During the first 6 months of this year, the State Construction Control Bureau (SCCB) has increased its scope of work in all areas; there has been a growth in number of sites controlled by the SCCB and number of users of the Building Information System (BIS); furthermore, the plan regarding assessment of construction experts’ competence has also been exceeded.
Likewise, activities of the Bureau have been positively evaluated by its customers and cooperation partners. 78% of respondents who completed a questionnaire at the beginning of the year has assessed construction control as good or very good. Moreover, the research performed in cooperation with university students about certification of construction experts particularly emphasises the responsiveness of the Bureau’s personnel; 54% of the surveyed construction experts have indicated it as high.
One of the main priorities of the SCCB is development of the BIS. Data collected by the Bureau demonstrate that the number of system users in the first 6 months of the year has increased by 19%, exceeding 20 thousand users. Growth in the total number of construction cases initiated in the BIS has been equally rapid; in the first half of the year, 86.2 thousand construction cases have been submitted to the system. Help desk of the BIS has answered inquiries or provided consultation at least 9 thousand times, which is 23% more than at the beginning of the year. Half of the inquiries were answered by e-mail.
Within the framework of the project “Development of the construction process and information system (1st round)” of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), new functionality was developed for the entire construction process, starting from commencement of works until building commissioning. In order to achieve this, 45 task groups were formed, involving 488 participants from 43 different institutions. Additionally, in order to implement and supervise the project, meetings of consultative council, project board meetings, meetings of work groups and teams, as well as other work sessions were held, involving existing and potential system users. In parallel to the work on development of the system, user training was provided to the total of 821 system users over 75 classes. Taking into consideration that amendments in laws and regulations are required, the designed functionality will be available in autumn of 2019.
Construction control is another crucial function of the SCCB. During the first half-year, the Bureau has exercised control over 404 sites, 91 sites of which have been commissioned, but the rest remain under the Bureau’s control. This year, similarly as the last year, the number of sites under the Bureau’s control continue to rise; in comparison with the respective period of the previous year, the number has increased by 36%. A positive trend towards quality of the construction process has been observed; however, one of the most common non-conformities is still related to changes in building design that affect the mechanical strength and stability of the supporting structures of the building. One of the problems identified during rebuilding projects is lack of sufficient research and technical inspection before the start of the design phase which often has a negative impact on the project execution. In order to verify quality of constructions, measurements have been carried out in 47 cases, and non-conformities have been identified in 6 cases.
Another important SCCB’s area of responsibility is operational supervision of public buildings. In the reporting period, 331 inspections were performed as a part of the supervision, 114 of which were first-time physical inspections, while 145 inspections were documentary ones. An emerging trend suggests that owners of public buildings are rather inactive with regard to the fulfilment of the responsibility stipulated in Building Regulations. Inspections for majority of buildings of this type have to be conducted by 1 October this year.
By executing construction board’s function in relation to supervision of construction and operation of buildings of the Ministry of Defence, as well as electricity transmission lines, which have a status of object of national interests, the Bureau has taken 120 decisions. Construction intention is approved in one third of these decisions.
One of the Bureau’s basic functions is assessment of construction experts’ competence and supervision of permanent practices in the field of construction expertise. In the first six months of the year, the SCCB received 22 applications for a certificate in the field of construction expertise. From these applications, certificates were issued in 19 cases: 14 certificates in the field of building design expertise and 5 certificates in the field of building expertise. Starting from its establishment, the Bureau has issued a total of 148 certificates in the field of construction expertise.
This year, first-time inspections of permanent practices have been performed for 139 certified construction experts. It has been identified that 25 construction experts have not updated information about measures of improvement of professional skills, while 19 construction experts have not notified about their permanent practice conducted in the calendar year. As a part of the supervision of permanent practices, 2 decisions about giving of a warning have been taken.
In order to inform and educate cooperation partners and construction experts, in the first 6 months of this year, the Bureau together with the Ministry of Economics and organizers of the campaign “Let’s Live Warmer!” held 8 informative seminars about the practical control of construction works for entrepreneurs working in the construction field. Similarly, a seminar “Building Construction Process” was held for the employees of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, and lectures were delivered to students and teaching staff of the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies. The Bureau’s organized quarterly sessions for representatives of the Latvian construction boards have already become a tradition.
Confirming a customer-friendly approach to the daily work, the SCCB has joined in a “Consult First” initiative launched by the Ministry of Economics. The Bureau’s achievements such as being recognized as the fourth best introducer of the “Consult First” initiative among 22 state institutions attest to being on the right track with regard to creation of an excellent business environment in Latvia.
Continuing to progress towards honesty, transparency, and openness and having a goal to cooperate in raising public awareness, in March 2019, the Bureau joined the movement “#FraudOff!”. The basic values of the movement are responsibility, courage, solidarity, and free communication; more than 30 institutions as well as many entrepreneurs have taken part in it.
We have accomplished a lot, yet we realize that our achievement is not solely based on the work of employees of the Bureau because the result is determined by cooperation of all involved parties. It is us, representatives of the public sector, who have to serve as an example by working towards one common goal, that is, to make sure that buildings in Latvia are safe, and the public is confident about the professionalism and fairness of all stakeholders involved in the construction process. I believe that our attained results attest to that; and in future we will continue to work as actively as before,” says Svetlana Mjakuškina, Director of the SCCB.
Information prepared by:
Elīna Balgalve, Public Relations Specialist
E-mail: elina.balgalve@bvkb.gov.lv
Phone: 67013320 / 28319189