In the first six months of this year, the Register of Construction Specialists underwent a number of changes, the number of Building Information System (NIS) e-services was updated, and their usability was improved.
At the beginning of this year, the specialisations of construction supervision and construction management were merged, with appropriate changes in the BIS Register of Construction Specialists. This was a much-anticipated change in the industry, as it reduced the number of certificates that construction specialists had to have, as well as the associated costs.
The number of BIS e-services was revised and optimised by grouping them together. There are currently 25 BIS e-services available. The availability of e-services as a whole has not been negatively affected, with improvements in how they are organised that make them more searchable and transparent.
Settlement registration and new interfaces
June this year saw the implementation of the registration of mutual settlements between main contractors and subcontractors via the Single Electronic Time Recording Database (VEDLUDB). Work has started on the use of National Cultural Heritage Board data in construction monitoring processes and the introduction of the mobile e-signature on BIS apps, making it possible to sign documents with the mobile e-signature in the BIS portal.
‘We are pleased with the work we have done to improve the Building Information System: it has become more user-friendly and easier to understand. We will continue to work on developing the system in the future, towards more process automation, usability improvements and reuse of data,’ said Kristīne Upmiņa, acting head and deputy head of the State Construction Control Bureau (SCCB).
Positive opinions about services
SCCB certifies construction specialists and supervises the independent practice of those specialising in the expert review of construction. In this year’s survey on the quality of services provided by the Construction Specialist Certification Division, 66.7% of the experts surveyed rated it as high.
In the first half of the year, there were three decisions to award a construction practice certificate and one decision to grant a permit to a foreign specialist to provide temporary professional services. Complaints of alleged professional misconduct by nine construction specialists were investigated. Six cases were closed without finding any violations, minor violations were found in one case, and professional misconduct was found in two cases, resulting in decisions to issue warnings to the respective construction specialists. The assessment of complaints about the alleged misconduct of five construction specialists continues.
Ongoing trends persist in construction control
In the first half of the year, around 60% of building inspections reports revealed no violations. Of the 345 reports issued as part of construction control in the first six months of this year, 219 found no violations. In 120 cases, irregularities were found, but they were not serious enough to stop the construction work. However, in 6 cases, construction was suspended in all of the construction site or a part of it. The reasons for the suspension were mainly due the fact that the construction was not performed in accordance with the construction design, and the failure of the obligations of the construction participants to fulfil their legal duties in time: for example by, construction being actually performed following changes in the construction design, the impact of which on the mechanical strength, stability, fire safety, and operating safety of the load-bearing structures of the building was not assessed in time. In terms of the procedure for approving changes in construction designs, in 2023 amendments were made to laws and regulations which will alleviate the administrative obstacles delaying the construction process.
Further building operating safety improvements needed
In the first six months of this year, 161 physical inspections took place as part of the monitoring of the operation of public buildings. The results of these initial inspections showed that 10.6% of the buildings were in hazardous condition (failure or pre-failure state) and could not be operated before the hazard was eliminated, with decisions made to prohibit the operation of these buildings. Safety must be improved in 77.6% of the buildings, with the most common problems associated with the absence of handrails and handrail guards, unmarked height differences and glazed surfaces, facade finish elements threatening to fall off, and unsafe electrical wiring. 11.8% of the buildings were in excellent or good condition. The situation is similar to the same period last year, when 9% of the buildings were in failure or pre-failure state, 81% needed safety improvements, and 10% were in excellent or good condition.
In addition to the physical inspections in the first half of this year, SCCB carried out 386 administrative inspections. In 74 cases, the enforcement of an administrative document was initiated (fines were imposed on the owners) for failing to take the steps necessary to make the respective properties compliant within the deadline.
Awards received
SCCB is a national administrative institution under the supervision of the Ministry of Economics, which began its work on 1 October 2014. This year marks 10 years since its creation. Since 2023, the bureau has also been in charge of the energy administration function.
In March 2024, SCCB received the ‘Energovienoti’ (‘Connected in Energy’) sustainable best practice certificate issued by the Riga Technical University (RTU) Institute of Energy Systems and Environment (IESE) for its contribution to the assessment and reduction of energy consumption.
In May, at a conference dedicated to the centenary of the Latvian Association of Construction Engineers (LBS), LBS board chairman R. Eizenšmits presented a certificate of award to the head of SCCB, S. Mjakuškina, for years of successful cooperation with LBS in working towards quality in the construction sector, while the Minister of Economics V. Valainis presented a certificate of award to S. Mjakuškina for the achievements and personal contribution to the development of SCCB and the digitisation of the construction process.
