Last autumn, a new construction product code celebrated the first construction products in the UK to achieve verification. A variety of manufactured construction products, materials and systems achieved Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) verification, including for example DriTherm glass mineral wool cavity slabs from Knauf Insulation, resin injection mortar from VJ Technology and Tenmat’s CavGuard MSC cavity guard.
At the time, Amanda Long, CCPI chief executive officer, said: “The CCPI assessment and verification is a robust process looking not just at the product set information for verification but also the company culture and management systems to support a high standard of product information management.”
In December, the Construction Leadership Council publicly backed the scheme. It said: “We encourage manufacturers to adopt the code, which provides an independent verification process to assesses the accuracy and clarity of the information provided about products or systems, including that any claims made are supported by relevant evidence from certification and testing bodies.
“Whilst the CCPI does not test or verify the safety or performance of products, anyone specifying, using or installing products and systems that have achieved CCPI verification can rely on the information provided, which will also help to ensure compliance with new product safety rules.”
The code – developed by the Construction Products Association’s Marketing Integrity Group following consultation – has been built on the principle that product information must be clear, accurate, up-to-date, accessible and unambiguous, says CCPI. In fact there are 11 clauses covering critical aspects from responsibility for product information to proof of stated claims (see also www.is.gd/uhaduz).
An independent validation process underpins the code and is administered by a not-for-profit organisation Construction Product Information Ltd. The validation process has five steps: leadership & culture survey, management systems questionnaire, organisation assessment, product set submission and product set verification. Manufacturers pay an initial organisation assessment fee plus verification fees based on the number of products or systems submitted, although there is no cost to those requesting the information.
Last month, CCPI reported that some 48 companies were either already through or in process for the CCPI organisational assessment, and approximately 46 product sets (amounting to some 700 products) either verified or in process of verification.
CCPI has expanded the product scheme by introducing a supporters’ element for construction contractors sign a pledge to work with their strategic suppliers and manufacturers to drive CCPI conformance and raise standards in the industry. The pledge includes a focus that CCPI conformance will be delivered as soon as possible or by December 2026 at the latest.
BSI IDENTIFY
A similar scheme, also launched in 2021, and also supported by CPA, is BSI Identify. This focuses more on maintaining product information long-term. According to scheme documentation, BSI Identify harnesses digital object identifier (DOI) technology to deliver a unique, constant, and interoperable identifier, called a BSI UPIN. It can be assigned to products to help UK manufacturers to directly manage information about their products in the supply chain.
The UPIN directs users, via a URL or a QR code, to a free, enduring and searchable registry where users can access all relevant product information, controlled by the manufacturer.
Officially, BSI Identify uses the DOI system and infrastructure to create and manage UPIN IDs for construction products as a registration agency and a member of the International DOI Foundation, the registration authority for the DOI underpinning standard, ISO 26324, which is responsible for governing and managing the system.
Dan Rossiter, sector lead for built environment digital transformation standards at BSI said: “It should have a transformative effect on how product information is exchanged by providing a robust and permanent solution for product traceability and information accountability.”
BSI says that as the identifier has a long-term association with a product, it will survive product discontinuations and other events and allow users to get what is known about a product long after the product is fabricated, installed, operated or even decommissioned. This is particularly difficult within the built environment, due to operational timelines often measured in decades.
“Over time, product information is amended and updated, products are discontinued and replaced, and manufacturers cease to trade. This means that it is, at best, difficult to identify and locate required product information and then to be certain that it is current and reliable.
“The BSI Identify registry is designed with persistence at its heart, meaning that users of products will be able to access the information they require throughout the life of an asset even if the manufacturer is no longer in place to provide it,” says BSI Identify.
The system helps prevent broken links to product information by monitoring links daily, including functionality to update addresses, and holding a long-term document archives storing copies of product information if the manufacturer is unwilling or unable to do so. Also, it flags up obsolete products on the product records and includes a link to the nearest product. (BSI Identify is not intended to be used for marketing: there are no prices or retailers listed.)
To participate, suppliers pay a yearly subscription fee based on their sales turnover. UPINs are free to use for architects and specifiers.
BOX: BUILDING PARTS LISTS
Construction materials retailer Travis Perkins has launched a digital construction planning tool, paired with materials pricing.
WholeHouse is said to enable the entire process of creating a new home, producing a full set of drawings, up to 200 pages of construction details and a full bill of all the items necessary for the build (linked to BSI Identify UPIN codes).
Designs can be adapted and tailored to customers’ preferences.
The system uses the BIM process to develop house designs through 3D visualisation linked to live and accurate materials pricing.
Lee Jackson, director of WholeHouse, said the system simplifies the traditionally complex process of planning, costing and building new homes. WholeHouse is aimed at regional builders creating up to 200 homes a year.