Building sector asked for input on future professional standards

CABE is seeking members’ views on the proposals outlined in its Future Professional paper, which reflects CABE’s response to the sector-wide issues highlighted in the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry as well as government and society’s expectations for professional bodies.

CABE has opened an industry-wide consultation by publishing its Future Professional paper.

The publication documents the CABE Board’s proposal for evolving the body’s future professional standards and has been developed in response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the subsequent public inquiry and continuing regulatory reforms, which have underlined a requirement for stronger professional oversight, greater transparency and a cultural change in the built environment.

As the Future Professional paper explains in its introduction, “With the new competence requirements in the building regulations in England, all professionals now need to be able to proactively demonstrate and evidence that they are competent to undertake a specific project and show that they are maintaining their professional knowledge and skills.”

Professional bodies have an important role in supporting members through initial assessment of competence for professional recognition and into ongoing CPD, the paper explains, and this requires robust and rigorous membership processes supported by authoritative high-quality guidance, competence-based lifelong learning and relevant CPD materials.

CABE’s response has been to set out in the publication what it plans to do to develop and reinforce its existing arrangements and build greater trust to better serve the built environment sector, wider society and its membership. It also plans to reflect on the strengths of legacy models while identifying specific areas of change that will be required to ensure CABE remains fit for purpose.

As the publication notes, the proposals outlined in the paper may be relevant to other professional bodies and if generally adopted could ensure greater consistency in capability and competence across the sector.

“Professionals have a vital role in identifying and managing risk; in ensuring that work is not just compliant with minimum standards but delivers safe, healthy and sustainable outcomes in operation; and in supporting wider culture change within the industry so that events as seen at Grenfell Tower cannot happen again,” notes the paper.

Consultation considers the following areas

• evaluating how and why expectations from members, industry, society and government have changed;
• the need to develop and adopt more effective approaches to assessing, managing, maintaining and revalidating professional competence over time;
• the role of professional bodies in delivering authoritative guidance and a body of knowledge to the industry;
• evaluating the contribution professional bodies could offer in setting standards for organisational capability to ensure a working environment that incentivises professional behaviour and competence;
• how governance of professional bodies may need to change to ensure the interests of those outside of professional institutions are given due weight in acting in the wider public interest;
• reviewing the leadership role and model for senior individuals in governance and executive roles within professional bodies to ensure ethical considerations are prioritised and standards are enforced in the same way that they are for members and other professionals; and
• the role of government in ensuring that there is an appropriate balance between the expectation of high professional standards and the need for requirements or incentives for clients to choose to use those services over those of non-professionals.

“The outcome that we collectively seek is a shift in professional practice that re-balances these public interests with underlying economic imperatives and pressures.”

To ensure that all professional bodies, including CABE, strengthen and modernise aspects of their activities so that they continue to reflect best practice and maintain government, industry and society’s confidence, the consultation considers several important points (see box above).

Supported with a foreword provided by Dame Judith Hackitt, the publication comes with a 10–15-minute survey that seeks views from both members and non-members on the roadmap contained within the paper.

To ensure that all professionals are equipped to meet the highest expectations of competence, accountability and ethical robustness, CABE welcomes contributions to its consultation from all members, peers, industry partners, representatives from government and regulators, clients, residents and members of the public.

“This paper has been developed with the full endorsement and support of the CABE Board − professionals whom you, as CABE members, elected to represent your interests,” says Zoe Cox, CABE President.

“Their collective expertise and oversight help ensure that the organisation remains guided by the right people in the right roles, working in the best interests of all stakeholders.”

To access Future Professional and to read the proposals outlined in it, visit: https://cbuilde.com/page/futureprofessional
Interested parties have until 17.00 on 16 February 2026 to respond to the consultation at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/C3MP7JP