Call for Evidence: Strategy for the built environment professions, trades and occupations

Purpose

2.1. This call for evidence is focused on people and organisations in the built environment sector and the systems that govern how they operate. It seeks evidence on the skills, experience, behaviour and judgement of individuals involved in the building lifecycle, as well as the capability of the organisations within which they work, to inform ongoing policy development. We are particularly interested in developing our understanding of current barriers, opportunities and interdependencies shaping how people work during all stages of the building process. It is not a technical consultation on construction processes, although we recognise that commercial, contractual and regulatory arrangements all impact how people work in practice.

2.2. We want to build on the collective expertise that already exists within the sector and more widely as the basis for any future reforms. We are therefore seeking evidence from those involved across the full building lifecycle. This includes those directly employed in the full range of built environment professions, trades and occupations, as well as clients (commercial, public sector and domestic), manufacturers, education providers and those working in adjacent sectors such as insurance, legal and financial services.

Structure

2.3. This call for evidence is structured in five parts, based on core stages in the lifecycle of a building:

• Pre-design
• Design and specification
• Construction
• Occupation and maintenance (including small scale works and alterations)
• Cross-cutting issues, themes and challenges

2.4. Respondents are invited to provide evidence on areas most relevant to their area(s) of focus and expertise. We are aware that a number of professions, trades and occupations play a role in more than one of these stages, and that dutyholder roles (as set out in Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010) are defined throughout building work. Nevertheless, the stages of the building lifecycle provide a practical framework to structure this evidence-gathering exercise. There is no expectation that respondents will complete all questions.

2.5. For each stage we are seeking evidence on six key themes. Respondents are encouraged to provide real-world examples and quantitative evidence wherever possible to support their response, and to give particular consideration to equality, diversity, inclusion and access as they relate to your responses. Please clearly identify any information that is commercially sensitive or otherwise unsuitable for wider disclosure:

• Skills, knowledge, experience and capability, and the extent to which individuals and organisations are typically able to demonstrate necessary competence and capability. This includes whether organisations are able to recruit and retain staff with the necessary competence.
• The key drivers of behaviours, conduct and culture, and how these influence performance and decision-making. This incorporates the impact of business, financial and legal operating models, commercial incentives (including insurance arrangements) and cultural norms, as well as how individual roles can set a lasting tone across an entire project.
• The degree to which accountability and personal responsibility are understood and applied by individual and corporate actors at all stages of the building process.
• How the existing system infrastructure for education and training, competence and regulation and oversight work to incentivise and enable appropriate ways of working.
• Critical interdependencies across the building lifecycle, including how different roles work together and the way in which actions or choices taken at one stage can influence or constrain subsequent choices and behaviours downstream.
• Practical actions for reform and the main barriers to success.

2.6. Respondents are also asked to consider the section on cross-cutting themes alongside their specific area(s) of practice. This seeks additional evidence on the overall system, including cross-cutting functions (such as planning, building control, inspection and enforcement); the role of sector bodies and regulators; emerging technologies and changing practice; and wider comparators and learning.

Scope

2.7. The scope of this call for evidence is deliberately broad and seeks evidence across both the full breadth and depth of the building system, capturing all stages of the building lifecycle and all types of building work.

2.8. Some areas in scope of the strategy for the built environment professions, trades and occupations (due in 2027) are not included in this call for evidence. This includes where government has already committed to take specific actions, or topics have or will be covered in separate consultations or calls for evidence. Policy areas and themes not specifically included within this call for evidence are:

• Regulation and education of fire engineers. Government published the Authoritative Statement of the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel and a statement of next steps for reform of the fire engineering profession in December 2025.
• Mandatory certification of fire risk assessors (FRA). Government published a consultation on the future of the FRA profession in March 2026. The consultation will run for twelve weeks until 18 June 2026.
• Building control reform. The Building Control Independent Panel (BCIP) published a problem statement and accompanying call for evidence in July 2025. We published the BCIP’s final recommendations and a government response setting out next steps 
• Licensing of principal contractors working on high-risk buildings and a broader review of the dutyholder regime, as established under Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010.
• The Single Construction Regulator and new central oversight function for the built environment professions, trades and occupations. Government’s consultation on the single construction regulator prospectus closed in March 2026. Government will publish a response this summer.
• Construction products reform. Government published the Construction Products Reform White Paper in February 2026. The consultation closed on 20 May 2026, and government will publish a response in due course.

Territorial extent

2.9. The information gathered through this call for evidence will inform development of a new Professions Strategy which will primarily have effect in England only. However, we recognise that elements of policy relating to this area are devolved while others are reserved UK-wide (1). We also know that, practically, the built environment “system” does not operate within the limits of a single jurisdiction. This is especially the case when considering both the supply of products, materials, investment, ownership, or services which operate across geographical borders (whether from within the UK, EU or internationally) and the role of many professional bodies which also operate globally. We are therefore interested in any significant cross-border activities or relationships relevant to the themes of this call for evidence.

2.10. As part of our ongoing strategy design, we are committed to working with the Devolved Administrations to make sure that reform is aligned and coherent across the UK. We will also work with professional bodies, trade organisations and education and training providers to understand how proposed reforms will interact with their international operations, as appropriate.

Additional notes

2.11. A full list of definitions of key terms used in this call for evidence is included at Annex A.

2.12. The topics raised in this call for evidence are intended as an information-gathering exercise and do not represent settled government policy. We will consult further on detailed policy proposals as part of an ongoing process of engagement.