BuildLaw: In Brief Government Procurement Rules 4th edition The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has closed public consultations on the proposed fourth edition of the Government Procurement Rules and is now finalising its advice to go to the Cabinet for approval in May. Proposals include, among other things, that government agencies be required to consider: • broader outcomes beyond simple value for money. These are described as ‘secondary benefits’ and can be environmental, social, economic or cultural; • the skills development and training practices of the supplier and its subcontractors when procuring construction works over $10m as a weighted evaluation criterion; and • standardised construction contracts for public sector procurement.
The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) invites feedback on proposals to reform the building regulatory system. The Government is proposing major changes to New Zealand’s building laws to improve the quality of building work. These are the most significant reforms since the current Building Act was introduced in 2004. This consultation seeks feedback on changes in five areas: building products and methods, risk and liability, occupational regulation, the building levy, and offences, penalties and public notification. Read the proposed changes in full here. Submissions close at 5pm on 16 June 2019.
Report released about Tauranga City Council’s actions related to Bella Vista On 26 March 2019, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) released a review report about Tauranga City Council’s actions relating to the failed Bella Vista development. The review was completed by the Building System Assurance team and included interviews and an in-depth review of the Bella Vista site and similar developments in and around Tauranga. The review examined how the Council performed its functions and exercised its powers under the Building Act 2004 and associated regulations, in order to: • identify how and why the Bella Vista development failed; • establish whether there were similar problems occurring elsewhere in Tauranga at that time; and • consider any measures needed to prevent a similar failure occurring again. The review did not identify a systemic issue with