National BCA competency assessment system

Last updated: 28 July 2017

If you are a building official, you should be aware of the national competency assessment system that ensures officials have building controls skills and knowledge relevant for certain building types.

The national competency assessment system is a framework building consent authorities (BCAs) can use to assess their technical building control staff.

The framework consists of a national set of performance indicators and specifications that define what competency is in the building control context.

The system was developed by a Sector Advisory Group set up to create evaluation criteria, consider framework documents and make recommendations to us. The Sector Advisory Group also ensured steps in the framework were based on critical technical criteria.

How the system works

The national system doesn’t focus primarily on building types or categories but on the human competency levels required to undertake building assessment work.

There are six competency levels. They are divided into three residential levels and three commercial levels. The framework provides for building control staff to have current knowledge and competencies appropriate to the type of work they are undertaking.

The levels are based on the complexity of the elements that make up the building and the competencies required to undertake the work. The levels are not sequential, they simply reflect the work being undertaken by the BCA.

This information is published by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Chief Executive. It is a general guide only and, if used, does not relieve any person of the obligation to consider any matter to which the information relates according to the circumstances of the particular case. Expert advice may be required in specific circumstances. Where this information relates to assisting people: