The Benefits of Using a Third Party CQA Consultant

A Useful Tip for Building A House

Let us start by undertaking a thought experiment. Imagine for a moment that you had enough money to build your ideal home, easy enough right? Now try to imagine acquiring the land, approvals, design documentation, materials, equipment, construction personnel and so forth to complete the build. You quickly realise how complicated it becomes, unless of course you are a construction veteran. It’s hard enough listing all the intricacies involved in building your ideal home, so how can you be sure that it will be built to the quality you desire?

One way is through Construction Quality Assurance (CQA). A concept in construction that can provide an inexperienced (or otherwise busy) client the peace of mind that the project will be built to the quality desired, without incident and on time. CQA works best through using a suitably qualified third-party consultant that has no affiliation with the Contractor. Why is that? Accountability and ethics.

This might surprise you, (or come as no surprise to some) but even some of the most reputable Contractors can cut corners and hide defects. This is because there is often a monetary incentive to be dishonest and if the client is inexperienced, how will they ever know? This is why an experienced third party CQA consultant is important – to hold the Contractor accountable and to ensure the job is done correctly. Sometimes just the presence of a third-party CQA consultant is enough to keep a Contractor honest. Even if the Contractor is the most ethical Contractor in the business, an additional set of experienced eyes on a construction project is always beneficial.

Cost is always the deterrent for a client to hire a third-party CQA consultant, but it’s important to consider the benefits. Undertaking CQA provides value to the client through preventing additional costs for repairs, reworks and project delays. Not to mention the additional health & safety, environmental and construction advice they can provide. After all, why wouldn’t you want your new home built to the highest standard possible?