1. Policy
Every Building Control Body (BCB) shall adopt and publish, or make available on request, a formal policy for the provision of its building control service in a manner that meets its legal duties and its effective in helping to achieve the compliance of building work with the Building Regulations.

2. Resources
The BCB shall deploy sufficient experience and qualified staff, appropriate to the type of building control work undertaken. In the light of current and forecast workloads, sufficient resources must be allocated by the BCB to enable it to discharge its duties with reasonable skill and care and to comply with these Standards. A formal review of resources and staffing shall be regularly undertaken, to address fluctuations in workload.

Project Acceptance: formal procedures shall be in place to review the capability and/or capacity of the BCB to accept projects either individually or collectively. In the case of local authorities, which cannot refuse to undertake building control on a project if requested, these procedures must extend to consideration of the possible need to engage additional support, either generally or in relation to individual projects.

Resources for existing projects: a process of continuous review shall be undertaken to ensure existing projects are adequately researched.

3. Consultation
The BCB shall undertake all statutory consultations in a timely manner. It shall consider the possible desirability of undertaking additional consultations. It shall where appropriate co-operate as far as possible in a 'one-stop shop' approach to development consents.

4. Assessment of Plans
Where assessment of plans is undertaken, clear information shall be communicated to the client regarding:

• non-compliance with the Building Regulations
• views of statutory consultees
• conditions pertaining to the approval or passing of plans
• remedies available in the event of a dispute over compliance

Records of the plan assessment process: records shall be kept of the design assessment philosophy, and any statutory and/or discretionary consultations, for future reference and continuity of control.

5. Site Inspection
Site inspection regime: the BCB shall adopt an appropriate site inspection regime which takes full account of relevant factors such as:

• the degree of detail in the design assessment process
• the nature of the work
• experience of the builder
• complexity and rate of build
• unusual or high risk features
• notification arrangements
• key construction stages

Relevant factors must be assessed at the outset and regularly reviewed so that effective control is maintained for the duration of each project, with adequate recording, sufficient to demonstrate the application of reasonable skill and care.

Site inspection records: records of each inspection shall be maintained, which identify the work inspected and any non-compliance. Where plans are not available for the work, these records will necessarily be more detailed.

Contraventions: non-compliant work (contraventions) must be communicated promptly and clearly to the responsible person, identifying the contravention(s) and indicating any measure(s) believed to be necessary to remedy the situation. Any mechanism for appealing against or disputing a decision of the BCB shall be clearly made known to the responsible person.

Notification of consultees: During the inspection phase, the BCB shall ensure that all statutory consultees are notified of any significant departures from plans.

6. Certificates at Completion
Upon satisfactory completion of the relevant work the BCB shall give an appropriate certificate to the direct client and any other appropriate person(s).

7. Archiving of Records
All records relating to the building control service provided to individual projects shall be retained by the BCB for an appropriate period. Arrangements shall be made for their transfer into safe keeping in the event of a BCB ceasing trading.

8. Continuing Professional Development
The BCB shall put in place suitable arrangements for Continuing Professional Development and in-service training.

9. Review of Performance
A BCB shall have methods of collecting and monitoring evidence of its performance, in terms of service delivery and compliance or non-compliance of building work with the Building Regulations. It shall have procedures in place to learn form its findings as a part of a process of continuous improvement. It shall also facilitate the sharing of any information which would be of benefit to BCB's in recognising general areas of difficulty (or failure) in achieving compliance.

10. Quality Management
Every BCB shall incorporate quality management principles into its service, which can demonstrate that the above Standards are being addressed.

11. Business Ethics
Every BCB shall observe the normal professional standards and business ethics expected of service providers. A BCB shall not attempt to supplant a competitor, or win work, on the basis of interpretation of the regulations. The principle of the building control function being independent shall not be compromised.