National BCA competency assessment system
What is the national competency assessment system?
The national competency assessment system is a framework to assist Building Consent Authorities to assess the competency of their technical building control staff using a national set of performance indicators and specifications which define what competence is in the building control context.
How was the system developed?
- A Sector Advisory Group was set up to develop evaluation criteria and consider framework documents and make recommendations to the Department. The Advisory Group also ensured steps in the framework were based on critical technical criteria;
- A small project team was established to evaluate existing competencey assessment systems in the sector and develop a draft national system for pilot testing;
- Pilot testing of the system was completed in 2010 using BCAs in Auckland, Bay of Plenty, Wellington, Nelson and Queenstown.
- Sector Advisory Group Members included:
- Bob de Leur, Manager Building Policy – Auckland City Council
- Richard Toner, Chief Building Officer – Wellington City Council, representing BOINZ
- Jeff Farrell, Manager Development & Compliance – Whakatane District Council
- Bevan Smith, Director – Professional Building Consultants
- Irene Clarke, Manager Environment and Regulation – Local Government New Zealand
- Geoff Hallam, Technical Development and Regulatory Affairs Manager – IANZ
- Mark Scully, Manager Building Practitioners Licensing Group – DBH
- Steve Garner, Project Manager - DBH
- Malcolm MacMillan, Manager Consent Authority Capability and Performance – DBH (Chair of Advisory Group)
- Project Team members included:
- Steve Garner, Project Manager - DBH
- Peter Sparrow, Senior Advisor Performance Monitoring & Review - DBH
- Paul Hobbs, Advisor Performance Monitoring & Review – DBH
- Beryl Oldham, People Capability Manager – North Shore City Council
- Rose McLaughlan, Managing Director – NZ Building Inspection & Training Ltd
- Keith Smith, Building Consultant – Alpha Building Consultants Ltd
- Rosemary Killip, Managing Director – Building Networks Ltd
How does the framework differ from existing systems?
- The new national system moves away to some degree from focusing primarily on building types or categories to people competency levels.
- This eliminates the need for growing lists of building types and instead focuses on competencies required to undertake the work.
- The national system establishes performance indicators and guidance for assessors for each core competency required by Regulation 10 of the Accreditation regulations.
- The process shifts some of the responsibility for gathering evidence of competency to the individual being assessed making assessment more collaborative.
What are the new national competency levels?
- There are now six competency levels divided into 3 residential levels and 3 commercial levels;
- The levels based on complexity of the elements that make up the building and the competencies required to undertake the work rather than the building itself.
- The levels in some areas are not sequential (eg Commercial 3 does not necessarily mean a person can do Commercial 1 or residential 1 because they may have little understanding of light timber frame construction).
- Examples of the type of building work associated with each competency level are detailed below.
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National BCA Competency Assessment System Levels
Residential 1
Residential Outbuildings and Ancillary buildings - as defined by the Building Regulations 1992. Detached dwellings (SH) designed to a common standard (eg, NZS 3604, NZS 4229) that are single storey and have an E2/AS1 risk matrix score less than or equal to 6.
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Simple 1 storey residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 3
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Simple 1 storey residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 6
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Simple 1 storey residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 4
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Residential 2
Detached dwellings (SH) designed to a common standard (eg, NZS 3604, NZS 4229) that are less than or equal to two storeys and have an E2/AS1 risk matrix score less than or equal to 12.
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2 storey (SH) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk Score of 9
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2 storey (SH) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 12
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2 storey (SH) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 11 (deck not over living area)
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Residential 3
Detached dwellings (SH) or other dwellings (SR) that are less than or equal to three storeys but limited to vertical plane fire separation and direct egress to the outside. E2/AS1 risk matrix score of 13-20.
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2 storey (SR) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 17 (vertical plane fire separation only)
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3 storey (SH) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 19
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3 storey (SR) residential dwelling with an E2/AS1 risk score of 15 (vertical plane fire separation only)
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Commercial 1
Commercial, industrial and communal non-residential buildings and their associated outbuildings and ancillary buildings equal to or less than two storeys and an occupancy load of equal to or less than 100 people or SR or SA residential buildings up to two stories and with horizontal fire separation.
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One storey commercial building
with less than 100 occupants
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One storey commercial building
with less than 100 occupants
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Two storey motel with less than
100 occupants
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Commercial 2
Commercial, industrial, communal residential and communal non-residential buildings equal to or less than four storey and an occupancy load of equal to or less than 500 people or SC or SD that are single storey.
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Two storey movie theatre with
less than 500 occupants
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Four storey commercial building
with less than 500 occupants
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Four storey commercial building
with mixed-use (SR) and (CL)
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Commercial 3
All uses of buildings that are over four storeys high, or contain over 500 occupants or SC or SD greater than single storey.
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High-rise building in excess
of four storeys
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High-rise building in excess
of four storeys and with more
than 500 occupants
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Commercial/public building
in excess of four storeys and
with more than 500 occupants
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How does the assessment process work?
Candidate Input
- Candidate (a building official, team leader or manager) meets with assessor and gains agreement on:
- Competency level (s) to be assessed
- Evidence required to undertake formal assessment of competence
- Method of assessment
Note: refer to page 10-12 of this guide for the types of evidence you may wish to submit in order to demonstrate your competence.
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Candidate gathers agreed evidence within timeframe stipulated in step 1.
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Candidate attends assessment and is assessed.
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No action required by candidate.
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Candidate agrees with outcome from the assessor and signs part 3 of the assessment plan.
If Candidate does not agree outcome of assessment
- Seek clarification
- Request review of assessment.
What do the competency level performance indicators look like?
The competency specifications used in the National BCA Competency Assessment System have been developed to provide the assessor and candidate with a detailed specification of knowledge and skills that are required for a person to be competent at a particular level.
There are six competency specifications, one for each of the new national competency levels (Residential 1-3 and Commercial 1-3), an example is provided below.
How do I transition to the new national system?
The new national system does not require BCAs to redo all of their competency assessments straight away.
The system has been designed to allow BCAs to map their existing building categories against the new national levels. This can be achieved by considering the existing building types in the existing building categorisation system against the new competency level descriptions in the new system.
For most BCAs it should then be possible to “move” staff with existing competencies across to the new system after considering how well their competencies match the new national standards and noting any areas of supervision of training or any restrictions such as “building only” or “plumbing and drainage only”. Templates to record your “mapping” of categories and the outcome of the transition have been developed as part of the system guidance material.
Assessment tools have also been developed to assist with the assessment of new person with little or no BCA experience and a person moving up a level or levels within the new system.
When will the new National System be available?
The system was completed and guidance material published in 2010. Because the new system differs from existing systems and to ensure national consistency assessors need to be trained in using the new system. Assessors will be trained in the theory of assessment, the new national levels and the use of the system tools. A number of assessors were trained in 2010 and 2011 in transitioning their existing system across to the new system. Initial training provided by the Department of Building and Housing's Consent Authority Capability and Performance Group was delivered to the sector during late 2010 and early 2011.
Enquiries about future system training should be directed to the contacts below.
What about Accreditation?
The system has been designed to meet the requirements of the current accreditation regulations. International Accreditation New Zealand have also been involved as part of the project advisory group to help ensure its compliance with accreditation requirements.
Who can I ask more technical questions to about this system?
Enquiries can be directed to:
Peter Sparrow, Senior Advisor Performance Monitoring & Review at the Department of Building & Housing on peter.sparrow@dbh.govt.nz. Ph 0800 242 243, or
Paul Hobbs, Advisor Performance Monitoring & Review at the Department of Building & Housing on paul.hobbs@dbh.govt.nz. Ph 0800 242 243.
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National Building Consent Authority Competency Assessment System Guide
Preparation for assessment - Candidate information pack
Competency level specifications
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Templates
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