Single construction regulator will be committed to interoperability

In its response to industry feedback on the consultation on the single construction regulator’s role, the MHCLG states: “As respondents noted, the single construction regulator will only be effective if it can rely on findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) information across the whole building lifecycle. Interoperable digital services will therefore form a core part of the single construction regulator’s operating model. They will enable information to be captured once and used in multiple ways: to support regulatory decisions, to reduce unnecessary duplication for users, to strengthen coordination across the system, and to provide a clearer evidence base for assessing whether regulation is working as intended.”

Nima was among those that responded to the consultation. It warned that the single construction regulator can only succeed if building data is structured, interoperable and covers the whole lifecycle.

The MHCLG notes: “The fragmentation respondents identified within current digital services mirrors the wider institutional fragmentation the single construction regulator is intended to address. By bringing together information from different stages of the building lifecycle, the single construction regulator will be better placed to identify patterns of risk, spot red flags and build a fuller picture of how risks emerge across products, professions and buildings. This should support earlier intervention where risks are greatest, help regulators act in a more proportionate and targeted way, and improve the system’s ability to learn from near misses, recurring issues and emerging trends.”

Residents’ and building users’ qualitative insight will be held by other regulatory bodies, but interoperability across such bodies is once again paramount. The MHCLG says: “We will ensure that the design and implementation of digital and data systems supports the structured capture, integration, sharing and use of qualitative insight alongside quantitative data, so that emerging risks, recurring issues and opportunities for improvement can be identified more effectively.

“We will also prioritise putting the foundations in place for automated data exchange between the single construction regulator and other parts of the regulatory system, to support collaboration and develop a more complete understanding of progress against the outcomes of a well-functioning building system. Taken together, this will support a more joined-up, insight-driven and risk-based approach to regulation across the sector.”