BuiltReady consultation closed

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has concluded a consultation on its proposed amendments to the BuildReady scheme.

The consultation, which focused on uses of the BuildReady brand and MBIE’s manufacturer’s certificate template, closed on 12 December at 5pm.

MBIE asked builders for feedback on two proposed changes to BuiltReady’s scheme rules:

1. Incorporating the use of the BuiltReady brand for scheme participants.
2. Mandating the use of MBIE’s manufacturer’s certificate template for registered manufacturers.

The consultation results will be of interest to anyone using the BuiltReady scheme, including building consent authorities (BCA), manufacturers of modular components and other users including designers.

Branding option

“MBIE is proposing new scheme rules that set out requirements for how the BuiltReady brand can be used by scheme participants,” said MBIE’s consultation document. “It is proposed that Schedule 1: Use of the BuiltReady brand is added to the scheme rules that sets out the use of the BuiltReady brand including formatting requirements if a scheme participant chooses to use the BuiltReady brand for marketing and advertising purposes.”

Scheme participants are not required to use BuiltReady branding, but the proposed amendments make it clearer as to the expectations MBIE has if participants decide to use the official branding.

Certificate templates

The second part of the consultation focused on manufacturer’s certificates. Under the scheme, registered manufacturers can issue certificates to support building consent applications, which establishes compliance with the Building Code as long as the certificate issued is for a component covered by the manufacturer’s scope of certification.

The consultation document added: “MBIE is proposing that registered manufacturers must use the provided template to ensure consistency and clarity across certificates, which will aid building consent authorities, builders, designers and consumers to identify and understand BuiltReady manufacturer’s certificates. It will also mean that manufacturers have clearer understanding of the requirements for the information that needs to be provided for the modular components that fall within scope of their certification.”

The proposed change is designed to ensure consistency across BuiltReady manufacturer certificates nationwide, and to increase ease of use for BCAs.

Embracing non-traditional methods

BuiltReady was introduced as part of the Building Amendment Act 2021 to enable modular component manufacturers to be certified and registered to design and/or manufacture modular building components that meet Building Code requirements.

The amendment allows the whole prefab process to be assessed and certified, which can lead to reduced inspections and faster building consent applications. MBIE hopes this will reduce cost, barriers and onsite building time.

Builders not on the line

Under Construction has previously reported on the BuiltReady scheme, and received assurances that builders who install modular components would not be held liable for their failure – as long as they were installed correctly.

“BuiltReady certified and registered modular component manufacturers will be liable for any quality issues or defects in the components that they produce,” said Simon Thomas, National Manager Building System Assurance, MBIE. “Manufacturers who choose to participate in BuiltReady will have to meet quality standards and criteria in order to be BuiltReady certified, and demonstrate adequate means to cover any potential civil liabilities that may arise in relation to its modular components.”