The Australasian Procurement and Construction Council (APCC) have released the second edition of their industry guide to products that meet Australian building standards.

Procurement of Construction Products: A Guide to Achieving Compliance is designed to assist building industry professionals with procurement and ensure that the building products they select, buy and install meet Australian building standards. The Guide is a credible and accurate information resource on ‘safety critical’ products, helping builders and specifiers verify construction product conformance to determine whether or not a product is fit-for-purpose.

The Guide currently recognises 34 industry-led product accreditation schemes and guidance information across a range of building product categories including reinforcing and structural steel, cementitious materials for concrete, wood products, glazing products, electrical products, fire safety services, plumbing products, insulation products and coating products among many more.

The Guide helps procurers understand the importance of verifying whether or not a construction product is fit for its intended purpose, says APCC Chair, David McHugh, Chief Executive, Department of Infrastructure, Northern Territory.

According to McHugh, the compliance and durability of construction products are major risk factors, which need to be managed as they impact significantly on the service life and quality of building and construction projects.

APCC Executive Director, Teresa Scott commented that the APCC worked with over forty building industry and building product groups to update the Guide, which was first released in September 2014.

Kristin Brookfield, Chair of the APCC Construction Product Quality Working Group and HIA executive director, building development and environment, says the Guide is also aimed at assisting builders and trade contractors. She explained that it has become extremely difficult for builders to know the right questions to ask and what to check when products are delivered on site; the Guide can assist them in understanding how to get the right product for the job.

Brookfield adds that the Guide also helps manufacturers and suppliers of building products understand how to test their products, correctly label them and provide the right information to show they meet the national building standards.

A free copy of the Guide is now available here, or online on the APCC website.