CIR 07/24 | Periti declarations in support of contractors’ licence applications
Many Periti will have been approached by contractors asking them to sign a declaration confirming their competences in support of their application to receive a licence to operate as contractors.
Schedule I of S.L.623.09 (Construction Industry Licensing Regulations) stipulates that all workers engaged in demolition, excavation or construction should possess specific qualifications in the respective activity “or hold any other qualifications or experience which the Committee considers to be equivalent or a suitable alternative to this qualification”.
While courses in demolition and construction do exist – leading to the masons’ licence – there is no formal qualification for excavation operatives as yet.
Thus, the BCA and Contractors Licensing Committee have approached the Kamra to discuss whether, as an interim measure, we would agree to introducing a system wherein periti would provide a reference confirming the skills of contractors.
It was clear to the Council that without our agreement to such a proposal, the entire industry would seize as very few contractors, if any, would be eligible for a licence without the alternative system being proposed.
The Kamra thus agreed to the concept in principle and proceeded to draft the wording for the eventual declarations published by the BCA.
The wording was crafted to ensure the following:
- The declaration made by periti are limited ONLY to the works execution they have direct experience on.
- Periti employed by or otherwise directly connected to contractors would not be coerced into signing declarations they do not feel comfortable with or which compromise their independence and integrity, and to ensure that they are not placed in a position of conflict of interest.
The statutory requirement is that contractors demonstrate the skills listed in Schedule I (and the forms) in at least three projects over a period of two years.
The Kamra was assured that this is an interim measure and will be replaced with formal training of workers as soon as practicably possible. We are also working on this through the National Building Council, which is a joint-venture between KTP and MDA.
The Council recommends that periti exercise their professional judgement in signing these forms, crossing out any parts they feel are not applicable to their direct experience be upheld. It goes without saying that you should refrain from signing such declarations if your personal experience of the contractor’s work is inadequate.
You are entitled to charge fees for the signing of such declarations.
In case of difficulty, please do not hesitate to contact the Council through our usual channels.
Perit André Pizzuto
President