Pre-construction information
Who prepares the pre-construction information?
Short answer
The duty to provide pre-construction information sits with the client, under regulation 4(4) of CDM 2015. On a project with more than one contractor the principal designer must assist the client in bringing it together and must provide it to the designers and contractors who need it, under regulation 11(6). On a domestic project, regulation 7(1) moves the client's regulation 4 duties to the principal contractor, or to the principal designer where they have agreed in writing to take them.
Who does what
| Party | What they do |
|---|---|
| Client | Holds the duty. Provides what they have, commissions what is needed to fill gaps, and gets it to designers and contractors as soon as is practicable |
| Principal designer | Assists the client: assesses whether existing information has significant gaps, helps get them filled, and provides the information in a convenient form to everyone who needs it |
| Designers | Provide information about the risks their designs leave behind, under regulation 9(3), and take account of the pre-construction information in their own design |
| Principal contractor | No specific duty in relation to pre-construction information, but must liaise with the principal designer and share what is relevant |
| Contractors | No specific duty either, but must cooperate to make sure the information is right |
Those last two rows come straight from HSE's guidance, and they surprise people. Contractors are consumers of the pre-construction information, not authors of it.
On a single contractor project
There is no principal designer, so there is nobody to assist. HSE guidance is direct: on single contractor projects it is the client's responsibility alone, although they should liaise with the contractor and any designer they appoint to provide whatever information is needed.
What assist actually means
HSE guidance describes it as a three step job. Soon after appointment the principal designer should be given whatever the client already holds. Then the principal designer helps the client assess whether that information has significant gaps, and take reasonable steps to fill them, for example by commissioning surveys. Then, as far as it is within their control, the principal designer works with the client to provide the information in a convenient form and as soon as is practicable.
In other words: gather, gap check, get it out. That is the whole job, and doing it properly is mostly about asking the right person the right question rather than about writing.
How ClearCDM does it
Different structured forms for different parties, so nobody is asked for information somebody else holds. One site visit. One project record with the gaps named and owned. Then a person writes the pack. The process in detail.
Sources
- CDM 2015, regulation 4: client duties in relation to managing projects legislation.gov.uk
- CDM 2015, regulation 7: application to domestic clients legislation.gov.uk
- CDM 2015, regulation 9: duties of designers legislation.gov.uk
- CDM 2015, regulation 11: duties of a principal designer legislation.gov.uk
- Managing health and safety in construction, L153 HSE guidance on the Regulations
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