New Builder Award aimed at raising quality

For Immediate Release

21 November, 2005

New Builder Award aimed at raising quality.

A national initiative that for the first time gives consumers a national benchmark which to measure the quality of building skills on offer has been announced by the Certified Builders Association of New Zealand.

The measure will come from the comprehensive range of trade, business and communication assessments of builders, developed as part of the Association’s PlaceMakers Builder of the Year Awards which were officially launched today.

Certified Builders Association Awards coordinator, Angerie van Wyk said the Awards programme has been developed to deliver more than just greater public recognition of the trade skills of Certified builders.

“This is about lifting the bar on quality and industry professionalism across the board,” she said.

That aspect alone has seen the Builder of the Year Awards attract endorsement from the Housing Ministry and gain support from the country’s largest building materials supplier and sponsor, PlaceMakers.

Trade skill will only be one element “tested” through the Awards programme, with industry, technical and product knowledge, decision-making, financial and business management, customer communication, reliability and ultimately the delivery of both quality and value to the customer all coming under scrutiny and all contributing to an overall national benchmark.

“In this respect, this programme is unique in measuring and evaluating what goes into the process of building a building and meeting customer needs consistently, rather than just a dollar-based single project,” Angerie van Wyk said.

“As such, consumer confidence to make an informed decision about a builder and building quality will be underpinned by the fact that all aspects of a builder’s business practice and performance will be able to be measured against a national quality benchmark.”

She says that the Builder of the Year Awards programme will serve to encourage others to reach the same high standards of business and building conduct being achieved annually by the title winners, and will become an even stronger reason for consumers to deal with those who carry the Certified Builder brand.

A call for entries for the inaugural Awards opened at the launch today, and expert judging and evaluation will take place between February and March next year.

Under examination will be all aspects of a Certified builder’s business performance and technical skill including levels of customer care, communication and satisfaction, levels of professionalism, trade practice, technical and product knowledge, site and safety conduct and quality assurance.

Awards winners will be announced at the Certified Builders Association annual national conference in May.

ENDS

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