NEWS ROOM | Press Releases
For immediate release: July 19, 2001
Contact:
Carolyn Fitch
(703) 437-0100
NATIONAL ALLIANCE FOR BUILDING REGULATORY REFORM LAUNCHED - ACTION AGENDA ADOPTED TO BUILD FASTER, BETTER, SAFER, AT LESS COST
Washington, DC - July 19, 2001. Representatives from twenty-five national organizations and governmental agencies involved in the construction process met at the Hall of the States in Washington, D.C. on July 12, 2001, and launched a national regulatory reform initiative. The adopted Vision Statement of the initiative is Ato use information technology to transform the nation=s building regulatory process to enable the construction industry to build faster, better, safer and at less cost.
The project needs statement notes that the regulation of the design and construction of buildings in the United States today is conducted by over 44,000 jurisdictions and is fragmented, uncoordinated, unpredictable leading to unnecessary added costs to construction in this nation. Also lacking are guidance and support for jurisdictions to make effective uses of information technology to improve the consistency and performance of their oversight of construction.
Immediate objectives of this reform project include the development and dissemination of: uniform technical requirements for procurement of hardware and software used in the regulation of the design, construction and operation of buildings; a clearinghouse for all levels of government on available hardware and software used in building regulation; a cost benefit analysis of streamlining the nation=s building regulatory process; case studies of effective streamlining; and identification and elimination of interface problems with other e-government systems.
The national initiative, entitled ABuilding Regulatory Reform in the Digital Age,@ is overseen by a National Alliance comprised of organizations from the construction and information technology communities and governmental entities form all levels of government (local, state and federal). The work agenda for the multi-year project will be managed by a 12-member National Steering Committee and performed by two task forces: the Planning and Coordinating Task Force and the Technology Task Force.
Participating Alliance members will provide each year a minimum level of funding or in-kind services to the project to fulfill its objectives. Organizations and government entities that have either signed on as, or are in the process of considering becoming, Alliance members include: the National Governors Association, National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, American Institute of Architects, National Association of Counties, U.S. Conference of Mayors, National Association of Home Builders, Building Owners and Managers Association, National Institute of Building Sciences, International Code Council, National Fire Protection Association, International Alliance for Interoperability, several states (including the Commonwealths of Pennsylvania and Virginia) and seven federal agencies including the U. S. Department of Commerce=s National Institute for Standards and Technology, U. S. Department of Energy, U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and General Services Administration.
Alliance members will be assisted by Affiliate partners drawn from other public and private sector entities desiring to support regulatory reform using innovative information technology. Among organizations and agencies already committed as Affiliates to the Alliance are: the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), Fairfax County, VA, and the Council for Excellence in Government.
Over the next two months, the Alliance will: assemble its membership, appoint its Steering Committee, hold briefing sessions, and prepare a draft program budget to support its operations. Work sessions for the Alliance=s Steering Committee and Task Forces are being scheduled for August and September.
Copies of the Alliance=s Vision and Needs Statements, Action Agenda, Structure, Preliminary Implementation Plan, list of Alliance Members and Affiliates and background information on this initiative all can be downloaded from the NCSBCS website: www.ncsbcs.org.
Jointly hosted by the National Governors Association and the National Conference of States on Building Codes and Standards, the July 12 meeting brought together a number of the original 44 sponsors and co-sponsors of a National Forum, ABuilding Smarter in the Digital Age@ held in Arlington, Virginia, May 31 - June 1, 2001. The purpose of the July meeting was to finalize a preliminary action agenda, project structure, and work plan generated at the national forum to streamline the building regulatory process through innovative uses of information technology.
For more information visit the NCSBCS Website or contact: Carolyn Fitch or Barbara Divver at NCSBCS (703) 437-0100 or cfitch@ncsbcs.org or bdivver@ncsbcs.org.
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NCSBCS was founded by the nation's governors in 1967 to promote the development of an efficient, cooperative system of building regulations to ensure the health, safety and welfare of the public within the built environment. NCSBCS provides technical support to the National Governors Association under a 21 year old executive branch agreement.
