The Construction Innovation Hub has launched a new quality assurance framework setting out a best practice approach for manufacturers to follow during the creation of new platform systems and offsite manufactured construction products.
Known as the Construction Product Quality Planning (CPQP) framework, it sets out a five-phase process, ranging from product definition to product launch. It also includes the creation of a live control document, which provides a digital audit trail that forms the basis of a building safety case.
At yesterday’s launch (10 August), a set of guideline documents was made available including the CPQP guide, the Construction Product Approval Process Handbook and nine supporting guidelines to follow that complete crucial aspects of the quality assurance process.
According to the Hub, the CPQP framework will ensure that products and platforms are manufactured to the highest standards, in line with best practices and regulatory standards such as BSI 99001 and the Building Safety Act.
It also provides means for effective change control measures to mitigate risk, and product journey mapping from design through to manufacturing. It is also designed to ensure accurate product data is managed and maintained throughout, as per the golden thread recommendations.
The CPQP framework is designed to complement the Hub’s Product Platform Rulebook and Value Toolkit. It aligns with the ambitions of the Construction Playbook, where the government is enabling more investment in innovation by committing its buying power to encourage offsite and platform construction.
Keith Waller, programme director at the Hub, said: “CPQP provides tools that will enable the accelerated adoption of platform approaches by helping to ensure quality and consistency across all of UK construction manufacturing.
“When applied in conjunction with the Product Platform Rulebook and Value Toolkit, the CPQP framework will improve the overall safety, performance, and quality of new construction products by identifying risks as early as possible in the design and development process, when the cost of change is lower.”
Dame Judith Hackitt, said: “I am delighted to see this very positive response to the new regulatory requirements for quality assurance. Learning good practice from manufacturing sectors is a smart way to accelerate the pace of change in construction.”
Image credit: brizmaker/Shutterstock
Read next: Dr Alison Vincent to chair Digital Twin Hub
Are you a building professional? Sign up for a FREE MEMBERSHIP to upload news stories, post job vacancies, and connect with colleagues on our secure social feed.
