Drive Compliance & Unify Design Risk Management

By

Nicholas Dunbar

Reviewed by 

Zoe Mullan

Last Updated Sep 11, 2026

By

Nicholas Dunbar

Reviewed By

Zoe Mullan

Commercial margins are often tight during the preconstruction phase. Main contractors and design leads carry significant responsibility for statutory compliance before a single spade hits the ground, and getting this wrong can lead to delayed handovers and liquidated damages (LDs). 

Project teams must coordinate complex health and safety requirements while navigating shifting legal liabilities across the asset life cycle. Success therefore depends on abandoning fragmented communication in favour of a unified, data-driven approach to design risk management.

Manage Statutory Regimes: CDM 2015 vs BSA 2022

Clarity matters here. When teams confuse their duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 with the newer Building Safety Act 2022, they expose themselves to severe legal repercussions. The introduction of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) means complete clarity is essential on where one regime ends and the other begins, particularly when dealing with Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs). 

Track Variations with Unified Intelligence

Navigating this dual-role framework requires a meticulous approach to liability boundaries. A design change on site can instantly alter risk profiles, crossing the threshold from a CDM issue into a BSA compliance failure. Consequently, these shifts must be tracked dynamically.

Siloed folder structures can struggle to keep up with the pace of modern site variations. Procore AI transforms fragmented project data into a unified intelligence layer. By connecting this information, lines of responsibility remain distinct, while the data management spanning both regimes becomes completely integrated.

Follow the Preconstruction Duty Checklist

Managing the preconstruction phase requires more than acknowledging statutory duties; it demands consistent, careful execution. Slipping up compromises the entire programme and creates administrative chaos during handover to the Principal Accountable Person (PAP). Site teams depend on this foundational data's accuracy to maintain safe working environments.

• Assemble critical data: Systematically gather Preconstruction Information (PCI) early in the tendering process.
• Align consultant output: Coordinate design risk evaluations across all consultants.
• Apply foundational principles: Review safety design options using the General Principles of Prevention.
• Track emerging hazards: Update the project risk register dynamically as the site evolves.

Verify Competency Metrics Under PAS 8671

Sub-consultant pre-qualification is a massive commercial blind spot. Relying on past relationships or generic company profiles is no longer a viable defence. Main contractors must rigorously evaluate the Principal Designer's competence against the Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours (SKEB) framework before formal appointment. For this role, PAS 86711:2022 sets the specific standard. 

Failing to verify these metrics exposes the main contractor to significant risk and Professional Indemnity Insurance (PII) gaps if a structural defect emerges later in the programme. To protect commercial margins and ensure compliance, project leaders need immediate access to verified accreditation data and insurance certificates tied directly to the relevant tender packages.

Protect the Golden Thread with Digital Trails

Gaps in the information trail create real risk for the project. Paper drawings and standalone spreadsheets are commercial liabilities that break the continuity required for the Golden Thread of information. If an inspector requests an audit trail, scrambling through fragmented archives delays practical completion, triggering compensation events under New Engineering Contract (NEC) or LDs under Joint Contracts Tribunal (JCT) forms .

Complete control over project data is therefore essential. Using analytical frameworks driven by Procore's Datagrid, site teams can maintain automated audit logs and version controls aligned with BS EN ISO 19650 standards. Pinning quality assurance checklists, inspection records, and time-stamped photos directly to digital 2D drawings creates a robust audit trail.

Every variation is instantly documented, tracked, and accessible to the PAP. This level of connected data management reduces rework, helps protect the main contractor from unwarranted claims, and turns raw site data into a strong legal defence.

Written by

Nicholas Dunbar

Content Manager | Procore

78 articles

Nick Dunbar oversees the creation and management of UK and Ireland educational content at Procore. Previously, he worked as a sustainability writer at the Building Research Establishment and served as a sustainability consultant within the built environment sector. Nick holds degrees in industrial sustainability and environmental sciences and lives in Camden, London.

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Reviewed by

Zoe Mullan

27 articles

Zoe Mullan is an experienced content writer and editor with a background in marketing and communications in the e-learning sector. Zoe holds an MA in English Literature and History from the University of Glasgow and a PGDip in Journalism from the University of Strathclyde and lives in Northern Ireland.

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