15 - Construction Quality Improvement Charter (CQIC)
North Ayrshire Council · 27 August 2024
Back to Cabinet — 27 August 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 27 August 2024 Cabinet Title: Scottish Construction Quality Improvement Charter (CQIC) Purpose: To inform Cabinet of the Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) in Scotland and to seek approval to becoming signatories to the Scottish Construction Quality Improvement Charter (CQIC). Recommendation: It is recommended that Cabinet approve the Council becoming signatories to the Scottish Construction Quality Improvement Charter (CQIC). 1. Executive Summary 1.1 The Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) can be summarised as follows: “The Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) is a Scottish based campaign for improving construction quality. It seeks to promote good practice to deliver improved performance. Delivering improved performance is necessary to meet the technical requirements involved in achieving our net zero ambitions, deliver compliance to building standards, create safer buildings, enable improved productivity and sustainable profitability for businesses, and enhance the reputation and image of the industry.” 1.2 The initiative is supported by the Scottish Futures Trust and all Scottish Local Authorities are encouraged to commit to the charter. Various contractors, trade associations, professional bodies, design consultants and other public sector bodies have already done so. 2. Background 2.1 The Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) shares a vision for the construction sector where construction quality is central to all decision-making to create a sustainable quality culture, a quality culture that supports the ambitions set out in the Scottish Construction Accord. This is likely to benefit: • Business, improving productivity and profitability. • Society, communities and places • The environment, including material and product waste • Customer and user satisfaction • Safety of buildings for end users
Page 2
• On-site safety • Whole life asset performance • The image and reputation of the construction industry • Creating and attractive industry for the current and future workforce 2.2 The key values of the charter are: • Ambition: developing a sector that believes in continuous improvement, is willing to change and is ambitious for the future. • Collaboration: working together to share knowledge, lessons learned and best practice • Commitment: taking pride in what we do, always doing our best, aiming for customer satisfaction and taking ownership and accountability when we get it wrong. • Openness: building an industry that is recognised for its honesty and integrity. • Respect: working across industry to build professionalism, leadership, trust and self-respect. 2.3 The charter has four key drivers, developed collaboratively between the public and private sectors, supporting delivery of a sustainable quality culture: • Quality control and assurance: doing it right first time, at the right time; processes are in place to ensure compliance and to prevent errors; mechanisms are in place to detect and address any variations to agreed standards; appropriate project resources are available for budget, programme, design, materials and skills. • Behaviour: creating the conditions that embed a right first-time culture; demonstrating a leadership commitment to delivering the CQIC vision and values; all personnel are engaged and committed to creating a positive working environment with the right conditions for realising change. • Alignment: all parts of the process are designed to implement and drive quality, improve performance and deliver compliance; leadership supports initiatives that are designed to align policy and guidance across the sector; project delivery systems, including procurement, are aligned to drive quality; everyone has access to the right information, at the right time. • Competence, Roles and Responsibilities: ensuring that everyone is clear about their roles and responsibilities and is competent to deliver them; appropriate project leadership and management is in place; culture encourages everyone to accept responsibility for delivering quality; everyone has the right skills, experience and qualifications to do a quality job; we are all committed to developing people. 2.4 Several Local Authorities are signatories, along-side other public sector bodies such as Scottish Water and NHS Trusts. Many of the Council’s existing supply chain are also signatories, for example, McTaggart Construction, CCG and RJ McLeod. 2.5 The aims and drivers are aligned with the Council’s ambition for a more quality focused construction industry and the CQIC is assessed as a positive initiative to support this. 2.6 Early work has commenced on taking steps to align processes to the CQIC with officers having integrated the SFT’s guidance as an appendix to our Employer’s requirements for both Ardrossan and Montgomerie Park projects. Support from SFT assisted in drafting these requirements.
Page 3
3. Proposals 3.1 It is recommended that Cabinet approve the Council becoming signatories to the Scottish Construction Quality Improvement Charter (CQIC). 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 There are no financial implication arising from this report. Human Resources 4.2 There are no Human Resource implications arising from this report. Legal 4.3 There are no legal implication arising from this report. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 There are no equality / socio-economic economic impacts arising from this report. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 There are no climate change or carbon related impacts arising from this report. Key Priorities 4.6 The Charter is aligned with the Council’s Wellbeing priority of developing appropriate skills for the local and regional economy. Community Wealth Building 4.7 There are no community wealth building implications arising from this report. 5. Consultation 5.1 The Council’s Executive Leadership Team have been consulted on the content of this report. RUSSELL McCUTCHEON Executive Director (Place) For further information please contact Laurence Cree, Head of Service (Sustainability, Transport & Corporate Property),on 01294 324514. Background Papers 0