Corporate report

Industry Competence Committee annual report 2024 to 2025

Published 23 May 2025

Applies to England

Summary statement from chair and vice-chair

This year, the Industry Competence Committee’s (ICC) first full operating year, we have developed our strategic objectives and set out the priorities for our work.

Building on the foundations set by the Interim Industry Competence Committee, we have introduced into our arrangements to industry-based stakeholder groups to help maintain the momentum generated by industry.

As chair and vice-chair, we meet regularly with the chief inspector of buildings to provide evidence-based advice to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) in a number of areas, drawing on data and members’ expertise. We see this as essential to ensuring that in the future there will be appropriate competence, at all levels throughout the built environment.

An important step towards this objective has been to bring the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) into the ICC as an integral part in creating a shared focus and perspective on improving competence across the industry.

Having set our strategic objectives and year 1 workplan, we have started to make progress against our plan. We recognise that there is much more we need to do to deliver the ultimate goal of ensuring the safety, wellbeing and security of persons in the buildings they live and work in. We will continue to use the expertise of ICC members to further this goal in 2025 to 2026.

To assist us in accelerating our work and providing guidance to industry, BSR has refocused resources to provide more support for the ICC’s work in the coming year. BSR has focused on setting up new regulatory regimes in the last year and ensuring they can move towards business as usual.

Industry engagement will be an important activity for BSR over the next year, and this aligns with the ICC’s objective to set expectations for industry and increase awareness of competence requirements.

This first annual report outlines the progress made against the ICC’s strategic objectives and workplan, while also providing an overview of planned activities for 2025 to 2026.

– Jon Vanstone, chair of the ICC and Sandra Ashcroft, vice-chair of the ICC

About the Industry Competence Committee

The ICC was established in September 2023 under section 10 of the Building Safety Act 2022 and section 11A (3) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. It assists BSR in its duty within the Building Safety Act 2022 to facilitate the improvement in competence of industry and building inspectors.

The ICC has a role in advising both the built environment sector and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the Building Safety Regulator on matters of competence.

The ICC has the following functions: 

• monitoring industry competence by keeping track of the competence levels within the built environment industry

• advising the regulator by providing advice to BSR on matters related to competence in the built environment sector

• advising individuals and organisations within the built environment sector to help them improve their competence

• facilitating competence improvement by helping to improve competence through various initiatives and programmes

• providing guidance by giving information to the public on how to assess the competence of professionals in the built environment sector

• conducting research and analysis to support its other functions and improve overall competence of the sector

The ICC has the following strategic objectives:

• setting expectations for the built environment sector on competence and what good looks like for individuals and organisations 

• raising awareness and promote advice relating to competence through a variety of communication channels

• advising and assist industry in developing and maintaining competence pathways

• assisting BSR both in improving the evidence base on competence and evaluating progress of the sector

• supporting the building control profession and BSR by giving advice on matters relating to the competence of building control professionals

Membership

There are 18 committee members, including a chair and a co-opted trade union representative. Members are appointed through an open and transparent recruitment process, demonstrating their ability and experience in improving competence in the industry. Members are appointed for 3 years.

The vice-chair is a senior BSR official. A number of other government officials, with an interest in the ICC’s work, also attend meetings as observers.

Meetings take place every 2 months and meetings of its working groups take place regularly. There have been 6 ICC meetings during 2024 and 2025, and 22 meetings of its sub-groups.

The ICC is supported by BSR, acting as secretariat. For more information, see the full list of ICC members.

Summary of progress for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025

During its first operating year the ICC has established the foundations for its work, agreeing clear strategic objectives and year 1 workplan. These focus on strategic initiatives and industry engagement, including an outline communications strategy, setting out plans for industry engagement.

Two formal working groups were established: the Building Control Working Group (BCWG) and the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG).  A task and finish group has been created to provide guidance on the ICC’s first strategic objective of setting expectations.

The ICC has made progress against its first year workplan and the milestones in its strategic objectives as detailed below.

Progress against milestones and strategic objectives for April 2024 to March 2025

Objective 1: setting expectations

The ICC will set expectations for the built environment sector on competence and what good looks like for individuals and organisations. 

The ICC has made progress in developing definitions and guiding principles for the built environment sector to use on how it might demonstrate individual competence and organisational capability.

A task and finish group has met regularly since June 2024 to develop its thinking on this topic and consider what advice the ICC should give to industry.

The group has drafted for publication guidance documents in 2 areas, the first stage of publication for these documents will be a consultation with industry:

• setting expectations on individual competence, for individuals across industry and developers of competence frameworks (consultation due in May 2025)
• setting expectations on competence management, aimed at organisations carrying out design, building, and management work (consultation due in July 2025)

The ICC has also engaged with other key leadership groups and stakeholders within the built environment to develop a common understanding of organisational capability requirements in regulations. This engagement will continue.

Objective 2: awareness

The ICC will raise awareness and promote advice relating to competence through a variety of communication channels.

This year the ICC has laid the groundwork for how it will promote advice to the built environment sector. It has developed its communications strategy and made progress on developing a core narrative on its role.

In addition, following integration of the ICSG into the ICC, work was done to align the ICSG’s communications and messaging with the ICC’s strategy and expectations.

The ICC has recognised that messaging around competence can be confusing and at times lacking. To assist the built environment industry, it is producing key and common messages on competence and intends to encourage adoption of these by other key leadership groups and stakeholders.

ICC members will use this consistent messaging at events and in engaging with stakeholders. Additionally, the ICC is seeking to identify where sector specific or group specific messaging might be required from its members and stakeholder feedback.

The ICC has created a LinkedIn page to publish regular updates and information. The ICC will work with BSR across the next year to establish further communication channels.

The ICC has also engaged with a range of stakeholders through representation at a range of key national events including the:

• Fire Safety Conference 2024, organised by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
• Quantum Technology Symposium at the IEC General Meeting 2024, hosted by British Standards Institution (BSI)
• BSI online seminar at the Built Environment Competence Standards
• Building Controls Industry Association Annual Members’ Conference
• International Underwriting Association and Construction Leadership Council
• Lift and Escalator Industry Association (LEIA) Building Safety Seminar
• Construction Skills and Training Event, organised by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB)

The ICC will continue to engage with stakeholders to promote advice to industry.

Objective 3: competence pathways 

The ICC will advise and assist industry in developing and maintaining competence pathways.

A key aspect of work in this area has been to establish the ICSG as a working group of ICC and support them in reviewing their structure. The ICSG was formally an industry group known as the Competence Steering Group (CSG). A terms of reference outlining the relationship have between ICC and ICSG has been agreed.

The ICC, through ICSG, is making good progress in gaining an insight and understanding of the current status of competence pathways in the built environment.

The scope of the ICSG covers construction products through to demolition and disposal of an asset, including in-occupation. Different sectors and disciplines are represented through sector-led groups (SLGs) which develop competence frameworks and guidance within their agreed scope.

ICSG inherited its original structure from the previous CSG. The group carried out a mapping exercise and proposed a new structure. This was agreed by the ICC and announced in December 2024. The structure seeks to ensure that:

• the SLGs cover a holistic view of all disciplines across the built environment
• it supports existing work
• the grouping is as logical as possible

To ensure that the structure and coverage meets the need of industry, it is being kept under review, whilst the scopes and work priorities of each of the groups is determined. It is expected that the final structure will be agreed in May 2025.

Industry Competence Steering Group structure and work

The ICSG consists of SLGs, key topic groups (KTGs) and working groups (WGs):

Group	Scope
SLG1	Quantity surveyors
SLG2	Consultant design
SLG3	Engineering
SLG4	Construction product testing, assessment and certification
SLG5	Construction product manufacturing
SLG6	Construction product merchants and distribution
SLG7	Project and programme management
SLG8	Commercial and procurement
SLG9	Construction and management delivery
SLG10	Installation and maintenance
SLG10.1	Installation and maintenance: envelope
SLG10.2	Installation and maintenance: engineering services
SLG10.3	Installation and maintenance: interiors
SLG10.4	Installation and maintenance: civils
SLG10.5	Installation and maintenance: structures
SLG11	Buildings and built environment operations and management
SLG12	Passive fire protection
SLG13	Active fire protection
SLG14	Envelope
SLG15	Clients
KTG1	Designing and specifying
KTG2	Sales and estimating
KTG3	Quality assurance
WG1	Communications

The purpose of the ICSG is to enable everyone in the built environment industries to access appropriate competences. This is so they can demonstrate their competence to others and safely contribute to the creation and use of built environments. It is not limited to responding to legislation, it is about keeping people safe.

The ICSG engages with over 1,500 people, including representation from over 60 professional and trade bodies. Engagement is growing rapidly across the built environment sector since the new structure was launched.

Whilst restructuring, the work of ICSG has continued. The ICSG has produced multiple competence frameworks, industry benchmark standards and guidance documents along with a white paper for a proposed standard.

These outputs cover a range of disciplines including project managers, site supervisors, installers, fire risk assessors and those working with construction products.

It has a number of additional competence frameworks in various stages of active development and more planned in the wider portfolio of work. Additionally, it is actively leading or contributing to:

• BS 8670-2, competence frameworks for the built environment - part 2, core criteria for construction product competence and code of practice
• BS 8674, framework for competence of individual fire risk assessors code of practice

The ICSG and its SLGs are also working on defining proposed future work and will publish its programme of work in spring 2025.

Additionally, the ICC’s chair and ICSG co-chairs have engaged with other industry initiatives during 2024 and 2025, for example, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) building safety workstream, to ensure consistent messaging, creating collective understanding and awareness.

They have also engaged with the Construction Skills Delivery Group, a cross government and industry group looking at the skills requirements of the construction industry, to assess how best to take forward issues around developing competence.

Dutyholder competence

Following engagement activities with stakeholders and professional bodies, the ICC convened a special meeting to discuss the uptake of the dutyholder roles in 2A of the Building Regulations 2010, specifically the roles of principal designer and principal contractor. The considered discussion highlighted a lack of:

• awareness and understanding in industry of the roles
• understanding of the changes in practice, processes and culture required to properly take on the responsibilities of these roles, both as an individual or an organisation
• understanding in industry of the competence required
• appropriate competence assessment for those taking on these roles

In January 2025, ICC members took part in an intensive workshop to develop ideas for actions to help tackle these issues with the support of BSR officials. The ideas were then developed into an action plan which was agreed at the March 2025 meeting.

The plan covers actions for the ICC in giving advice to the built environment sector and BSR, and for action by industry that needs to be encouraged.

Objective 4: evaluating progress

The ICC will assist BSR both in improving the evidence base on competence and evaluating progress of the sector. 

The ICC gave advice to BSR at its January 2025 meeting on a research project proposal to evaluate the development of competence frameworks and the implementation of competence assurance systems.

During 2025 the ICC aims to support BSR to develop plans to monitor competence in industry. BSR will take the ICC’s advice on the approach to take and the criteria that should be used.

Objective 5: building control competence

The ICC will support the building control profession and BSR by giving advice on matters relating to the competence of building control professionals. 

The Building Control Working Group (BCWG) was established in September 2023, to support the ICC in delivering its objectives related to building control competence. It has several functions: 

• providing advice to BSR and the ICC on assisting the building control profession to maintain competence and improve it where necessary  

• help identify and triage emerging issues with the regulation of the profession focusing on issues related to competence  

• to act as consultees for BSR on building control matters as requested 

The working group currently comprises of ICC members who have specific knowledge and experience of the building control profession at a senior level, from both public and private sector.

It has also co-opted a further member from one of the organisations set up to carry out independent competence assessments of registered building inspectors (RBIs). The group has met 8 times from April 2024 to March 2025.

The BCWG has recognised a need to extend its membership to include practising RBIs, to bring their up-to-date working knowledge and experience to the group. The BCWG have provided advice to BSR on:

• supervision, the role and responsibility of RBIs while supervising class 1 RBIs

• non-standard buildings and how to define non-standard

• sanctions and penalties, to assist BSR’s policy development on how sanctions and penalties should be applied for both RBIs and registered building control approvers (RBCAs), who are in breach of registration conditions

• the competence assessment extension period, to support BSR during the initial registration phase for RBIs, ensuring adequate capacity within the profession during this time

• common practices for employment screening, sharing policy and practice from building control organisation regarding criminal convictions

From April 2024 to March 2025, the BCWG provided advice to the profession on how compliance can be undertaken by RBIs without making design decisions. This advice was published on local authority building control (LABC) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE) websites.

The BCWG has also developed a risk register for competence and capacity risks relating to the profession which it will continue to maintain to inform its work.

Forward look for 2025 to 2026

Competence improvement in industry is essential in delivering safe buildings, and reducing risks to the health, safety and welfare of residents.

Across the next year, the ICC wants industry to commit to:

• engaging with the development of competence frameworks through collaborative working and encourages industry to do this through the ICSG
• utilising those frameworks to understand and benchmark competence for all roles
• including the full range of skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours in the assessment of competence
• understanding competence needs to be maintained and updated and is not achieved by one-off evaluations
• managing competence within organisations to ensure each individual’s competence is monitored and developed
• fostering cultures that allow individuals to speak up without fear when they feel they are being asked to work beyond the limits of their competence

The committee recognises this is an ambitious ask for industry and commits to helping industry with this by:

• setting expectations for industry by sharing clear principles on how individual competence could be demonstrated and how organisations could manage the competence of those working for them
• raising awareness and engaging with industry on legal requirements for competence and key messages to help industry understand what good looks like
• assisting industry in creating clear competence pathways based on collaboratively developed, peer reviewed, competence frameworks from the ICSG

The ICC will have a workplan to breakdown how it will carry out this work.

Forward look for objective 1: setting expectations

The ICC’s work to publish guidance documents, setting expectations on individual competence and competence management, will continue during the first quarter of 2025.

The BCWG will consider how to further expand and build on the ICC’s setting expectations guidance. Topics under consideration are:

• competence assessment
• assessment schemes
• assessing behaviours as part of competence
• maintaining and developing competence, including continuing professional development (CPD)

The need for additional guidance to address client’s duties has been identified by the ICC and this will be added to the ICC’s workplan for 2025 to 2026.

Forward look for objective 2: awareness

During 2025 to 2026 the ICC will look to identify and prioritise sector-specific or group-specific messaging.

It will consider the best way to capture and collect feedback from raising awareness work so that it can continue to improve its messaging and what impact the ICC is having on industry understanding of competence.

It has planned to review the work on the ‘culture of competence’, completed by the Interim Industry Competence Committee and will look at how it could be promoted with industry or specific groups within industry.

Forward look for objective 3: competence pathways

The ICC will conduct, in collaboration with ICSG, a stock take of ICSG’s work and status of competence frameworks and look to identify the wider spectrum of standard setters, professional bodies and industry groups.

The aim will be to assist in implementing competence frameworks and pathways for industry based on these frameworks.

The ICC will consider models used in other industrial sectors and countries to demonstrate competence, to gain insight on potential solutions or delivery mechanisms and methods to monitor and measure impact.

Forward look for dutyholder competence

Issues highlighted by the ICC this year will be taken forward for resolution in 2025 to 2026.

The ICC will identify priority actions where it could give advice to the built environment sector and BSR, and where industry action needs to be encouraged in relation to the key dutyholder roles of principal designer, principal contractor, and client.

Forward look for objective 4: evaluating progress

The ICC will continue to advise on BSR research projects on competence in industry and will work with BSR to develop approaches to monitor industry progress in 2025 and 2026.

The ICC will begin work to develop a set of questions for scheme providers to use to assist their understanding of how to assess individual competence and organisational capability. The ICC will draft clear, high-level principles for how individual competence and organisational capability should be developed.

Forward look for objective 5: building control competence

The ICC, with input from the BCWG, will review the 2024 to 2025 workplan and begin to develop its workplan in this area for 2025 to 2026. Potential areas of work are being considered and the BCWG will:

• act flexibly to respond to requests for advice from BSR as the new regulatory regime for the building control profession develops
• assist BSR officials in bringing in new members to the working group with ‘on the ground’ experience of being an RBI, this additional experience will bring up-to-date insights to assist with the provision of guidance to the profession
• continue to review and maintain the risk register for competence and capacity risks relating to the profession that it has developed

Industry Competence Committee operations and governance

Remuneration

Members are appointed to the ICC on a voluntary basis and are reimbursed for necessary travel and accommodation costs when attending meetings.

Members are expected to spend about 8 days per year on ICC work and are supported by BSR officials.

Conflicts of interest statement

ICC members are required to declare any potential or perceived interests at the time of their appointment and to update the chair or vice-chair of any changes.

A register of conflict of interest declarations by members is held and kept current by BSR, who act as the secretariat for the ICC and its working groups.

Procedures

The committee advises BSR on industry competence. Its primary functions include:

• monitoring and advising on industry competence
• guiding and facilitating competence improvement in the built environment industry
• providing public guidance on assessing industry competence
• conducting analysis and research

Advice from the committee can be submitted to BSR through papers and during meetings. A process for submitting formal advice to BSR as a paper has been agreed by the ICC. The process also sets out how BSR should request advice from the ICC.

The ICC welcomes issues raised by external parties and encourages members to submit requests for advice by email to bsrsecretariat@hse.gov.uk.

Accountability and governance

The ICC produces a short report 3 times per year for the chief inspector of buildings. A formal annual report is produced for the chief inspector of buildings and then published in an online format.

Where issues discussed at ICC level cannot be resolved by the chair, then the escalation of issues shall be raised to the chief inspector of buildings through the reporting arrangements. The chief inspector of buildings will make the final decision on the issue if it is escalated to them.

A risk register will be put in place allowing the ICC to escalate emerging risks or issues more frequently.

The vice-chair may also decide to escalate an issue if they feel it is or has the potential to adversely affect BSR policy or reputation.

A short report on the ICC’s progress against its work plan is published 3 times per year on the ICC’s LinkedIn page.