Look what the BPB dunces want councils to do now!
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Good morning everyone
Look at the latest ham-fisted clumsiness from the BPB. Their BPBulletin published on 14 March refers to amendments to the Building Professionals Act 2005 and Building Professionals Regulation 2007 that commenced on 1 March, and that introduced a requirement for certifying authorities to have a written contract with a “client” before starting work. So, helpfully, the BPB provides template contracts for this to occur. It’s one thing dealing with a BPB that wants to control the world, now we have to deal with a BPB that wants to introduce such a nuisance of an administrative requirement that the world will simply stop spinning. The parties to the contract are the Council and the applicant. In Part D the Council is required to provide the "Certifier’s details". The Council is obliged to do this: "These are the details of the employee that Council proposes, at the date of the Agreement, to have carry out the certification work. If the Council later decides to have another employee carry out the certification work, the Council will within two days notify the Client in writing of the name and accreditation number of that other employee." (My emphasis) Oh no, Neil, why would you do this to councils? Did you consider what happens if someone gets sick? Below is an email forwarded to BPB CEO Neil Cocks complaining about this process. Pardon the typos, and pardon the “bloody hell, Neil” bit, but it was sent to let Neil know, quickly and as soon as possible, that this was going to provide inflexibility and stupid administrative complications, delays and frustration. And if I thought at the time that it would be circulated to everyone, I would have put in more examples of the reasons why this will be unwieldy - the necessary changes in practices at councils with multiple employees doing certifying etc. If someone does call in sick on the day of the service, can the job be done by someone else or not? This email to Neil is now forwarded for two reasons. Firstly, so you know that we are onto it and secondly, so that you can also contact Neil and anyone else at the BPB and, through your Council, contact Local Government NSW (the new name for the Local Government and Shires Association) to demand that this provision be put on hold and the template amended after consultation with the industry so that it no longer requires this tedious administrative step that will get in the way of councils servicing applicants. It won’t be a problem for individual certifiers or small companies but will get in the way of councils getting the work done. The BPB either has no idea of how councils allocate work or they don’t give a rat’s. They can only be setting up local government to fail. Ian Robertson Secretary depa
Ph: 9712 5255
From: Ian Robertson [mailto:] Bloody hell Neil, doesn't anyone there understand how councils work? The requirement that an individual be identified in the contract and, if there is to be a change that it needs to be conveyed within two days etc, is a ludicrous administrative Lee unwieldy proposal. Who decided that a job requires one person to do it? Was there any consideration at all of how this would affect councils? Or is this a deliberate attempt to unnecessarily irritate councils by introducing an impractical administrative requirement? This might work handsomely for an individual private certifier or even a private person working in the company of two or three people but if you have, like some big councils have, 10 or more potential people who can go out there do it carry out the role of the PCA, can you contemplate the practical issues? The nominated person leaves. Or goes on holidays and a relief person is appointed. Or the nominated person acts up in a higher job. Potentially any of these people could be allocated the job but now you have removed this flexibility. What is the point of this and what feedback did you get from local government before someone decided it was a good idea? Where was the consultation? Is it possible to put this on hold while we discuss this?
Ian Robertson
Ph: 9712 5255
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Ian Robertson |
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www.depa.net.au
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