The Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) has released the second edition of the Procurement of Construction Products: A Guide to Achieving Compliance.
The Guide is aimed at assisting anyone involved in the building industry to ensure the building products they select, buy and install meet Australian building standards.
The Guide fills the gap in credible and accurate information on ‘safety critical’ products, to verify construction product conformance, in order to determine whether or not a product is fit-for-purpose.
The Guide now recognises 34 industry led product accreditation schemes and guidance information across a range of building product categories including reinforcing and structural steel, cementitious materials for concrete, wood products, glazing products, electrical products, fire safety services, plumbing products, insulation products, coating products and building products.
“The Guide highlights the importance to the procurer of understanding the responsibility to determine whether or not a construction product is fit for its intended purpose,” said the APCC Chair, David McHugh, Chief Executive, Department of Infrastructure, Northern Territory.
“Importantly, the compliance and durability of construction products are major risk factors which need to be managed as they impact significantly on the service life and quality of building and construction projects, said Mr McHugh.
“The APCC has worked with over forty building industry and building product groups to update the Guide, originally released in September 2014. This new edition acknowledges that industry is working hard to ensure that the products supplied to builders are fit for purpose,” said APCC Executive Director, Teresa Scott.
“The Guide is also aimed at assisting builders and trade contractors,” said Kristin Brookfield, Chair of the APCC Construction Product Quality Working Group and HIA executive director, building development and environment.
“Knowing the right questions to ask and what to check when products are delivered on site has become an extremely difficult task. This Guide can assist builders to understand how to get the right product for the job,” said Ms Brookfield.
“Choosing quality building products for any building work is important. This Guide also helps manufacturers and suppliers of building products understand how to test their products, correctly label them and provide the right information to show they meet the national building standards,” said Ms Brookfield.
A copy of the Guide is now available online at www.apcc.gov.au.