F.A.Q.
Find your answers by browsing our most frequently asked questions
General Questions
Is the contractor / builder responsible for the building until demolition with the new environmental law coming into effect?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - No, the builder is responsible for ensuring that what has been applied for complies with the Building Decree. Some mainly constructive requirements apply for e.g. 50 years, but the builder is not fully responsible until demolition.
In principle, the client is responsible for quality assurance, but will often place the assurance with the builder. Is that right? Suppose the client only has a Casco installed by the contractor, and coordinates the completion itself. Do they then have to contract a new guarantor for the completion? Can the contractor then issue a certificate for the hull only?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - Since the client is a permit holder, the same guarantor can also assess the finishing work as part of his work. Only a certificate (declaration) for the hull is not possible, but you can agree on the demarcation in good consultation. NB. The statement can then only be submitted to the municipality after the finishing work has taken place.
How can you contribute to the Quality Assurance Act as a supplier?
Robert Greidanus - With the help of Ed Controls you can add information yourself by attaching the correct documentation to the tickets. So you can hang the product certificates on a position on a drawing (for example the facade). The contractor can request this from the suppliers, but the supplier can also share this with the contractor. Suppliers of building materials can provide the contractor and quality assurance officer with, among other things, KOMO certificates, TNO Certificates, KIWA Certificates, CE Markings, DOP Statements or TUV Certificates.
Can Ed Controls only link with a Woningborg questionnaire or also with all other instruments?
Robert Greidanus - An automated link is available with Woningborg. With our templates in the audit module you can also fill in the other instruments, but this is not automated. So you always have to check whether the questionnaire also meets the requirements. You do this at the front of the process by thinking about the content of your inspection plan and based on frequency.
Is Woningborg also BRL 5019 certified?
No, Woningborg has its own system that has been approved by the TLoKB (WKI).
Does Ed Controls also help to record/draw up the competent authority file?
The competent authority file includes all phases of the construction project and relates to safety (structural and fire safety, among other things). This is really about demonstrating that the structure meets all (quality) requirements of the Building Decree. You can do this by means of the inspections and checks that you can record with the ticket module and the audit module.
How does the architect actively contribute to quality assurance compared to current construction methods?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - The architect can become a recognized quality assurance officer, but may not guarantee his/her own work. Peer reviews as a testing architect are possible from a role as an 'external guarantor'.
What requirements must the documentation of the completed file meet? Think of explorer folders. Digital systems like Ed Controls are great, how can this be exported for the future? How long do you keep this data, what is required?
Based on the templates, you can export all associated audits for that topic. And put it in a ZIP file. You can also select the tickets based on a label and export them, for example "Wkb Reinforcement" and then you have a report in one go.
To what extent are KOMO product certificates important for a construction company?
A KOMO certificate is proof of quality for the guarantor.
What are the costs of becoming a quality assurance officer? How much are the differences per instrument provider?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - This strongly depends on the (type of) project and you can find out by requesting specific quotes.
I have spoken to several contractors regarding the WKb who are running pilot projects. I am told that some parties (contractors) take pictures of what is already good and not of the bad ones. This is actually circumventing the law, how can the quality assurance officer monitor this closely?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - It is important to safeguard that which is good in a smart way, especially if it is no longer visible in the final phase. If you come across issues that are not (yet) satisfactory, it is also smart to notice and resolve them using the same system. You don't get around the law that way. It is the responsibility of the recognized quality assurance officer to determine that all parts of the BB are met.
How do you deal with processing instructions / requirements with regard to guarantees?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - A guarantee can be part of meeting the legal requirement. So these contribute to lowering risk and that usually leads to a less strict inspection regime on the construction site.
Are there costs associated with a guarantor or do clients "get" a guarantor?
The municipalities are busy (some have already arranged this) that a discount will be given on the building fees.
Does the quality assurance officer check whether a product meets the CE certification with regard to the European Products Regulation and, among other things, the associated declaration of performance?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - If that is necessary in the context of a BB department, yes, but that does not apply to all CE-certified products that are used and that also strongly depends on the risk.
How compatible is Ed Controls with other software packages, are the various stakeholders forced to make certain software choices or do they have to purchase multiple software packages for the various clients?
Ed Controls is compatible with a number of document management systems and with KYP for planning. There are indeed several providers in this field. We think we can offer a user-friendly tool with Ed Controls.
Which employee can best carry out the checks within the organization with regard to the Wkb?
If you let this process be part of the entire team, the project leader, work preparation and the foreman can play a role in this. The content and frequency of the inspections are considered in advance. The WV sets it up and the executor carries it out and records it.
How do you ensure support within your organization with regard to the extra tasks that come on top of the existing activities due to the Wkb?
Make it a joint responsibility and ask how quality is now being monitored. Then Ed Controls helps you because you don't have to keep up with all kinds of lists and make calls. It is actually facilitated to tackle it together. And as a company you also earn money by saving costs in the longer term.
As a building specifications expert, do I have to arrange / include something extra in a STABU project specification with regard to the Wkb? How important is/will the project specifications be with regard to the Wkb?
Jan Pieter van Dalen - Compliance with the Building Decree is normative. In principle, extra rules in the STABU project specifications do not add anything to this. However, it is best to arrange the inspection items at NLSfB or STABU level and the specifications naturally contain the starting point for testing the requirement. Only more important is whether it was made that way in the work!
If the guarantor has to be there at the initiation phase before the contractor is in the picture, then the costs are borne by the client and not by the builder, right? Or will the guarantor later be "shuffled" with the contractor?
The applicant pays the guarantor. The costs are borne by the permit applicant, usually the client. This is also sensible in the context of independence.
What does the Ed Controls tool mean with regard to testing against permit conditions?
When your project is in progress, there are things that are included in the permit. With Ed Controls you can then make it visual by using the ticket module, for example.