Call for Evidence: Strategy for the built environment professions, trades and occupations - 5c. Construction - Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

5c. Construction

5.19. The construction stage involves the physical delivery of building work, translating design intent into a completed structure. It includes the manufacturing, construction and commissioning of buildings. In practice, the construction phase overlaps significantly with the design and specification stage and activities across these stages often occur in parallel.

5.20. The construction stage of a building has the potential to involve the widest range of professions, trades and occupations in a building’s lifecycle. Depending on the project this may include, but is not limited to, principal contractors, subcontractors and a huge variety of specialist trades, site managers, supervisors, building control professionals. The Principal Designer also remains involved during this stage.

5.21. Construction roles are characterised by a wide range of entry routes, qualifications and training pathways, reflecting the diversity of activities and specialisms. The skills, knowledge and experience required can vary significantly depending on the nature of the work, the level of risk, and the degree of specialisation.

5.22. As well as entry pathways, the people and organisations engaged in the construction stage are subject to a wide range of commercial, regulatory, professional and other requirements to maintain their status, bid for and carry out work. These may include contractual relationships and regulatory requirements such as in the Building Regulations and Health and Safety legislation, alongside requirements of different professional membership bodies and accreditation against multiple industry standards. We understand that the number and scale of these kinds of requirements can often feel like a burden to those in the sector.

5.23. There is evidence documenting demographic challenges in some roles, with parts of the sector struggling to attract enough people early in their career to replace those leaving the workforce. This is partly compounded by wider demands on the workforce to, for example, increase housebuilding across the UK or support delivery of the Warm Homes Plan’s commitment to upgrade five million homes by 2030. These factors all influence the overall landscape for skills, knowledge and experience of those working on the construction stage.

5.24. Behaviour, conduct and culture during construction have a direct impact on safety, quality and productivity, as well as on trust between clients, contractors and the public. Construction work is typically delivered under significant commercial, time and cost pressures, shaped by contracting models, procurement practices and insurance requirements. More generally, productivity has been a long-standing challenge for the construction sector and the cyclical nature of the industry, going from periods of high activity to low activity, has been felt to disincentivise investment in the workforce, with real implications for individual livelihoods.

5.25. Anecdotal evidence indicates that contracts are still primarily awarded with price as the overriding consideration, with a corresponding distribution of risk through the supply chain. These conditions can influence how decisions are made on site, how risks are managed, challenge is raised or addressed and how standards are upheld in practice, with some procurement approaches (such as design and build) having a particular impact on quality and safety.

5.26. This overall context creates a complex picture for accountability and responsibility across the construction stage. In particular, the choice of contracting model – whether a more traditional contracting arrangement where those working on site are directly employed by the client, or an alternative sub-contracting model where a principal contractor operates by procuring sub-contractors to do packages of work – can directly impact individual and corporate perceptions of ownership of accountability and risk.

5.27. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the prevalence of a sub-contracting model may also disincentivise or make more difficult investment in skills and learning through the supply chain, with potential knock-on consequences for productivity, safety and quality, often the result of reduced oversight.

5.28. This section seeks evidence on how responsibility and oversight operate on site during the construction stage, including how contractual and organisational arrangements shape supervision, assurance and decision-making in practice. We are interested in how workforce skills and organisational capability align with the work undertaken, and how commercial pressures can influence behaviour, standards and accountability as buildings are delivered.

Questions: Construction

Please ensure you have read the relevant section of the call for evidence document before answering these questions.

When answering these questions, please provide real-world examples and quantitative evidence wherever possible to support your response. You may cross-refer between answers, where applicable. Where information provided is commercially sensitive or otherwise not suitable for wider publication, please make sure this is clearly marked.

35. What types of skills, knowledge and experience are needed to carry out construction work?

Please consider what individual competence and organisational capability is required and where these may vary across different types of building or project. We are interested in the range of skills, functions and roles at this stage e.g. project and site management, quality management and inspection, on-site enforcement, mandatory reporting requirements, procurement and supply chain management, commercial and contract management. You do not need to list detailed technical skills and requirements for specific roles, unless this is helpful to support your response.

36. In your experience, where are the most material gaps in skills, knowledge, and experience in the construction phase?

Please provide any comments

37. Overall, how consistently do you think the skills, knowledge and experience necessary in the construction phase are demonstrated in practice?

Very consistently Fairly consistently Neither consistently nor inconsistently Fairly inconsistently Very inconsistently

38. What most influences behaviour and decision-making when carrying out construction work?

Please consider both positive and negative influences on behaviour and decision-making for individuals and organisations. For example, contractor decision making; supply chain structure and subcontractor fragmentation; the interaction of programme delivery and design information; site conditions; quality assurance and inspection. competence; cultural norms or expectations; or other factors.

39. Overall, how consistently do you think the positive behaviours and decision-making necessary in the construction phase are demonstrated in practice?

Very consistently Fairly consistently Neither consistently nor inconsistently Fairly inconsistently Very inconsistently

40. What benefits are there when individual and organisational roles, responsibilities and accountability are clearly defined, understood and applied during the construction stage?

Please consider what positive impacts this has on e.g. project delivery, behaviour and conduct and trust in the system. You should consider the influence of contributory factors such as the type of person or organisation undertaking construction work or the nature, scale or complexity of the building project.

41. What challenges are there in defining, understanding or delivering these roles, responsibilities and accountability during the construction stage?

Please consider what negative impacts this has on e.g. project delivery, behaviour and conduct and trust in the system. You should consider the influence of contributory factors such as the type of person or organisation undertaking construction work or the nature, scale or complexity of the building project.

42. Overall, how consistently do you think roles, responsibilities and accountabilities are clearly defined, understood and applied in the construction phase?

Very consistently Fairly consistently Neither consistently nor inconsistently Fairly inconsistently Very inconsistently

43. How well do principal contractors generally understand their responsibilities under the dutyholder regime set out in Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010?

Please include real-world examples to support your response. You should consider how contributory factors such as the type of person or organisation undertaking construction work or the nature, scale or complexity of the building project influence your experience of these issues.

Part 2A Building Regulations 2010 Part 2A Building Regulations 2010

The Building Regulations 2010

44. How well do principal contractors generally deliver their responsibilities under the dutyholder regime set out in Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010?

Part 2A Building Regulations 2010 Part 2A Building Regulations 2010

The Building Regulations 2010

45. Overall, how consistently do you think principal contractors understand and deliver their responsibilities under the dutyholder regime set out in part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010?

Very consistently Fairly consistently Neither consistently nor inconsistently Fairly inconsistently Very inconsistently

Part 2A Building Regulations 2010 Part 2A Building Regulations 2010

The Building Regulations 2010

46. Does the current system of (a) education and training, (b) competence standards and frameworks, and (c) regulation and oversight effectively incentivise and enable appropriate skills, behaviours, accountability and quality of work at the construction stage?

Please include real-world examples to support your responses, including where you think there are currently material gaps in provision.

(a) Education and training

(b) Competence standards and frameworks

47. Overall, how effective do you think the current system infrastructure for skills, competence and regulation and oversight is at incentivising and enabling appropriate skills, behaviours, accountability and quality of work in the construction stage?

Very effective Fairly effective Neither effective nor ineffective Fairly ineffective Very ineffective

48. Which actions, behaviours and decisions at the construction stage most influence subsequent stages of the building lifecycle, and which support or undermine effective transition into the occupation and maintenance stage?

You may wish to consider how people and organisations do, can and should work together effectively across the different stages of the building lifecycle. Please include practical examples of where actions and relationships have worked effectively or ineffectively.

49. Are there particular issues or benefits associated with different approaches to licensing, regulation and registration of contractors and/or subcontractors, including those working on smaller scale or domestic dwellings?

We are interested in whether changes to licensing, regulation and/or registration of those working on a range of projects, including smaller- or domestic-scale projects would be an effective tool to raise standards for competence, conduct and accountability. You may want to refer to examples from elsewhere in the building sector, other sectors or international comparators to support your response.

50. Thinking about government’s vision for a well-functioning system where buildings are safe, high-performing and sustainable; individuals and organisations are enabled to thrive; and the building system is trusted, how significant an impact do each of these factors currently have on delivering these outcomes at the construction stage?

51. Thinking about the issues raised in your responses to questions 35-50, what practical changes or actions would make the biggest difference to how construction work is carried out?

Please consider who should lead the changes you identify (including individuals, organisations, sector groups and government/statutory bodies), what practical next steps are required (including non-regulatory actions) and key barriers to implementation. Suggestions can draw on previously identified recommendations that have not been implemented, or on good practice that could be consolidated; they do not need to be new.

52. Of the actions listed in your response to question 51, which one change or action you would prioritise to deliver the greatest impact?

Please provide any comments