles of competency management

This Professional Competency Framework is intended for use by verifiers to measure competence of individuals working within the building standards verification service. It provides a single and nationally consistent set of standardised job roles that comprise the building standards profession. Everyone working in the profession will be mapped to one of these job roles.

As part of the initial validation of competence using the Competency Assessment System (CAS), an individual’s current role and responsibilities will be mapped and compared to a standard job role, which will ensure that their job role is recognised in the CAS. The mapping will be discussed and agreed between the manager and job holder.

The PCF does not affect pay and grading. It indicates entry points and career progression routes in a single and comprehensive structure.

The standardised job roles in the PCF are consistent with the CAS to ensure there is a single approach to setting required levels of competence for individuals in the profession. Local job role titles can be maintained (examples of these are set out in the digitised CAS) but the standardised job role should be used when carrying out a validation of competence using the CAS.

Alignment to Competency Assessment System (CAS)

The competency and capability required by individuals to carry out their job role is set out against the supporting Competency Assessment System (CAS).

Following a feedback exercise on the first version of the CAS and its accompanying handbook, the CAS has been significantly refined and digitised. The CAS is now available online through the Skills Builder platform. This PCF provides an overview of job roles and the competency level required to be met for each role. A full description of the competencies required across the five job roles is provided in the Local Authority Building Standards Digitised Competency Assessment System Guide. The CAS enables individuals to identify their skill gaps and find learning and development opportunities to expand their competence.

The CAS provides a coherent structure for all job roles, competencies and experience requirements for building standards professionals. It sets out a clearly defined career pathway, and identifies the skills and experience needed to progress into more senior roles. It will also aid those seeking a profession in building standards to understand how different job roles are used for career progression.

Validation and Revalidation

Validation is the process by which an individual is assessed as being competent to fulfil a specific role.

Revalidation is a periodic reassessment or re-evaluation of competence which provides assurance that the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours have been maintained or developed such that the individual remains competent to fulfil the specified role. The process for revalidation will be developed in due course but it is recognised that it must be proportionate, reasonable, effective and robust.

Maintaining and developing competence

Competence can become out of date over time and requires positive action to maintain. This includes building on and refreshing skills, knowledge and understanding, identifying specific requirements relevant to work being undertaken and keeping abreast of changes in context such as regulation or technology.

Maintaining competence through continuing professional development (CPD) includes informal and formal activities. This can include activities such as training and refresher courses, toolbox talks and mentoring or supervision and formal learning. A requirement of holding a professional membership is to carry out regular CPD to maintain and develop competence, which supports the objectives of the PCF.

Improving competence through the development of new skills is equally important in relation to new or changing building knowledge, technology or practices, particularly where this can impact on building safety or consumer protection.

Limits of competence

It is vital that individuals do not act beyond the limits of their competence to avoid exposing themselves and potentially other people to a wide range of risks, for example risk of death or injury, or prosecution.

The outcome from completing the CAS validation assessment will show any skill gaps. This will assist in the identification of future training needs and training delivery for each individual in the profession. Once the initial CAS assessment is carried out, the findings can be used by the individual to develop their competence as a building standards professional. The Operating Framework incorporates the CAS to ensure every verifier is developing the competence and resilience of their workforce.

Everyone should align their current job role as closely as possible to a standardised role, set out in the Job role profiles in chapter 5, regardless of any qualifications held or not.

Interim process for competency assessment

An interim process for competency assessment is being introduced to support the profession to move towards an independent model of competency assessment by 2027. The interim arrangements build on the current process established in 2021. It requires each person to develop a Competency Portfolio which will consist of the information recorded on the digital CAS (Skills Builder) and supporting evidence presented using a template. Skills Builder contains all pertinent information on their skills and how these align with the competencies for their role. Everyone in the profession will be mapped across to their appropriate job role and will see the competencies and behaviours for the role which are defined in the digital CAS.

The assessment is carried out by the line manager of the job holder with involvement from a Team Leader or Manager from another local authority to provide an impartial peer review of competency. A Peer Review Group has been established by LABSS which is based on membership of the regional Consortia. Assessor pairings are made on a random basis by drawing members from the local consortium group who are members of the Peer Review Group.

The interim assessment process consists of three parts:

• Part One - Competency Portfolio
• Part Two - Assessment of Portfolio
• Part Three - Competency Interview

The detail of the interim assessment process is included in Annex A.