It’s been three months since the full enactment of the secondary legislation of the Building Safety Act, with initial regulations coming into force on 1 October 2023. To mark this milestone, Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) and leading digital information platform, Operance, brought stakeholders from across the building safety ecosystem together for a roundtable discussion. The event aimed to delve into the impact of the legislation, the sector’s readiness, and the key challenges and opportunities ahead, particularly focusing on how Operance and Rider Levett Bucknall can assist with Building Safety Act compliance.

The industry is adapting to the changes introduced by the Building Safety legislation, but understanding the full impact of these changes will take time. The roundtable highlighted several critical points:

• Golden Thread of Information Management: There is still a lack of clarity on what constitutes effective information management, presenting an opportunity for the industry to set its standards.
• Cultural Shifts: Small changes are occurring, but the full integration of building safety across all design and build processes requires early engagement from all stakeholders.
• Shared Responsibility: Building safety responsibility must be embraced by all key stakeholders, with collaboration being essential for success.

A survey conducted by RLB and Operance revealed that one in four industry participants felt unprepared for the legislative changes. The roundtable consensus supported this, noting that while the industry is pivoting towards compliance, many stakeholders are struggling to adjust. Over 1,000 registered building inspectors have left the industry, highlighting a significant challenge in resource availability.

The ‘Golden Thread’ of information is a cornerstone of the new legislation, ensuring a collective approach to gathering information for each building. However, the roundtable participants identified significant challenges in generating and managing this information due to a lack of system-thinking across the building lifecycle. Operance can play a pivotal role here by providing a unified digital platform that facilitates the seamless collection, storage, and sharing of critical building information, ensuring compliance with the Golden Thread requirements.

The survey indicated that information management and its impact on cost and programme are key challenges. Operance can address these by offering digital solutions that streamline information gathering and management processes, reducing both time and cost. The platform’s ability to create collect Cobie data and component level data using it’s AI based building information search function can mitigate the lack of legacy building information, albeit at a cost that must be balanced against operational and procurement budgets.

Defining and achieving competency within the supply chain is another challenge identified. Operance’s digital platform can standardise competency checks and provide ongoing education and training to ensure all stakeholders meet the required standards. This will help clarify what ‘good’ looks like and ensure that competency is consistently maintained across projects.

Digital solutions are essential for the cultural shift needed in the industry. Operance can facilitate this shift by providing tools that enhance collaboration, transparency, and accountability. The platform’s capabilities can help smaller consultants and contractors compete by offering affordable, scalable digital solutions that ensure compliance and improve overall project outcomes.

The roundtable emphasised the need for building safety compliance to move beyond a tick-box exercise to a fundamental aspect of project culture. Operance can support this shift by embedding compliance requirements into its digital workflows, making it easier for all stakeholders to understand and fulfil their responsibilities throughout the project lifecycle.

The Building Safety Act aims to foster a collaborative culture that breaks down silos and eliminates blame. Operance is well-positioned to support this goal by offering a platform that enhances communication and information sharing among all project participants. The roundtable concluded with a shared vision of increased building safety, heightened value for compliance roles, and the importance of digital upskilling across the industry.

The roundtable discussion, chaired by RLB’s Paul Beeston, brought together key industry figures to explore the challenges and opportunities presented by the Building Safety Act. Operance emerged as a crucial player in helping the industry achieve compliance, offering digital solutions that address information management, competency, and cultural integration of building safety. The event underscored the importance of collaboration and continuous learning as the industry navigates these legislative changes.

Listen to industry experts discuss the impact of the legislation, the sector’s readiness, and the key challenges and opportunities ahead. Please fill out the form below to gain access to the recording.

Thank you to the following participants for their insights:

• Samantha Mepham, National Head of Health & Safety Services, RLB UK
• Scott Pilgram, Chief Product Officer, Operance
• Gary McCormick, Business Analyst, Sovereign Network Group
• David Jones, Director of Education & Training at ICM, Head of Compliance and Competence at NAADUK, Chair of Construction Industry Council London & South-East Region
• Sun-mee Ban, Principal Design Manager, Wates Residential
• Chris Tongue, Director, C80 Group

If you would like to learn more about how Operance can help you can talk to one of our experts here: https://www.operance.app/talk-to-an-expert/

If you would like to find out more about the pricing of our solutions, you can get a quote here: https://www.operance.app/get-a-quote/