The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) is launching a new qualification for project managers who need to keep pace with fast moving regulatory and technical demands in the rapidly evolving UK built environment sector.
Rather than revisiting core project management principles, the training programme Managing Projects in the Built Environment focuses on key areas that are either only partially covered or are completely absent from traditional project management qualifications such as building safety, risk assurance, procurement decision-making, stakeholder engagement, information management, and sustainability.
The new qualification, which is endorsed by the Association for Project Management (APM), is timely because of the growing challenges businesses are facing to meet clients’ rising compliance demands. The latest UK Construction Compliance Index 2026 found that one in five construction businesses had lost out or been marked down on tenders because they didn’t have up-to-date compliance data available.
Developed in partnership with project management specialists Provek, and with technical input from BESA member, Mellor Bromley, the new course has been designed specifically for experienced project and programme managers seeking to develop their competence in line with the changing built environment sector.
Successful completion of the course will give learners a qualification that is mapped to the built environment-specific content of the Competence Framework for Project Managers in the Built Environment in England and aligned with the competence agenda developed by the Building Safety Regulator’s Industry Competence Committee.
For project managers already holding formal project management qualifications and practical experience, this course provides a structured route to strengthen competence, support professional development and demonstrate alignment with recognised industry needs.
The BESA course will help students cope with increasing regulatory scrutiny including greater accountability for building safety outcomes.
“The role of project managers working in the built environment is evolving,” said BESA’s director of competence and compliance Jill Nicholls. “The introduction of the Building Safety Act, increased focus on competence, and growing expectations around governance and accountability mean project managers need a broader understanding of safety, compliance and risk throughout the project lifecycle.
“We have built this course and qualification in close collaboration with project management specialists Provek and technical input from Mellor Bromley to ensure the content closely matches the additional demands now being placed on project managers who are playing an increasingly pivotal role in delivering key safety and sustainability measures.”
The new qualification, which has been successfully piloted by a range of project managers, also complements the APM Project Management qualification by addressing built environment-specific competence requirements, strengthening management and escalation of life-safety risks, and improving decision-making around procurement.
It also covers commercial considerations and project governance, as well as supporting the application of the information ‘Golden Thread’ in higher risk projects.
“Project managers sit at the heart of safe delivery in the built environment,” said Provek managing director Helen Grindley. “Through our partnership with BESA, we’ve created a practical, rigorous qualification that enables them to demonstrate exactly that and equips project managers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to meet the expectations of the Building Safety Act and the built environment-specific content of the Competence Framework for Project Managers in the Built Environment.
“We’ve developed a relevant and impactful solution that will help raise standards, strengthen professionalism and ultimately contribute to safer outcomes across the industry,” added Grindley who is hosting a session based on ‘Project Management in Practice’ at the BESA Annual Conference in London on 22 October.
Gill Hancock, the APM’s head of technical content added: “BESA’s partnership with Provek demonstrates their commitment to providing applied project knowledge across the sector. The new qualification is an important step in supporting project managers to deliver projects to the right standards.
“It offers built environment-specific content that complements APM’s Project Management Qualification, helping learners connect core project management practice with the standards, risks and responsibilities that shape successful delivery in the sector.”
