High risk buildings - verification during construction: phase 1 of compliance plan approach - verifiers guidance

3. Intent and outcomes

This guidance describes a robust framework which centres on the compliance plan document. The intention is as follows:

• Capture a project’s building warrant and completion certificate programme of actions to ensure that the pre-emptive approval requirement of the Scottish building standards system is understood and respected by those seeking to undertake major works to defined High Risk Buildings (HRB).
• Record the intentions of the project to provide the Relevant Person (RP) with sufficient evidence to enable their lawful submission of the completion certificate.
• Provide the building standards verifier with a template to set out their planned actions to carry out and support their reasonable inquiry into the completion certificate during construction, and record their actual reasonable inquiry carried out.
• Provide access to the completed compliance plan to interested parties through its inclusion on part 2 of the statutory building standards register held by local authorities.
• Provide an evidence base to inform and support the use of statutory enforcement powers by local authorities.

The corresponding outcomes are as follows:

• Projects and those responsible for programme and procurement will deliver in compliance with the legal requirement in Scotland to obtain building warrant approval for a stage of work before commencing the stage on site.
• Completion certificate submissions to verifiers will be made without false statements regards compliance, either knowingly or recklessly
• The building standards verifier will be able to carry out reasonable inquiry into the anticipated completion certificate, without causing delays and rework due to the actions of a project.
• Avoidance of legislative requirements will be reduced through transparency and awareness that matters of compliance with the minimum standards for health, safety and welfare in buildings are held on the public record.
• Local authorities will employ their statutory enforcement powers where a high risk project seeks to avoid compliance with legislation. This includes work without building warrant approval and occupation of buildings without completion certificate acceptance or temporary occupation or use without permissions from the verifier.