Amanda Long, CHIC’s Independent Chair and Chief Executive of CCPI welcomes Government response to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Report. 
The Government response to the Grenfell Phase Two Inquiry Report and publication of the Green Paper confirms the Government’s commitment to bring forward system-wide reform of the construction products regime. From the perspectives of both the ‘hats’ I wear, as Independent Chair of CHIC and as Chief Executive of CPI Ltd, the not-for-profit organisation set up to guard and manage the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), I welcome this and applaud the tougher stance on compliance and enforcement. This is crucial to preventing further tragedy. It is also crucial to supporting housing associations and local authorities as they build and maintain their estates.
Throughout the Government Green Paper, the importance of clear, accurate, accessible, up-to-date and unambiguous product information and marketing is consistently underscored as critical to the change required. This chimes directly with the aim and work of the Code for Construction Product information (CCPI) to raise standards in construction product information and marketing and move the industry to a place where product information is clear, accurate, accessible, up-to-date and unambiguous. This is essential for clients (such as social housing landlords) and product users who need to have greater confidence in the product information used in construction.
The direction of travel laid out by the Government is clear. Industry does not need to wait. All parties must now play their part and embrace greater responsibility, accountability and transparency. The CCPI is referenced in a number of places in the Green Paper with the Government calling for greater industry engagement with the CCPI. This is for good reason. In line with this, the CCPI is on a mission to drive a transformational step-change in construction product information management and marketing. The CCPI assessment process includes critical mechanisms, such as Leadership and Culture and ongoing Registration elements, which do not exist elsewhere in the construction sector in assessments for manufacturers and their product information and suppliers. These, along with other aspects of CCPI Registration, such as the CCPI Issues Portal, provide valuable elements of assessment and on-going engagement to help product users (such as housing associations and local authorities as clients) and specifiers have more confidence that they are working with manufacturers and suppliers that are committed to continually improving their product information by registering and conforming with the CCPI.
If you are a demand-side player – whether that be a client such as a housing association or local authority, a contractor, developer, housebuilder, architect, specifier, insurer – there is an opportunity to join the CCPI Demand-Side Supporter community and be part of supporting and promoting CCPI’s mission. If you are a manufacturer or supplier, merchant or distributor, register with the CCPI for assessment of product information and marketing and become part of the community working with the CCPI to raise standards across the industry. To find out more contact: Amanda.long@cpicode.org.uk
