Construction is a sector that’s subject to fairly frequent regulatory changes. These can have a knock-on effect on areas such as operations, project costs and completion deadlines, so it’s essential to stay on top of any construction compliance changes due to come into force.
In this article, we highlight some key areas of construction compliance that could impact public sector projects in 2024 and beyond.
Jump to:
- Continued implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022
- Planning permission changes
- Net zero regulations and incentives in construction
- Health and safety compliance in construction
- Modern Slavery Act compliance in construction
- How can Procurement Hub help your public sector construction projects stay compliant?
Continued implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022
The Building Safety Act 2022 set out provisions designed to improve UK construction and building safety standards. Aspects of the legislation due to impact from 2024 onwards include:
Dutyholder responsibilities
Increased accountability in relation to safety standards for those involved in the design, construction and maintenance of buildings. Compliance with this includes professionals in these roles meeting competency standards.
Building Safety Regulator
The Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is responsible for overseeing and enforcing compliance with building safety standards from April 2024. Building control professionals must now be registered with BSR.
New standards for High-risk buildings
With stricter regulations for safety standards on high-rise residential buildings (those which have at least seven floors or are at least 18 metres high, including commercial and residential mixed-use buildings, as long as there are at least two residential units), regular safety assessments and resident engagement protocols must also be rolled out in order to be compliant.
Planning permission changes
In an attempt to boost sustainable developments, remove some of the barriers to planning approvals and essentially speed up some kinds of development, the 2024 changes that could impact public sector compliance for construction projects may include:
- Simplified Planning Zones (SPZ), where certain types of development will not need individual planning permission if they are within an area that is designated a SPZ.
- Expansion of digital planning services, to help the process become more transparent and efficient for all parties.
- More commercial buildings are now eligible for residential conversion.
- Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) will now align with new environmental protection standards, which will mean more comprehensive assessments will be required for projects that have a more significant environmental impact.
Net zero regulations and incentives in construction
In the move towards the UK’s net zero carbon targets in 2050, construction has a huge role to play in that, with around 40% of the UK’s current carbon emissions being linked to the built environment. Some of the related regulations and incentives rolling out in 2024 include:
Carbon reporting on large construction projects
Tracking, reporting on and attempting to reduce carbon emissions is now needed for large construction projects through the whole life cycle.
Energy efficiency standards
New buildings are now subject to higher energy efficiency standards, which includes insulation improvements and incorporates renewable energy.
Obtaining ‘green’ building certifications
Construction projects are encouraged to apply for green building certifications (including LEED and BREEAM) and can potentially access financial incentives for eligible certified projects.
An example of this in action is a recent project at John Ferneley Secondary School, procured through our Major Projects Framework with partner Willmott Dixon. This project achieved BREEAM ‘Very Good’ and received an EPC (Energy Performance Certificate) rating of ‘B’. You can read more about the project here.
Health and safety compliance in construction
Some revisions and expansions of existing health and safety regulations for the construction sector are rolling out in 2024, including:
Mental health support
Combatting work-related stress in the construction sector is clearly a focus in 2024 and beyond, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) setting up the Working Minds campaign to help employers prevent stress and support good mental health and ensure they understand what compliance with the law means in this area. Employers in the construction sector are required to carry out stress risk assessments and act on any findings.
Construction (Design and Management) regulations (CDM)
CDM regulations have seen recent enhancements to safety protocols during the planning and execution of construction projects, along with the legal duties of the responsible party. A central part of this is the dutyholder roles that ensure principal designers and principal contractors meet competency requirements, with evidence required of this. Cooperation, coordination and communication between those responsible for different areas of a construction project is also key to staying compliant.
Use of technology
As technology evolves that can have a positive impact on health and safety in construction, it’s being encouraged to implement these solutions in projects whenever possible. Whether that’s using virtual reality in training to better prepare workers for situations they may face as part of their role, or wearable technology that can even monitor the wearer’s health and location, as well as forming part of essential PPE.
Modern Slavery Act compliance in construction
Compliance with this legislation continues to be a priority in the construction sector for 2024 and beyond. Some of the key areas for public bodies to consider in order to stay compliant include:
- Worker rights – with safe working conditions, fair wages and other protections in place.
- Transparency of supply chain – due diligence is required to help prevent human trafficking and modern slavery, including reporting on the measures put in place for ethical practices.
- Training on modern slavery prevention – training is mandatory for construction employees and subcontractors to raise awareness of modern slavery in this sector and how to recognise and prevent it.
How can Procurement Hub help your public sector construction projects stay compliant?
With multiple areas of due diligence, assessment and protocols to consider in order to remain compliant, public bodies can find this a real bottleneck for construction projects. Not only do the immediate contracts awarded need to be compliant, this has to follow all the way down the supply chain too. The admin time alone that is required for this can be prohibitive.
Procurement Hub can help with this through our Major Projects Frameworks and DPS solutions, designed to remove much of this burden from public sector projects. All of the suppliers, spanning the whole construction sector, included in our flexible solutions have already been assessed for compliance before acceptance on our schemes.
This not only removes a significant part of admin and time from the public body buyer, it also provides peace of mind that suppliers are all top-tier and have evidenced their experience and proven results on past projects.
Depending on the scope of your public sector construction project, Procurement Hub has a number of different solutions that can be tailored to your requirements. These include:
We also offer a range of consultancy services to provide whatever support you need in procurement.
As Procurement Hub is part of Places for People, the biggest social enterprise in the UK, you can rest assured that we know public sector procurement inside out and understand the importance of getting things right.
Effective procurement not only helps ensure that high-quality public sector construction projects are delivered as designed, it also has an impact on the local community and economy too. Our procurement solutions are designed by our CIPS-qualified procurement team so that they can be easily tailored to your specific needs, helping with efficiency and productivity, to support the success of your project and maximise the benefits for the wider community.
Let us help you find a procurement solution.