UK builders are subject to multiple building regulations that set minimum standards for design, construction and alterations to buildings. However, anyone can set up as a builder or tradesperson regardless of their skills or experience. The lack of checks on new entrants gives rise to a widespread problem of rogue and incompetent builders and poor quality buildings – problems that the government and various bodies are trying to address. (See, for example, the 2018, Federation of Master Builders'/Pye Tait Consultants' "Licence to build: a pathway to licensing UK construction" which proposed a licensing scheme governed and administered by a single authority.)

The fire at Grenfell Tower and the Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Construction of Edinburgh Schools were sobering reminders of the need to deal with the issue of quality in construction. Research by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) highlighted that quality failings and the sacrifice of quality to achieve cost or time targets are chief concerns for the construction industry. Following a consultation, the CIOB has published a new Code of Quality Management, subtitled "Guide to Best Practice Construction Quality Management". The aim is "to provide a single point of information on construction quality management for construction professionals to improve quality by establishing best practice for quality management and quality planning processes".

The code includes sections on why quality matters, collates information on current standards, gives guidance on the "Quality Plan", provides background information and research, references relevant codes and standards for the range of construction expertise (from substructures to masonry, internal finishes, glazing and external structures) and explains the various quality standards that are relevant to a construction project, including the ISO 9001 series of "quality management system" international standards. 

The code can be downloaded from the CIOB's website here.

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