First establish which kind of client you are
A domestic client commissions work on their own home, or a family member's home, outside a business. Commercial clients, including people commissioning work in connection with a business, have different arrangements. The distinction depends on the circumstances of the commission, not simply whether the building looks like a house. [1]
For homeowners, specified client duties are carried out by the sole contractor or, where there are several contractors, the principal contractor or the principal designer under a written agreement with the client. The homeowner still needs to cooperate and provide relevant information. Ask the team to explain which arrangement is being used. [2] [1]
Identify the principal roles
The principal designer coordinates the design work so that the relevant requirements are addressed. The principal contractor coordinates the building work for compliance. Where more than one contractor is involved or reasonably foreseeable, establish the required principal appointments in writing and the responsibilities before the relevant stages begin. Do not assume that whoever uploads an application has automatically accepted every principal duty. [3] [4]
Where a domestic client does not make the relevant appointments, the regulations provide default arrangements involving the designer and contractor in control. It is nevertheless clearer to record the intended roles and scope in writing. This avoids having different people assume that someone else is coordinating the project. [1]
Competence is specific to the work
The required competence concerns skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours, together with organisational capability where relevant. A familiar company name or a previous successful small job does not answer whether the proposed team is suitable for a more complex alteration. Ask for an explanation of experience relevant to the actual structural, fire and services issues. [1]
Keep the two principal-designer roles distinct
Building regulations duties concern compliance of the design and work. Construction health-and-safety duties under CDM are a separate regime, even where the same organisation performs both roles. The appointment should make clear which role or roles have been accepted. [1]
Plan for completion from the outset
Record the client, principal designer and principal contractor details, update them when the team changes, and agree who assembles the completion information. The relevant declarations must be supplied before final certification; treating them as optional paperwork at handover can leave the project unfinished administratively. [5] [3]
A useful project file therefore contains both the technical design and a clear record of who was responsible for coordinating it and delivering the work. [4]