Building standards - operating and performance frameworks for verifiers: research summary

7. Core perspectives and cross-cutting themes

Starting position and issues

Most Review Group members and almost all verifiers responding to the online feedback tool are content with the PF’s core perspectives and cross-cutting themes and consider them fit for purpose.

Forward considerations from Review Group member interviews and the online feedback tool (stage 1)

• Place stronger emphasis on compliance.
• Place stronger emphasis on “public interest” and make clearer what this is in reference to.
• “Professional expertise” should be changed to “professional competence” to reflect current priorities.
• Make clearer what is meant by “partnership working” as the verification process is often a “one-way street” with little contribution from applicants.
• Broaden the theme of “continuous improvement” to include succession planning (mixed views on whether continuous improvement is something that all should strive for or whether it can only be improved so much).

Review Group members were asked whether KPO 6 (commitment to digital services) might be better positioned as a cross-cutting theme. Two agreed, though most feel this would not be necessary as digitalisation is already embedded and would arguably be captured through the cross-cutting themes of continuous improvement and partnership working.

Core perspectives and cross-cutting themes – proposed changes based on the workshops (x2) with local authority verifiers (stage 2, informing the Review Group workshop at stage 3)

• Structure: Make clearer the distinction on page 5 between ‘perspectives’ and ‘themes’ – could be misinterpreted that ‘public interest’ on the right-hand side is a mid-range consideration.
• General: Use stronger wording – “must” rather than “should” (e.g. bullet 2 of ‘operational and financial efficiency’), especially as wording is stronger in the OF.
• Public interest: Place stronger emphasis on compliance and the regulatory role of verifiers.
• Continuous improvement: Embed content on strengthening digital services (from the current KPO 6) and emphasise competence here.
• Operational and financial efficiency: Reconsider perspective title and wording if new KPO introduced.
• Operational and financial efficiency: Change the wording in the second bullet point to read “verifiers should ensure building warrant fees are invested into the building standards service to meet all objectives of the operating and performance frameworks”.
• Professional expertise and technical processes: Change “expertise” to “competence” – stronger message.