Building Trustworthy Indicator BTI

In response to a number of high-profile apartment block defects, the New South Wales (NSW) the Building Commissioner David Chandler OAM, was appointed and tasked with improving the quality of construction in the state in 2019. The Building Assurance Solution initiative was first announced in 2021, with KPMG appointed to lead the project, working in partnership with Microsoft, the University of Western Sydney’s Centre for Smart Modern Construction (c4SMC), and property developer Mirvac, which provided a new building for the six-month pilot.

The resulting Building Trustworthy Indicator (has also been referred to as the Building Trustworthy Index) was launched in 2022 and uses a comprehensive ratings system to assess construction quality, considering various factors, including the origin and quality of building materials, the track record of builders and subcontractors, and the construction methods employed. Importantly it uses blockchain technology to track and record performance which has been described as a digital fingerprint.

KPMG’s head of blockchain services for the Asia Pacific said at the time of the launch “You could have two buildings, both safe to live in and compliant, that might have completely different ratings due to the materials and the participants who did the work and the checks done. The Building Trustworthy Indicator is a global-first platform that will create a clear distinction between compliant, resilient buildings and non-compliant problematic buildings... By helping regulators focus on the riskiest players in the building and construction industry, and enabling insurers and financiers to offer innovative products to reward the most trustworthy players, we can avoid some of the issues that have plagued the construction industry both in NSW and across Australia.”

There is little online now describing the indicator and a you tube introduction s no longer available but it is mentioned in the KMPG Impact Plan 2022-2023

On 15 July, 2025 the Industry and Regulators Committee inquiry into building safety regulation heard from Dame Judith Hackitt, whose independent review led to the creation of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR), she mentioned the BTI in some of her closing statement in answering questions from the committee saying:

"I think it's really important it at any part of this that we look at that we we take stock of what happens elsewhere in the world so one of the things we've done our building control for example in our first month or so of operation we've done exactly that and looked at how building control is done elsewhere in the world and some of the results have surprised us not least of which is that we are far from being unique in having a mixed public private model just about every other country in the world has that but they have some interesting safeguards in place to avoid conflicts of interest that maybe we can learn from."

"So so we should always try and learn from all this in terms of good practise. I've had the privilege over the last six years of also being involved in very similar conversations about regulatory frameworks. in Australia they have very similar problems, very similar challenges to us and I think there are some very good and very innovative ideas emerging now that we should take a close look at not least of which is the Building Trustworthy Index (BTI) scheme that is being piloted in New South Wales. It's a scheme whereby aside from the regulator in fact the regulator uses the system but there isn't an independent means of assessing that by using organisations throughout the build of a project who meet certain criteria and by being able to provide assurance of the materials used you then arrive at a finished product the building that has a certain trustworthy rating that trustworthy rating can then be used by regulators by insurers and indeed by consumers to assess the safety and quality of those buildings"

"it would seem to me that a system like that in support of the new regulatory regime that we have would be extremely beneficial to a lot of people and would provide the sort of incentives I think we need to recognise those good players who are out there already doing the right thing and who at this point get no recognition for that versus those who are dragging their feet"

See the article Building Safety Committee discussion with Dame Judith Hackitt for more information.

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[edit] External links

https://committees.parliament.uk/event/24855/formal-meeting-oral-evidence-session/

https://www.consultancy.com.au/news/4723/kpmg-supports-blockchain-ratings-index-for-nsw-building-industry

https://youtu.be/zJPxeqHT9bw