FAQ - Code for Construction Product Information

Most frequently asked questions in FAQs:

Q. What is a product set?
Q. What are safety critical products?
Q. How long does the Assessment process take?
Q. How much does it cost?

What is the Code for Construction Product Information?

The Code for Construction Product information (CCPI) is working to raise standards in construction product information and marketing and drive positive culture change in the manufacturing and supply sector in relation to product information and marketing. Ultimately, we seek to move the industry to a place where product information is clear, accurate, accessible, up-to-date and unambiguous.

The CCPI assessment process includes critical mechanisms, such as our Leadership and Culture and ongoing Registration elements, which do not exist elsewhere in the construction sector in assessments for manufacturers and their product information.  These, along with other aspects of CCPI Registration, such as our Issues Portal, provide valuable elements of assessment and on-going engagement to help users and specifiers have more confidence that they are working with manufacturers and suppliers that are committed to continually improving their product information by registering and conforming with the CCPI. Please note, conformance with CCPI is not a guarantee of product information and should never be used as such.

There are two separate Codes – one for Manufacturers and the other for Merchants & Distributors. For Manufacturers there are eleven Clauses of the CCPI (see below for more information) which cover a wide range of matters from responsibility for product information, to clarity of performance claims made, general information and competency.

For Merchants & Distributors there is a four-clause Code of the CCPI (see below for more information) covering a range of responsibilities, including requirements to have audit trails for all product information, documented sign-off process, and have a company policy in place to promote the Manufacturers CCPI to its suppliers.

How does the CCPI work?

An independent and robust assessment process underpins the Code to help to give more confidence in the provision and management of product information and marketing by all stakeholders.

The CCPI assessment process consists of a product safety-related leadership and culture survey, assessment of organisations’ product information management systems, and a trust and approve assessment of specific product set evidence submitted for the eleven clauses that make up the CCPI. Please note the ‘trust and approve’ process is underpinned by the leadership and culture assessment.

As part of the assessment and on-going relationship for organisations with product information carrying the CCPI mark, manufacturers must register with CPI Ltd to undertake the assessment process in relation to their product information and upon successful completion will receive a CCPI assessment mark for their assessed product set. Manufacturers and their assessed product information must remain registered with the CCPI throughout the two years that the mark is displayed. During this time the manufacturer will be obliged, under CPI Ltd Terms and Conditions, to participate in continuous improvement of their product information and marketing in response to: any significant learnings/changes that is the duty of the manufacturer to maintain awareness of related to testing or certification or the standard or classification the product information may relate to, any issues raised by CPI Ltd through our own ongoing product information peer review and random sampling, or any issues raised through the CPI online public ‘Issues Portal’. Please note, conformance with CCPI is not a guarantee of product information and should never be used as such.

The whole process is renewed and re-assessed every two years. This enables organisations to learn and develop through the process. The expectation is that organisations and the quality of their product information and marketing will progress up a cultural maturity curve over time working with CCPI. Thus, participating in a community that is working towards the ultimate aim of moving the industry to a place where product information is clear, accessible, up-to-date, accurate and unambiguous.

What does ‘CCPI registration’ mean?

Manufacturers and their assessed product information must remain registered with the CCPI throughout the two years that the mark is displayed. During this time the manufacturer will be obliged, under our Terms and Conditions, to participate in continuous improvement of their product information and marketing in response to: any significant learnings/changes that is the duty of the manufacturer to maintain awareness of related to testing or certification or the standard or classification the product information may relate to, any issues raised by CPI Ltd through our own ongoing product information peer review and random sampling, or any issues raised through the CPI online public ‘Issues Portal’.

The CCPI assessment process includes critical mechanisms, such as our Leadership and Culture and ongoing Registration elements.  These, along with other aspects of CCPI Registration, such as the CPI Ltd public online Issues Portal, provide valuable elements of assessment and on-going engagement to help users and specifiers have more confidence that they are working with manufacturers and suppliers that are committed to continually improving their product information by registering and conforming with the CCPI. Please note, conformance with CCPI is not a guarantee of product information and should never be used as such.

What qualifies the CPI Assessors?

CPI Assessors undergo a robust recruitment process before being selected. Assessors are self-employed professionals who have a background in other high hazard industries, such as science and/or engineering from a manufacturing, construction, standards or regulatory environment. They have experience of audit, certification and/or assessment processes and have ability to effectively communicate and consult with stakeholders regarding product information management. In addition, whilst they are not individual experts of specific products, they have experience of reviewing product information and marketing for accuracy.

Who can be part of CCPI?

The CCPI is open to any organisation that is involved in the manufacturing or distribution construction products used in the construction of buildings and structures in the UK, whether these are temporary or permanent inclusion.

CCPI also has a Supporter Pledge for clients, users and specifiers of construction products to commit to promoting the use of Assessed products, and thus encouraging the adoption of the Assessment Mark across the sector. Brief details can be found here.

How long do you expect the CCPI Assessment Process to take?

From the CCPI the first wave of registrations in 2023, the average time to complete the whole process for at least one product set is 3 months; however, this will depend entirely on how prepared the manufacturer or distributor is for the assessment process. Some organisations have been successfully completed the assessment process in a matter of weeks.

Those companies with a committed Code Lead who is able to promote completion of the survey and collate the responses to the questions in the Management System Questionnaire and the Product Set Submission(s) have been most efficient in going through the assessment process.

How long is the CCPI Assessment mark valid for (manufacturers)?

The Assessment Mark will be valid for up to two years depending on the timeframes in which product sets are submitted for assessment and assessed as conforming with the relevant clauses of the Code, after a manufacturer has successfully completed and passed through the Organisation Assessment.

In order to maintain your uniquely numbered CCPI Assessment Mark for your product sets you must have a live, ongoing registration. If your registration lapses, then your Product Set Assessment Mark also lapses – in which case you can no longer demonstrate conformance with the Code and must remove the relevant Assessment Mark(s) from your product information. You will then need to start the whole Assessment process from the start when you re-register.

How long is the CCPI Organisation Assessment mark valid for (distributors)?

The Assessment Mark for merchants and distributors is also valid for up to two years depending on the timeframes in which they are assessed as conforming with the relevant clauses of the Code.

Given the lead time between specification, first spade in the ground and client handover can be many years, how does a 2 year time limited “Assessment” support the intended aims?

Please note, conformance with CCPI is not a guarantee of product information and should never be used as such.

CCPI have developed a Supporter Offer which will ask clients, users and specifiers of construction products to commit to promoting the use of Assessed products, and thus encouraging the adoption of the Assessment Mark across the sector. Brief details can be found here.

How much does it cost to sign up to CCPI?

A Registration and Organisation Assessment fee will be charged, valid for two years, based on the registering organisations turnover in the UK.

For manufactuters, on successful completion of the assessment, you will proceed to Product Set Assessment, at which point an assessment fee is charged, valid for up to two years, as above.

There may also be a re-assessment fee charged for any additional assessment time required when the organisations re-submits updated evidence.

See website for more details.

What if you are small subsidiary (micro) of a large European manufacturer, how is the assessment fee decided?

The registration and Organisation Assessment fee will be based on the registering organisations’ turnover in the UK, as CCPI will currently only assess product information for construction products sold in the UK. Please note though that you may be required to include employees from other locations within the scope of your Leadership and Culture Survey, particularly where for instance, your Management System for Product Information is managed elsewhere.

Do you have to pay the initial fee again when you’re ready to do a new product set?

No – the registration and Organisation Assessment Fee is paid on renewal, every two years. There is a fee for each product set submission.

Who runs CPI Ltd?

Construction Product Information Ltd (CPI Ltd) is a not-for-profit organisation set up to administer and provide assessment for CCPI. It is governed by an independent Chair and Non-Executive Directors at arms-length from the industry. The scheme continues to be supported and owned by Construction Products Association.

Does CCPI support the coming Construction Products Competency framework, or vice versa?

The CCPI and the proposed Construction Products Competence (CPC) standard have been designed from the beginning to work in tandem. As such, those who have been developing the CCPI have had input from the CPC white paper development team, and CPI Ltd were intrinsic in the development of the white paper. The CPC standard can be used to aid the demonstration of clause 11 in the CCPI. CPC is intended for both those creating product information, and for those interpreting it. From CPA’s perspective, they are considered the ‘yin and yang’ of appropriate product creation, selection, and use.

What is the process for CCPI Assessment?

CPI Ltd uses an online CCPI Assessment Portal to gather responses from participating organisations to demonstrate how they meet the requirements of the appropriate assessment framework. Each organisation will nominate a Code Lead for the assessment.

The Code Lead is the main point of contact. Clearly the senior management team set the tone on culture, etc. but are not the people/person getting ‘stuff’ done. The Code Lead should be viewed as the project owner who is responsible for ensuring that everyone involved is informed and obtains all the necessary permissions.

The Code Lead oversees the uploading of the necessary information, data, and evidence that shows how the organisation’s product set(s) meet all eleven clauses of the CCPI and remains the key point of contact for CPI Ltd.

The Code Lead must first complete a set of preliminary questions in order to tailor the survey and questionnaires for your organisation. These questions include details of organisation size and structure.

After entering the preliminary information, your organisation can progress through the key steps of the CCPI assessment process – you must successfully achieve all relevant steps to use the licensed mark:

Leadership & Culture Survey
Management Systems Questionnaire
Organisation Assessment
Product Set Submission
Product Set Assessment
On-going Engagement and Registration – which includes obligation to continuous improvement of registered product information

Please note, merchant and distributors only completed steps one to three and step 6.

Do you expect the Code Lead to be a separate person to the person responsible for the product set?

The Code Lead can be the same person as that responsible for the product set, but it doesn’t have to be. Many organisations register and submit multiple product sets so it might be unlikely the Code Lead would be the responsible person for all of them.

What is a product set?

A product set is defined by either:

a group of similar Construction Products fulfilling a common purpose certified to the same standard(s) and in relation to which the same Product Information, or similar Product Information (differing only to reflect the individual sizes, performance levels or characteristics of each Construction Product), is used for all the Construction Products within the group;

a group of dissimilar Construction Products supplied as a system fulfilling a defined function where all products required for the system to function are submitted as part of that set and in relation to which a single set of Product Information is used for all the Construction Products within the group.

Where these are similar products, we would not differentiate them by size or colour (etc.) unless that made a change to the performance of the product.  Therefore, generally products forming a similar purpose with similar performance characteristics would be submitted as one product set.

For example, a grouping of products could be a collection of different plaster boards that are certified to the same standard(s) but are available in different sizes and widths; or a collection of drainage pipes, again certified to the same standard, but available on different lengths, widths and colours. i.e., set of products can be grouped according to a standard, for example BS EN12101-2 / BS EN12010-8 etc.

For product systems, all products that are required for a system to function and are supplied by the manufacturer as part of that product set, must be listed in submission. However, the assessment is made on the performance of the entire system, for example, and not the components that make up the system.

A product system could be a double-glazed window sold with the glazing, frame, seal, hinges and handles included as a system (i.e. sold as a single product), with the individual parts being available only as spares.

CPI acknowledge that identifying what makes up a product set or system might, in some cases, not be clear, so we are happy to have conversations with manufacturers before they register if it is helpful. Please contact equiries@cpicode.org.uk if you would like to discuss your product sets / systems.

Can I assess a product system and the individual products that make up the system?

The assessment approach taken by CPI for submitted products sets for systems is two-fold:

Any performance claims made for the system would be assessed against the test data available (whether it be certification, classification, or independent tests). If the manufacturer only sells the system and does not market the individual components, then no further assessment would be required.
If in addition to marketing the system, the manufacturer also sells the components for other than as spares from within that product set (or other purposes) then the performance claims for these products can also be Assessed in a separate set in an additional submission against test data – which case a separate mark will be issued.

Please note it is wholly the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that full and complete supporting information is provided for assessment and that all information is correct and up-to-date.

Corroboration of product information – are you expecting to gather this data directly from test houses? Or are you trusting the manufacturer to supply the correct information?

We will expect manufacturers to provide all the correct evidence of testing, certification and classification for their submitted products. We will not be directly gathering data from test houses. We will sample the product information and marketing submitted against the evidence provided and any anomalies found may result in the product set being assessed as not conforming with the Code, and thus no assessment mark will be issued.

Please note that CCPI aims to drive positive culture change in relation to product information management and marketing practices across the sector and to build trust in the construction products sector so that there can be greater confidence in product information supplied to users, specifiers, installers and clients. We assess companies’ culture through the Leadership and Culture Survey and Management Systems Questionnaires, as well as through the Product Set Submission.

The independent third-party assessment we provide is based on a ‘trust and approve’ process underpinned by our Leadership and Culture assessment and on-going Registration with the requirement to continuously improve product information and respond to any issues raised regarding registered product information. These issues may arise as a result of development, new information or changes to standards, testing, certification or classification (it is the manufacturers duty to keep abreast of these and inform CPI Ltd).

Issues may also be raised by any member of the public at any time through our CCPI Issues Portal. The Issues Portal invites anyone to raise a concern about product information or marketing in relation to a product with information carrying the CCPI mark. CPI Ltd will then investigate the issue and where appropriate require a change, correction or update to be made to the product information by the manufacturer. As a registered user of the scheme the manufacturer agrees to enter into this process. Furthermore, issues with product information or marketing could also be raised by CPI Ltd as a result of our ongoing random sampling checks and peer review which we conduct throughout the two-year registration of product information carrying the mark.

Thus, we have a number of elements in our registration and assessment processes as well as ongoing monitoring to help us flush out areas of concern that may arise in relation to product information or marketing practices. However, please note, conformance with CCPI is not a guarantee of product information and should never be used as such.

If information is intellectual property e.g. a confidential fire report, is required for evidence, why should it be made publicly available via a web site for assessment?

The intellectual property of any registering organisation remains confidential at all times and will never be published by CPI Ltd. The data submitted is used in the assessment process by the Assessors only, to check that you conform with the relevant clauses of the Code – this data and evidence will be held securely in our Portal and never shared.

Not all performance products have either certification or classification. Is Test evidence e.g. (BS476-22) acceptable?

Yes, evidence that is within the bounds of current regulation is acceptable. Please provide supporting documentation that corroborates all claims that your product information makes in relation to standards or performance. Please see clause 5 for the minimum requirements.

Could you please clarify how the CCPI scheme differs from the mandatory testing, assessment and certification process associated with AVCP 1 construction products whereby products are independently tested, assessed and certified by a state appointed Notified Body?

The CCPI assessment process starts with organisational assessment which looks to measure the maturity of a business in terms of its culture, product information management systems and process before (for manufacturers) assessing product information for specific product sets.

For manufacturers, once the assessment is complete and the company satisfactorily passes the assessment that the organisation is sufficiently structured and efficient to demonstrate that the management of product information and its marketing is front of mind at necessary levels of the business, they will review the product information against the clauses of the CCPI. The Assessor is not duplicating or checking the AVCP work but confirming that the output is correctly represented in the product information and marketing.

Please note that CCPI is a voluntary assessment scheme.

What about products that we buy in to make up our system?

The quality and claims made about any supplied product are often material to the overall performance of a system.  Ideally, a manufacturer who buys in a product to create their system would be buying a product that carries recognised certification or testing regarding its performance, and ultimately a CCPI Assessment Mark.  In support of Clause 7 “The Manufacturer must demonstrate an internal process for reviewing the accuracy of the Product Information against manufactured bought-in-product…” CPI Assessors would seek to understand how this is done by the manufacturer for any bought in product as part of the assessment.

Does the CCPI include a check of how product changes are communicated to customers?

Yes, CCPI Assessment will require you to upload documented details of your change management process to ensure conformance with the Code, with particular regard to clause 7.

What mechanism are you using to define what is a system and what is a product. Is there a convention you are relying on, i.e. is this aligned to Material Passports, Uniclass, IFC, SFG20?

CCPI have provided a definition for manufacturers to use to determine what a product set is for them. We are more than happy to work with manufacturers where a product set is not clear cut. The key point to remember is that the product set should relate directly to how the products are marketed and sold, and how the Product Information is supplied. Sets should also take into account how the products have been tested and the claims that are made.

Please see here for the definition of a product set.

Is there a plan to find a way to link ‘product sets’ to existing product groups or classifications already being used in the sector?

There are no current plans to link product sets to existing groupings, however, when the Code is evaluated and reviewed in 2025, this may fall into the scope of the review at that point.

The key point to remember is that the product set should relate directly to how the products are marketed and sold, and how the Product Information is supplied. Sets should also take into account how the products have been tested and the claims that are made.

Please see here for the definition of a product set.

How much of this is covered by ISO Audits e.g. 9001?

ISO9001 Quality Management accreditation will provide a strong input to the Product Information Management System assessment questionnaire but does not cover the whole of the Management System Questionnaire or relevant clauses. In addition, organisations must complete the Leadership & Culture survey before progressing to product set submission stage.

Does it have to be the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) that puts a product forward or can a distributer/agent submit a product?

For the purposes of CCPI, a manufacturer of construction products includes those that own-brand products produced by others, and importers where they are putting the product on the market in the UK from elsewhere.

The Code for Distributors and Merchants covers those who sell or distribute other organisations construction products.

What are Safety Critical construction products?

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has informally defined Safety Critical construction products as those that “in the view of the Secretary of State any failure of the product would risk causing death or serious injury to any person.

In the interim CPI have defined a Safety Critical construction product as a construction product that has a structural or fire protection function, where if it failed serious harm would result.  These include, for example (list not exhaustive):

structural steelwork
all external cladding systems/materials
roof systems
construction products with a fire suppression and retardation property (i.e. fire doors, but not internal doors without a fire rating), fire stops and intumescent materials

If the Regulator publishes a formal definition of a Safety Critical product, CPI will use this definition. Any product included in the proposed list of Safety Critical products will thus be defined by CPI as Safety Critical for the purposes of Assessment.

Non-Safety Critical are all other construction products, known by CPI as General Construction Products.

NB. The term Safety Critical products should not be confused with the term Safe Products. All construction products should be Safe, as described by the OPSS.

[Definition updated July 2023.]

Is there a limit to the number of products in a set?

CPI uses a recognised sampling methodology to assess product information depending on the number of products in the submitted set(s) or system(s). If multiple product sets are submitted at the same time, the sample size is calculated using the total number of products across all the sets. If the size of the set falls outside of the sampling boundaries then the set will be limited and a further set will be defined.

Will you be considering environmental claims as well?

The short answer is yes, we will be covering environmental claims. The purpose of the Code is to raise standards in product information and marketing, and this relates to all product claims. Please look at the ‘Words and Phrases to Avoid’ document on our website for more detail of the wording we have identified so far that should be avoided or qualified here.

Is there a need for sector specific words and phrases that shouldn’t be used?

CPI see the Trade Associations (TAs)as leading sector specific work but are more than happy to support them in devising guidance. In supporting TAs to develop their own guidance we will also be able to identify more terms that are common across sectors to add to our CCPI’s published list.

Leadership & Culture Survey – how is this distributed, by CCPI or by the manufacturer?

The CCPI Assessment Portal sets the minimum number of valid responses from your submitted number of employees – typically the required number of valid responses is between 30 and 60, or 75% of your employees if you are a very small organisation. The portal also sets the number of responses required from each level of hierarchy and department in your organisation as identified from the preliminary information you supplied. CCPI will select respondents for the survey from a full listing of staff provided by the company. It is important that employees that complete the survey are identified by CPI Ltd and not the organisation.

The Code Lead is required to arrange distribution of the survey via company email using the supplied online link. CPI will supply suggested briefing text which can be adapted to explain the purpose of the survey to the chosen respondents.

Selected respondents use the link in the email to set up a login for them individually.  Once done, the respondent can come back to their responses at a later time if they are unable to complete the survey in one go.

For the Leadership and Culture Survey, as there are different management structures within organisations, how would the system “know” how many people at each level within my organisation?

The Code Lead enters preliminary details about their organisation including the total number of employees, numbers of employees at each level of hierarchy, department, and location. The Portal then uses an algorithm to generate a statistically relevant minimum response rate for the Survey.

Please note, CCPI will identify more respondents for the survey than the minimum response required for the Code Lead or other senior colleague to distribute the link to. This will allow for those who do not respond or submit invalid responses.

See also the question above ‘What is the process for CCPI Assessment?’.

Will you have training slides and other material we could use to train the respondents of the Survey?

We will not be providing training material for the Leadership and Culture Survey as responses should be instinctive perceptions of your organisation. We will however provide some suggested email text for respondents that you can adapt, explaining the purpose of the survey and the link to register for it.

Are there any case studies / people we can talk to who have gone through the process?

There are case studies in the CCPI newsletters, please find these on our website here. If you have questions which aren’t covered in these FAQs, please contact us via email to enquiries@cpicode.org.uk

Our manufacturing staff don’t use systems / information and would know little as to product information – do they have to be included in the scope of the Leadership and Culture Survey?

It is important that the Leadership and Culture Survey go to representative sample of relevant employees. However, CPI recognise that there may be situations where very junior members of staff in manufacturing operations may have little knowledge of products and product information and their role is out of the scope of product information or marketing, and in some cases may not have email addresses. In this case, more senior colleagues in these departments will be selected.

Similarly, we are part of an organisation of 250 employees, however only 1/3 of the organisation is linked to the manufacture of construction products. Then there would be fewer than 60 employees linked to Construction Products and probably only 10 employees who may influence Product Information. How would this be dealt with in terms of the sample survey request for min. 60 employees?

In instances such as those described in this question, we will work with you to identify the relevant sample size but please consider that sales, marketing, HR, IT, etc. could all be in scope for the survey.

Will we be able to see the Leadership & Culture responses?

Although the Code Lead or other manager(s) will know who the survey has been sent to, all responses will be anonymous – respondents will not be recognisable to the company. The Code Lead however will be able to see the number of responses submitted at each level of hierarchy, department and location. The Code Lead can therefore arrange for more survey links to be distributed if required.

As part of the Organisation Assessment, the CCPI Assessor will contact a sample of respondents to validate their submissions, the feedback from these will also remain anonymous.

The Code Lead will be provided, as part of the Organisation Assessment report, anonymous analysis of the survey responses, along with a summary of the follow-up the CCPI Assessor has made, highlighting areas of good practice and where improvement might be suggested.

How will Assessment of Products be recognised?

Once the processes outlined above are successfully completed, a uniquely numbered CCPI Assessment Mark, Certificate and Schedule for each product set or system that has been successfully Assessed will be issued.

However, it is essential to understand that the relationship between CPI Ltd and the manufacturer or distributor is ongoing.

Distributors and Merchants also maintain an ongoing relationship and feedback for continuous improvement through the b-annual M&D Product Information meetings which they must participate in as users of the scheme.

Please note: the CCPI Assessment Mark is for use only on Assessed product information in that set / system – CCPI is not an organisation wide assessment for manufacturers. If you have more than one product set successfully Assessed, you will have a different Mark for each set.

How can I check if a product and its information is CCPI Assessed?

There is an online Product Directory on our website which will supply contractors and clients with There is an online Product Directory on our website which will supply contractors and clients with a comprehensive list of products Assessed against the Code for Construction Product Information. Please follow this link

Once you complete the full verification process, can we apply a CCPI verified logo/stamp/mark to our website, literature & media posts?

Yes. The CCPI Assessment Mark awarded is for use on Assessed product and system information only and can thus be used on your website for the Assessed product information only. It cannot be used as a company wide mark, or used for any purpose other than on the relevant product information. There are a set of brand-use guidelines for the use of the CCPI mark.

Updated Sept 2024

Does the CCPI mark mean a product is safe?

It is important to note that the Code for Construction Product Information does not regulate or assess the safety of any product or product sets. The CCPI assessment mark refers only to the product set product information and marketing.

For manufacturers assessed product information: CCPI Assessment means that the product information, for a specified group of products – ‘a product set’, has been independently assessed to conform with the relevant clauses and minimum requirements of the CCPI.
It is not a guarantee of any product information and should not be used as such, registration with CCPI supports driving positive culture change and continuous improvement of product information and marketing practices,

For merchants and distributors assessed: Confirmation that the organisation has been assessed to have the necessary product information processes and systems in place to uphold the CCPI, will adhere to the clauses diligently proactively promoting and supporting the adoption of the Code with their suppliers. It is not a guarantee of any product information and should not be used as such, registration with CCPI supports driving positive culture change and continuous improvement of product information and marketing practices.

Please follow this QR code to a document on our website which explains in full what the Marks mean:

Does CCPI assess products manufactured outside of the UK?

CCPI assesses any construction product information for products sold in the UK to the construction sector, regardless of where they were manufactured. If a company imports products that are manufactured outside the UK they act as the manufacturer for CCPI, and thus for the product information to be Assessed they would need to conform with the 11 clauses of the Code.

Does an organisation have to submit ALL of its Product sets for assessment or just those which it wants to?

No – it is up to each manufacturer how many sets / systems they wish to submit at a time depending on their own business rationale.

Many manufacturers of Construction Products sell through Distributors and Merchants – who then market the products via their own platforms and channels. Will there be a mechanism for distributors and merchants to have their “marketing materials” for product information?

CPI have developed and launched an adapted Code for merchants and distributors which was launched late last year. You can find a copy of the Merchant and Distributor Code here [insert link].

For products that a merchant sells under their own brand, they are effectively considered as the manufacturer, as they have ‘control’ over the product information supplied for the product – merchants selling their own branded products that another company makes are therefore eligible to register.

In these instances, CCPI recognise that the product information maybe outside of a manufacturers control. However, updated product information should be available to the merchant from the manufacturer so they can meet the requirements of the Code.

Where a Manufacturer allows their Product Information to be reproduced, for example by a merchant, the Manufacturer must ensure that they provide updated Product Information in a timely manner, however the Merchant remains responsible for ensuring that they update published Product Information appropriately.

If we have signed up for schemes such as BSI Identify, how will they compare or complement CCPI? And will schemes like the BSI Identify feed into CCPI? Is there any conflict between the CCPI Assessment Mark and the BSI kitemark?

Schemes like BSI Identify and others complement the Code as they add tracking & unique identification to products that CCPI have Assessed, so that the Product Information supplied is up to date and accessible –relevant to key clauses of the CCPI.

It’s important to remember that the CCPI Assessment Mark can only be used on product information for Assessed product sets and should not be confused with other third-party assessments.