
Compliance through Competence
BCC Consultancy's Role in the Building Safety Act 2022
Building Safety Act Compliance: BCC Consultancy’s Journey and Impact
BCC - Compliance through Competence
Nobody could have accused those responsible for introduction of The Building Safety Act 2022 of underselling its importance and likely impact. We all knew there would be some significant changes. How could there not be? It was promoted as containing the “Biggest Changes to Building Safety for a Generation”.
With just over a year since the Act came into force (April 23) and just under a year since the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) took up its role (August 23) we thought it a good to time to reflect.
As a team BCC Consultancy started planning and strategising soon after the Grenfell tragedy. Not formal business plans as such. How could we? We didn’t know the full details behind the tragedy and what the Government was planning in response.
It was more of a case of individual and then collective reflection. We wanted to listen and learn. What had just happened and why? And then assess what could we all do better as individuals and businesses to ensure we could make a positive difference going forward.
When the Act and Building Safety Regulator (BSR) began to take shape we started to plan in more detail. How could we be part of this new framework? How could we add value and make a difference? How could we develop and deliver a profitable, long term business?
Central to our planning was the recognition that we should operate not merely for profit but for the greater public good. We concluded the best way to ensure this was to offer competent and comprehensive support and advice in all matters Building Control. As our Chief Executive, Gary Cass put it rather well to a client in one of our first meets, “Think of us as your critical friend in this journey, committed to supporting compliance, safety, and excellence”.
So, what does all that mean in practice and how has it worked so far for BCC Consultancy and our clients?
We are delighted to say so far, so good. We have assembled a great team who are supporting great clients on interesting and challenging projects and together we are learning and improving all the time.
Our focus to date has been supporting some of the UK’s biggest and best construction businesses to meet requirements relating to the new Part 2A of the Building Regulations. We are working on projects of all scales and complexities. In particular, we are offering Building Control competency and expertise to clients operating in the HRB sector as part of project design teams. We offer support throughout. From initial concepts, through to Gateway 1 and Gateway 2 submissions and potentially beyond that.
Our client base already includes Berkeley Homes, Taylor Wimpey, Tilbury Douglas, Vinci, Great Ormond Street Hospital and more.
One of our first contracts was with Berkeley Homes (East London) Limited to deliver Building Control consultancy services on Phase 4 of the Woodberry Down Regeneration Scheme. The appointment has us delivering the Building Control elements in support of the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) set up by Berkeley as part of their Gateway 2 submission to the BSR.
Tom Hopkins (Berkeley, Project Technical Director), said: “As the industry transitions into this new era of construction, it is imperative that a strong design team is appointed covering all disciplines to deliver the upfront deliverables, to provide evidence of compliance to the building regulations. Having BCC part of the design team, will provide a robust compliance statement when submitting our Gateway 2 application. We are delighted to be working with the BCC team.”
So, a great start but it is still early days, for us, clients and the BSR.
We note individuals and organisations are at very different stages in their knowledge and development, but there is a willingness to learn and adapt to the new requirements of the Building Regulations. There is also a clearer recognition that we all have our limitations in terms of our competencies. This is a refreshing and reassuring development and will serve us all well in the future.
For clients there are increased levels of scrutiny, longer lead times, changes to well worn construction schedules and practices driven by the BSR’s application process. These changes have for most resulted in a slower and more expensive pre-construction journey. For some projects this has meant they need to be re-evaluated but for those that are progressing the result so far is that they are much better planned from the outset and that has to be good news.
For us we have led the way with certification of competence within the construction industry. We had to prove our own competencies (Class 3/4) via the new Registered Building Inspector register and frame our delivery model around a new set of robust policies, procedures and processes. Again, this has added additional costs and associated resources to previous Building Control models but there is now a much greater understanding and certainty in terms of the project outcomes we deliver and the associated responsibilities and accountabilities of project partners.
Summing it all up – it is still early days but positive signs and there’s nothing to indicate that we can’t achieve one of our key business goals “to lead the compliance process, ensuring our customers and communities benefit from good quality, safe, sustainable buildings.”
I might claim the credit for that one.
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Initial Project Concepts
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Early engagement is something we encourage all our project partners to adopt – from initial feasibility studies through to concepts and draft designs. At this point our approach is to engage with the client and other project stakeholders to outline our role and remit. Define the scope of what we can and can’t offer and where we can potentially add value through our detailed knowledge of Building Regulations and their potential impact on the project and the envisaged timeframes. This advice could be both technical and commercially valuable but paramount will be the goal of putting the project on the right initial path to support compliance with the Building Regulations and enable sufficient detail for the project to make a successful Planning Gateway One application if required.

Design Phases
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This is the stage at which a co-ordinated design really takes shape. Progressing on from a settled concept design, the project is drawn up more clearly in drawing form and developed alongside structural design, building services and a more informed costing exercise. At this point we would continue our engagement with the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) / stakeholder group building on what we / they have learned, discussed previous stages. With progression in design there will likely be updated questions in terms of Building Regs. and some initial questions on structural engineering, fire engineering, access and energy and sustainability.

Gateway Submissions
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Gateway submissions can be a complex process, but with BCC Consultancy, you can rest assured that your project is in good hands. From the review of the design we will offer advice and guidance regards the project and potential compliance against Building Regs. This may impact in terms of progressing to Gateway 2 - whether that can be taken forward or whether there may need to be a re-look at the technical and commercial side of the project. This could have significant impact on both timeframes and costings. The production of the Gateway 2 application will be evaluated. There may be elements identified at this stage which need to be updated in terms of specification, costing, resourcing and timeframes. Our expert team will work closely with you to prepare and submit all the necessary paperwork to ensure that your project meets all relevant regulations and standards.

Site Inspections and Audits
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This is the stage where construction begins on site. At this point our approach is to remain engaged with the client and other project stakeholders to provide an oversight role with regards to the Building Control elements / requirements of the project. Our site inspections and audits are designed to ensure that all aspects of your project meet the highest standards of safety and compliance. We provide a comprehensive range of services, including risk assessment, safety critical inspections, quality control, and verification of compliance with relevant regulations and codes.

Regulatory and Legal Advice
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Navigating the many regulations and legal requirements can be a daunting task for any building project. Let us help you. We offer expert regulatory and legal advice to support compliance.

CPD and Training
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At BCC Consultancy, we believe in continuous development and investing in our team's knowledge and skills. That's why we offer a range of professional development and training opportunities for our staff to ensure they stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends and standards.