Wkb adds value to the certificate. The use of certificates for quality assurance

With the upcoming Building Quality Assurance Act (Wkb), risk management measures such as quality schemes become more important. After all, the Wkb requires demonstrated quality of buildings in relation to the building regulations (Building Decree and Building Environment Decree/Bbl). The KOMO certificate offers support to all parties involved: certificate holder, client, builder and quality assurance body. 

With the introduction of the Wkb in 2023 (starting with consequence class 1 buildings), clients will be obliged to engage a quality assurance agency for building projects requiring a permit. This ensures that the building meets the technical rules and records in a statement that the building meets the requirements of the Bbl. For each component whose quality has then already been demonstrated, confidence grows and the risk profile decreases. This saves the quality assurance contractor valuable time for inspection and control, and thus the costs go down. KOMO certificates also allow builders to manage their burden of proof for quality.

Builder's liability

The most important change in the Civil Code and the introduction of the Wkb is the shifting of the burden of proof. In the future, the builder will be liable for defects that were not discovered upon completion, even if the client could have discovered them. For this, he will have to hand over a consumer file to the client in which he proves that he delivered the required quality. "KOMO certificates can help him enormously with this," says Erik-Jan de Bont of KOMO. "Certificates are now of interest not only to certificate holders, but equally to quality assurance companies and builders. For the client, who pays the quality assurance company, quality becomes demonstrable with certificates. The better the quality is demonstrable in advance, the lower the cost of quality assurance." 

Prevention of construction errors

The KOMO Instrument for Quality Assurance (KiK) facilitates this reliable assurance for the entire construction sector. The assurance includes detailed documentation, which establishes the burden of proof, and a risk analysis with control measures for risk reduction. This creates a solid file for the builder in connection with his liability. In addition, the KiK tool generates the mandatory files for competent authorities and consumers. A special feature of the tool is the ability to interact with the builder's data management system. "Many construction errors stem from the incorrect application of materials and building products," De Bont explains. "KOMO links the suitability of a building product for a particular application to strict application conditions and assesses whether the processor has complied with them. This also reduces risks."

Quality control from product to entire building

The law states that the quality assurance officer must issue a statement that there is justified confidence that the finished structure meets the requirements. "In effect, this means looking at the quality of the products used, their assembly and the end result, or in other words, the structure," De Bont clarifies. With KOMO quality declarations/certificates, this entire process can be covered:

• KOMO product certificate;
• KOMO certificate for the performance of a product in its application;
• KOMO attest-with product certificate, a combination of a product certificate with an attestation;
• KOMO process certificate (for realization processes).