Making Part L compliance easier – Answering your software platform questions

Would you ignore an opportunity to achieve project completion faster?

If there was a way to help save time and potentially swerve costly reworks as part of Part L compliance – it would surely be worth looking at?

The uplifted Part L of Regulation 40 now makes it mandatory for photographic evidence and housing plot data to be collected, categorised, stored and shared, so assessors can sign off building work for EPC ratings and the BREL report and plot completion. To neglect or omit these requirements can be costly and timely to the housebuilder or developer and may mean work has to be deconstructed and retrofitted.

You and your team maybe managing those extra demands currently and if you were to implement a new solution into your processes to make this easier, it would have to adapt to your needs.

Sector-specific templates. A clear dashboard. Easy collaboration. A single platform where all data and information can be easily captured, stored and accessed, especially photographic evidence— is key. A platform that wraps up everything that you and the SAP assessor needs for your EPCs and BREL Report.

We’ve listened to our clients, we’ve developed an answer, and here’s a list of questions you might need answering before considering a new software solution.

How do I easily implement a new solution into my project?

You and your team have a tried and tested way of doing things – but the updated Part L of Regulation 40 has added to your long list of responsibilities. Part L requires digital, time and location stamped, photographic evidence. That data needs to be collected and shared with an SAP assessor.

Your project also has many people possibly using multiple devices to collect that data. Keeping a lid on things and ensuring all the right data is not only collected but is of sufficient quality – is difficult.

And the fallout from failing to manage this properly could be costly reworks that incur heavy delays.

But it isn’t as simple as adding a new tool into the mix and expecting everyone to adapt.

There are different levels of technology experience to consider.

That’s why, when you work with us, not only do we provide a tailor-made solution for Part L, our in-house implementation and training team work with you to set out a learning plan that slots into your project timeline. Existing business processes are complemented with our configurable solution, working seamlessly alongside your existing Quality Management procedures.

And it gives everyone the knowledge to use the tool so you can start to see the benefits quickly. Everyone on the team, at the same level, using the same platform. It isn’t too good to be true – it’s more about choosing the right solution.

How do I manage multiple data streams? We provide a single platform with a plethora of uses

You’ve got your team and you’ve got your supply chain, multiple site managers and stakeholders. It’s next to impossible to monitor the quality and masses of data that is acquired.

Then there are a multitude of devices used and software to consider too.

For successful Part L compliance, all that data needs to meet standards and be instantly sharable with an SAP assessor.

How do you keep track of what needs to be done, and done correctly? Without the right process, it could result in time lost as you frantically attempt to gather and check all the data before you pass it on to the assessor.

You’ll need an audit trail. You’ll also want a user-friendly dashboard that displays the relevant data and what other milestones are still to be met – so you can overcome obstacles and bottlenecks before they become delays. A template that is built specifically for Part L would also remove any standardisation issues too.

Our single, configurable platform ticks those boxes. And our flexible software (which can be integrated with multiple existing solutions) starts to set the tone for your own Golden Thread of information, storing your data and giving you the single source of truth your project is crying out for.

Why should I change? Don’t tools like SharePoint give me what we need?

You might be using SharePoint right now. And it may well act as a storage hub for your data, but does it capture photo evidence, with additional geo-tagging and time stamps – a critical part of Part L compliance?

Tools like this aren’t specifically built for the construction sector or to address regulatory requirements like Part L. You cannot include SAP assessors into your workflow and track the approval process for each individual photo. You will also need additional software and tools – as well as extra cost – to acquire your EPC and BREL compliance report. Your project data will be disjointed as it passes through different systems and standardisations – compromising the validity of your data.

Digital data storage tools are also not dedicated, cloud and field platforms. That means you can’t complete your evidence collection happy in the knowledge that even if the data connection drops out, the information will still be uploaded to a secure, single location – visible to everyone in the team.

The biggest difference between settling for ‘something’ and opting for a sector-specific solution?

Time.

You’ll never have to fill in data blanks with our templates that are built with your projects and regulations in mind. Auto-filled templates that you can work through, offering you the assurance that you will be capturing every essential piece of data necessary for compliance provides peace of mind.

Sharing your photographic evidence is simple too. You can send a consolidated set of requested images by ensuring the Plot information is captured in the metadata (something our templates already include in our Reg 40 template form), and the platform does the rest.

Digital data storage tools may well be collecting your data but it is part of a multi-tool approach, rather than a single source of truth with Zutec – your data, your project and your team deserve better.

My existing quality management software can be reworked to capture this – why Zutec?

Our Reg 40 Part L solution is specifically tailored to this need, including a pre-configured template which aligns with the data structure of the BREL report. It was designed in partnership with other Housebuilders, including Taylor Wimpey and SAP Assessors – hence we have taken away the need to think how to set this up. The Zutec Part L solution is ready-to-go and quick to implement, helping to speed up your ROI.

In addition, the Zutec platform is fully configurable, simplifying any changes required to make the template work in your business.

How do we know your template is good enough to meet the requirements?

This is new legislation, so no one in the industry knows for sure what exactly will be required. However, we are confident that our template is a good start point, given that it was designed alongside some of our customers, and has been “battle tested” with members of the SAP Assessor community.

Given this is new legislation, no one in the industry knows for sure the impact that this requirement will have. However, we have been in dialogue with a number of SAP Assessors about how they intend to manage the photo sign-offs, and as a result, the template is designed to be simple to use and flexible, and has them in mind too.

You have the option to include the SAP Assessors in a workflow, so they’re automatically sent any photos you choose to release, giving you a mechanism to track the status of each photo through the approval process. This can be reinforced through notifications, for example, a daily summary of all photos to be approved is automatically sent to the individual SAP Assessor via email.

It also means photos can be sent to SAP assessors at any time, which means site managers can submit photos as they are captured, so evidence can be approved or sent back with feedback. If the work is not up to standard it can be remediated before the build completes.  If there are gaps in the evidence, it can be collected before completion. This speeds up the process, ahead of the EPC and the BREL report being released.

Don’t settle for sufficient – get the platform that protects your time and investment

Housebuilders and developers are pushing Part L compliance to the top of their priorities for good reason. A failed SAP assessment means – in the simplest terms – uncompleted projects and shrinking profit margins—as well as damaging the trust you have with your clients. Your EPC and BREL Report hinge on clear delivery of auditable data.

By providing a user-friendly platform for that data, you give your team the ability to trace all aspects of your project and avoid costly rework. Our dashboard displays all Plot data, empowering everyone to keep track of the project. You can report across multiple projects and regions. It gives you the flexibility to report down to individual Plots – or a collective progress across every single one of your builds.

With extensive training and consultation for your team to ensure adoption is rapid, your work toward project completion won’t be hampered with chasing up the supply chain for data or even worse – inadequate Reg 40 image evidence.

Get a platform built for purpose – handle your data securely, share it quickly and display it clearly.

See why the construction sector leaders are choosing Zutec