Scottish Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative Joint Roundtable

On Monday 16 October, we  hosted a joint roundtable alongside the Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) to consider how the ambitions set out in the Scottish Construction Accord can be adopted and integrated into the work of the construction sector.

The Construction Quality Improvement Collaborative (CQIC) is a national initiative in Scotland which shares a vision for the construction sector where construction quality is central to all decision-making to create a sustainable quality culture – a culture that supports the ambitions set out in the Scottish Construction Accord. The CQIC was officially launched in February 2023, while the Accord was launched in October 2022 to bring improved outcomes for both the public sector and the construction sector.

The roundtable was attended by the Chair of the RICS Scotland Board, Sandra Cummings, Vice-Chair, Nick Rowan and co-chairs of the CQIC Colin Proctor of Scottish Futures Trust and Iain Kent of Morgan Sindall as well as RICS members representing private practices and consultants. Discussions focused on where we are as an industry in the adoption of a sustainable quality culture, with attendees feeling that the sector could be doing more to adopt the CQIC’s values of Ambition, Commitment, Collaboration, Openness and Respect. Attendees also identified potential barriers to realising quality in the sector, including procurement, competency & skill sets, however discussions swiftly turned to solutions, with attendees discussing the importance of pipeline clarity, which is key to investment in training, such as the Infrastructure Investment Pipeline | Scottish Futures Trust. Throughout the discussion, there was a focus on tying quality improvement to more sustainable construction practices, such as passivhaus, to ensure that the buildings of tomorrow are of a high standard.

RICS was one of the first organisations to commit to the Construction Quality Charter that is at the heart of the work of CQIC.

Sandra Cummings, Chair of the RICS Scotland Board said:

"Establishing a culture of excellence as a fundamental industry practice is a significant objective, one that the RICS and its members are committed to fostering through the rigorous standards we maintain. The commitment to quality in construction should be ingrained in every facet of a project's lifecycle, from its inception to its culmination.

Strengthening the benchmarks for quality and safety in the construction sector holds immense importance, and we are delighted to join forces with the CQIC in this pursuit. This collaboration represents a substantial, cross-industry initiative aimed at enabling construction professionals to achieve superior, enduring results throughout Scotland."

Colin Proctor, Director, Construction Industry and Delivery at Scottish Futures Trust and co-chair of CQIC:

”We are grateful to RICS for the opportunity to discuss the issues and challenges around the quality agenda with a group who have such a key role to play in the delivery of construction quality. We look forward to working with the RICS and its members as we move forward in our work to deliver CQIC’s vision for the construction sector of a sustainable quality culture.

CQIC is inviting organisations across the sector, including clients, consultants, contractors, designers, trade and professional bodies to commit to support the goal of embedding a quality culture at every stage of the construction process. Getting it right first time makes sense financially, environmentally, and importantly, from a safety perspective. It is vital to create this approach if we are going to deliver on our target for achieving net zero.”

CQIC will use the outputs from the session, along with the other Quality Forums they held recently in Dumfries and Aberdeen, to identify clear routes and opportunities for improving quality in the construction sector. We look forward to continuing to work with CQIC to deliver this important ambition.

For more information about the CQIC or to get involved in RICS’ policy work in Scotland, contact Senior Public Affairs Officer, Robbie Toomey at rtoomey@rics.org.