Is your BPIR compliance turning out to be more complex than you anticipated?
Are you prepared for the upcoming changes in the New Zealand building industry? From 11th December 2023, the Building Regulation Act 2022 comes into force. This will require affected building products to provide a minimum and consistent level of product information to designers, building consent authorities, tradespeople, and consumers about the supplier and the product or system itself. If you are unsure if your products are affected, click here to find out .
MBIE has provided some examples of how to complete the building product PDF form for the industry. Click here to view example. Your product information does not have to follow this format, but it must include the following baseline information:
- The name of the product or system
- The product system class (Class 1 or Class 2)
- The name of the supplier
- The contact details of the supplier
- The intended use of the product or system
- The performance of the product or system
- The maintenance requirements for the product or system
- The safety warnings for the product or system
This type of product data is now being referred to as Build Product Information Requirements (BPIR) by the industry. The content must be made available and accessible to the public. Product or custom systems are further defined as Class 1 or Class 2 and have slightly different disclosure information requirements. Failing to have this information available to comply could lead to issues with supplying your products to the construction industry or even financial penalties for suppliers.
Class 1 Definition
A class 1 designated building product is a building product that:
- is mass-produced or produced in batches to a general specification; and
- is available for wholesale or retail purchase; and
- is new (not used); and
- used products are excluded via the definitions of class 1 and 2 designated building products (regulations 5 and 6). Anyone using these products should do their own due diligence to ensure they are suitable for the proposed use. Sufficient evidence would need to be supplied to demonstrate Building Code compliance to council as part of the consent application
- when it is used in building work, it may affect whether the building work complies with the Building Code; and
- if there is a possibility that a particular Building Code clause or subclause obligation will be triggered by the use of the product, then this criteria is met
- is not a product of a kind described in regulation 7.
- See Building products not impacted by the regulations (exceptions) in step 1 of the guidance document below for more information.
Examples of class 1 designated building products include (without limitation):
- cladding (eg weatherboards, profiled metal cladding)
- Cladding is often made up of several products that work together as a system.
- If the cladding system meets the criteria listed above, then it is a class 1 product.
- Some customisable cladding systems may meet the criteria for a class 2 product.
- mechanical fixings (eg nails, nail plates, screws, bolts, fasteners)
- insulation products (eg wall, ceiling and floor insulation)
- internal lining products (eg plasterboard, plywood)
- roofing products (eg profiled metal sheet, shingles, membrane roofing)
- structural wood-based products (eg structurally graded timber, laminated veneer lumber)
- structural steel and reinforcing products (eg reinforcing mesh)
- sanitary plumbing and drainage products, including tapware (eg shower mixers, bath spouts, toilets)
- low-pressure laminate and natural or engineered stone benchtops that are mass produced and contribute to compliance with the Building Code. Customised products of this kind may be class 2 designated building products
- fire doors and windows, fire alarms and sprinkler systems, unless these are customised for an individual building design or consumer. This includes products that may be made to customised measurements, for example, where the properties and how the product contributes to code compliance remains the same as specified in the building product’s information
- concrete (eg bagged concrete or mixes where the components and ratios are predetermined)
- flashings, where these are “ready-made” and not customised for an individual building design or consumer
- most timber, even if cut to specific lengths for an individual building design or consumer, as the product’s broad properties, and therefore the building product’s information, will be the same in most cases
- If changing the dimensions of a product changes the way it contributes to building code compliance, then it may be a class 2 product.
What the law says:
Regulation 5 of the regulations prescribes the criteria for what makes a class 1 designated building product.
Class 2 Definition
A class 2 designated building product is a building product that:
- is based on a line of products where each unit is customised to the specification of an individual client; and
- is new (not used); and
- used products are excluded via the definitions of class 1 and 2 designated building products (regulations 5 and 6)
- when used in building work, it may affect whether the building work complies with the Building Code; and
- if there is a possibility that a particular Building Code clause or subclause obligation will be triggered by the use of the product, then this criteria is met
- is not a product of a kind described in regulation 7.
- See Building products not impacted by the regulations (exceptions) in step 1 of the guidance document below for more information.
Examples of class 2 designated building products include (without limitation):
- external window joinery, doors, and skylights that have been customised to the specifications of individual clients (eg specifications on dimensions and glass type)
- customised concrete mixes for a specific building or application
- fire doors and windows (or other specialty doors), fire alarms or sprinkler systems that have been necessarily customised for an individual building design or consumer.
What the law says:
Regulation 6 of the regulations prescribes the criteria for what makes a class 2 designated building product.
Classes as defined by: Guidance: Building Product Information Requirements 2022.PDF
Doing it Yourself vs Partnering Up with Masterspec
Fortunately, many building product suppliers with simple component stand-alone products who already possess reasonable compliance documentation should be able to meet these regulatory requirements by following the information provided by MBIE. However, some products are more complex and need to meet a range of building codes. These are normally those types of products that come as customised systems, otherwise referred to as Class 2 products . With these systems, it is often difficult to determine which parts of the code apply and how your systems can demonstrate compliance to the code. Masterspec can help evaluate your documentation to give you peace of mind when navigating the code with the complexities of your product ranges and systems.
Masterspec, with over three decades of experience in the New Zealand building and construction industry, goes beyond simply ticking the compliance box. Our team of construction industry experts is ready to assist you in meeting your BPIR requirements. We offer this service so businesses can focus on their core competencies and that your products are project ready with your supply chain continuing seamlessly with minimal interruptions, rather than spending time and resources on researching and doing more paperwork. We understand that it isn’t just a compliance issue. It's about making sure you can sleep well through the night in the knowledge that you have the best documentation available for the sector.
Summary: Minimise Risks
With Masterspec as a partner, we can help with your BPIR compliance journey and provide guidance and advice for customised and complex construction systems that will need a level of care and attention to clearly demonstrate your BPIR obligations. Our expertise and decades of experience in preparing product specifications that need to show compliance with the NZ building code will help you review and identify gaps or areas of improvement in your BPIR documentation. We provide tailored recommendations to improve your product documentation, reducing the risk of non-compliance.
A Clear Path to Compliance
Partner with Masterspec, your trusted advisor in the industry, to ensure your BPIR compliance journey is set on the right path. Even if you just want to talk options or advice on how to navigate the changing landscape on product compliance with confidence and peace of mind, contact us today.
Need direction and clarity on BPIR compliance?
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N.B. MBIE has provided a BPIR template as an optional resource for manufacturers. Alternatively, if a manufacturer already has some or all the BPIR information and documentation on their website, they can use their website as a resource for collating the information.
REFERENCES:
- Refer to MBIE’s Building Performance website for full details on what is required.
- Click here for an example showing the information that needs to be provided for Class 1 building products.
- Click here for an example showing the information that needs to be provided for Class 2 building products.
- Guidance: Building Product Information Requirements 2022.PDF