Industry Competence Committee. Setting Expectations on Competence Management

[edit] About

The Industry Competence Committee (ICC) has now published 'Setting Expectations for Competence Management' sets out ICC’s expectations for how organisations should manage and assure the competence of those undertaking design, building work and managing buildings - particularly those that manage Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs). It explains that organisations must have suitable policies, procedures, systems, and resources to ensure people doing the work have the right skills, knowledge, experience, behaviours, and supervision where needed. The document can be accessed via the BSi Built Environment Competence Hub here via registration, below is a precis of tthe document.

It supports the delivery of duties under the Building Safety Act 2022 by clarifying the core principles organisations should have in place. The advice applies to all organisations involved in design work, building work, or the management of building safety risks, with requirements that are proportionate to the organisation’s size, complexity, and risk profile. It covers all building work and design work in England under Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010, and management duties for Higher Risk Buildings under the HRB regulations.

For smaller organisations, the expected approach can be simpler and less formal, while larger or more complex organisations are expected to use more structured management systems and documentation. Where work is delivered by subcontractors or external agencies, the organisation must make sure they have the capacity, resources, and competence to do the job. The document can be accessed via the Built Environment Competence Hub.

[edit] Principles for Competence Management

[edit] Organisational capability and competence management

Organisational capability means having enough people, with the right SKEB, systems, and oversight to meet legal duties and carry out work safely. Competence management should also ensure people stay within their competence, are supervised and trained where needed, and that the organisation checks contractors, communication, ethics, and overall system effectiveness.

[edit] Culture and ethical behaviour

A positive organisational culture supports competence by encouraging trust, accountability, continuous learning, openness, and ethical behaviour. It helps people speak up early, work within their limits, and prioritise building safety and compliance over cost or programme pressure.

The guidance also highlights key features of a suitable culture: leadership at all levels, integrity, teamwork, transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and continuous improvement. Ethical behaviour is presented as essential because it builds trust, supports fair decision-making, and helps organisations achieve long-term success.

[edit] Summary and principles in brief

The competence management principles are adapted from HSE guidance on safety-related systems, tailored to Part 2A of the Building Regulations 2010 and HRB management regulations 2023. Organised into four phases: Plan, Develop, Operate, Audit and Review and should be read alongside ICC advice on individual competence, which underpins organisational capability for contractual and regulatory duties. They set out the key principles of competence management within an organisation and what an organisation should do to establish appropriate policies and processes to effectively manage the collective competence of individuals

[edit] Plan

• Principle 1 – Purpose and scope: Define the organisation’s purpose and the scope of its competence policies and procedures so they align with legal duties, objectives, and the work being delivered.

[edit] Develop

• Principle 2 – Establish competence criteria: Set simple, practical competence criteria for each role based on the skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours needed for the work and the level of risk.
• Principle 3 – Decide processes and methods: Put in place clear, repeatable processes and management arrangements to apply the competence principles in a way that suits the organisation’s size and complexity.

[edit] Operate

• Principle 4 – Select and recruit individuals: Recruit and induct people who already have, or can be developed to have, the competence needed for the work they will do.
• Principle 5 – Determine competence within the workforce: Check whether individuals and the organisation as a whole have enough competence and capacity to meet legal, contractual, and operational needs.
• Principle 6 – Develop competence: Maintain and improve competence through structured development, supervision, training, CPD, and succession planning.
• Principle 7 – Assign responsibilities: Make sure work is only allocated to people who are judged competent for the task, with responsibilities and expectations clearly defined.
• Principle 8 – Monitor competence: Regularly check that people continue to work competently and take corrective action if performance starts to fall below the required standard.
• Principle 9 – Learning from performance shortfalls: Respond fairly and constructively to failures, near misses, and non-conformities so lessons are captured and recurrence is prevented.
• Principle 10 – Manage assessors’ and managers’ competence: Ensure the people who assess competence or manage the system are themselves competent to do so.
• Principle 11 – Manage sub-contractor competence: Make sure subcontractors and other third parties are competent, properly managed, and contractually required to meet competence expectations.
• Principle 12 – Manage information: Keep competence records accurate, current, accessible, and detailed enough to show how competence is being managed.
• Principle 13 – Manage change: Review how changes in work, staffing, regulations, or industry practice affect competence management and update systems accordingly.

[edit] Evaluation and Review

• Principle 14 – Evaluation: Check at planned intervals whether competence management processes are working effectively and meeting organisational requirements.
• Principle 15 – Review: Use day-to-day learning, audits, and post-project reviews to decide what improvements or changes are needed.