Fire Safety Consultancy framework

The Fire Safety Consultancy framework provides the people who assess, advise, and design: fire risk assessors, fire safety consultants, and fire engineers. The Fire Safety Works framework provides the contractors who carry out the physical installation, maintenance, and remediation of fire safety systems and building elements, such as fitting sprinklers, replacing fire doors, installing fire alarm systems, or removing non-compliant cladding. The distinction matters because good fire safety governance separates the advisory function from the delivery function. The consultant who identifies a fire safety deficiency and recommends a remediation approach should be independent of the contractor who benefits commercially from carrying out the work. Many organisations use both frameworks together: the Fire Safety Consultancy framework to appoint an assessor or consultant who identifies what needs to happen, and the Fire Safety Works framework to appoint the contractor who delivers the remediation. This provides an independent check at each stage. If your requirement is for someone to assess your buildings or advise on fire safety strategy, this is the right framework. If your requirement is for someone to install, maintain, or remediate fire safety systems and building elements, the Fire Safety Works framework is the right route. If you are not sure which you need, Inprova’s team can advise based on your specific situation.

UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) accreditation for fire risk assessment means the assessor’s company has been independently audited against a recognised standard for the competence of its assessors, the quality of its assessment methodology, and the robustness of its management systems. It is the highest level of independent assurance available for fire risk assessment services in the UK. Every fire risk assessor on Lot 1 of this framework holds UKAS-accredited company certification and follows the PAS 79 methodology for carrying out fire risk assessments. This matters because the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires that fire risk assessments are carried out by a competent person, but does not define what competent means in statutory terms. When a fire and rescue authority reviews your fire risk assessment, UKAS accreditation provides independently verified evidence that the assessor met a recognised standard of competence. For organisations managing large building portfolios where fire risk assessments are subject to audit by enforcement officers, regulators, board members, or insurers, this accreditation provides a defensible standard. It is also relevant when fire risk assessments are being used as evidence in legal proceedings, enforcement appeals, or insurance claims, where the competence of the assessor may be challenged.

The Fire Safety Order requires that fire risk assessments are reviewed regularly, but does not specify a fixed interval. Government guidance and industry best practice recommend that fire risk assessments should be reviewed at least annually for most buildings, with more frequent reviews for higher-risk buildings such as those with sleeping accommodation, high footfall, or complex layouts. A significant change to the building, its use, or its occupancy also triggers a review, as does a fire incident or a near miss. For organisations managing hundreds or thousands of buildings, a rolling programme of fire risk assessment reviews is essential to maintain compliance. The framework’s regional supply chain for Lot 1 means you can appoint assessors in each region and run a continuous programme across your portfolio. Direct award provides speed for individual assessments or small batches, while a mini-competition allows you to procure a larger programme with tailored requirements around reporting format, timescales, and the level of assessment needed. Inprova’s team can support the specification development for rolling FRA programmes and advise on how to structure the call-off to match your review cycle.

Every school building is a non-domestic premises under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, which means the responsible person, usually the trust or the academy’s governing body, must carry out a fire risk assessment and keep it under review. The assessment must be carried out by a competent person, and the findings must be acted upon. For multi-academy trusts managing dozens of school sites, maintaining current fire risk assessments across the entire estate is a significant compliance obligation. Many school buildings were constructed in periods when fire safety standards were different from current requirements, and older buildings may have deficiencies in compartmentation, means of escape, fire detection, or fire door integrity. The framework provides UKAS-accredited assessors who can carry out fire risk assessments across the trust’s school portfolio, fire safety consultants who can advise on remediation priorities and compliance with building regulations, and fire engineers who can design fire safety solutions for buildings that need upgrading. For MATs, the framework provides a single compliant procurement route that works across all school sites, ensuring a consistent standard of assessment and a unified approach to fire safety management across the trust.

A fire safety consultant provides advice on fire safety compliance, strategy, policy, training, and the management of fire risk. A fire engineer provides specialist design services for fire safety systems and engineered fire safety solutions. You need a fire engineer when the situation requires a design: designing a sprinkler system for a new building, specifying a fire alarm and detection system for a complex building, developing an engineered approach to means of escape where the building’s layout does not allow a standard prescriptive solution, or designing fire suppression systems for specialist environments such as data centres, archives, or heritage buildings. Fire engineering is also needed when a fire risk assessment or building survey identifies a structural fire safety deficiency that requires an engineered remediation rather than a straightforward like-for-like replacement. For example, if compartmentation is found to be compromised in a way that cannot be resolved by simple fire-stopping, a fire engineer may need to design an alternative fire safety strategy that achieves the required level of safety through a combination of detection, suppression, and structural measures. The framework covers both disciplines, so you can appoint the right specialist for each requirement through a single procurement route.

Health Technical Memorandum 05-02 sets out the fire safety requirements specific to healthcare premises in England. Scotland has its own equivalent guidance in the Scottish Health Technical Memoranda series, and NHS Wales and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland each follow their own healthcare estates fire safety guidance. HTM 05-02 goes beyond the baseline requirements of the Fire Safety Order to address the unique challenges of hospital environments: patients with limited mobility who cannot self-evacuate, progressive horizontal evacuation strategies, the need to maintain clinical services during a fire evacuation, and the interaction between fire safety systems and other critical building systems such as medical gas, ventilation, and electrical supply. NHS trusts and health boards need fire safety consultants and fire engineers who understand the relevant estates guidance for their nation and can advise within the healthcare context. The framework’s fire safety consultancy lot provides consultants experienced in healthcare fire safety who can carry out fire risk assessments of hospital buildings, advise on compliance with the appropriate estates guidance, and develop fire safety strategies that work within the operational constraints of a functioning hospital. The fire engineering lot provides engineers who can design fire safety systems for healthcare environments, including fire alarm integration with nurse call systems, smoke control in complex hospital layouts, and suppression systems in specialist clinical areas. For trusts and health boards managing capital programmes or significant estate refurbishments, appointing fire engineering consultancy through the framework ensures the fire safety design is led by specialists with healthcare-specific expertise.

Yes. Fire and rescue authorities manage their own building estate including fire stations, training centres, control rooms, workshops, and administrative offices, all of which are subject to the Fire Safety Order. The authority that enforces the Fire Safety Order in other people’s buildings has the same legal obligation to maintain fire risk assessments and manage fire safety in its own buildings. Using an external, UKAS-accredited assessor provides the independence and objectivity that comes from not self-assessing. Fire stations present specific fire safety challenges: they house heavy vehicles and specialist equipment, have large appliance bay doors, contain breathing apparatus charging and cleaning facilities, and in some cases provide residential accommodation for on-call firefighters. The fire risk assessment needs to account for these specialist features. Fire training centres, which may include live fire training rigs and simulated environments, have their own fire safety profile. The framework covers assessments of these specialist buildings alongside conventional office and administrative premises. For capital projects such as new fire stations or training centre upgrades, the fire engineering consultancy lot provides design services for fire safety systems appropriate to the specific building type.

The four assessment types reflect different levels of scope and invasiveness. A Type 1 assessment is a non-destructive visual inspection of common parts and shared areas. It is the baseline assessment required to satisfy the Fire Safety Order for most buildings and is appropriate where the building is in good condition and there is no reason to suspect hidden defects. A Type 2 assessment covers the same areas as Type 1 but includes destructive sampling, opening up selected areas to check the condition of fire-stopping, compartmentation, and concealed construction. This is appropriate where there are concerns about the condition of fire safety elements that are not visible during a non-destructive inspection. A Type 3 assessment extends the scope beyond common parts to include a sample of individual units, rooms, or self-contained areas within the building. This provides a more complete picture of fire risk across the whole building, not just the shared spaces. A Type 4 assessment combines the extended scope of Type 3 with the destructive sampling of Type 2, providing the most thorough level of assessment. The appropriate assessment type depends on the building’s age, construction, condition, and the level of assurance your organisation requires. Inprova’s team can advise on which type is appropriate for your specific buildings.

Fire door inspection sits within Lot 2 (Fire Safety Consultancy Services). Fire doors are a critical component of a building’s passive fire protection, providing compartmentation that prevents the spread of fire and smoke. Defective fire doors, whether due to damage, incorrect installation, inappropriate modifications, or wear and tear, compromise the compartmentation that the building’s fire safety strategy relies on. A fire door inspection programme involves systematic assessment of every fire door in a building or portfolio of buildings, checking the door leaf, frame, intumescent strips, smoke seals, self-closing mechanism, gap tolerances, and signage against the relevant standards. For organisations managing large building portfolios, fire door inspections are a significant exercise. A single building can contain dozens or hundreds of fire doors, and the inspection needs to be carried out by someone with the specialist knowledge to assess compliance and prioritise remediation. The framework provides fire safety consultants qualified to carry out fire door inspections at scale, with the expertise to produce reports that prioritise remediation by risk and support your capital planning. For organisations that need the fire doors physically replaced or repaired following the inspection, Inprova’s Fire Safety Works framework provides the contractors to deliver the remediation.

Yes. The fire engineering consultancy lot (Lot 3) covers the full design lifecycle for fire safety on new build projects, from strategic definition and concept design through to technical design, specification development, procurement support, and project management to handover. For new build projects, fire engineering consultancy is typically needed from the earliest design stages to ensure the fire safety strategy is integrated into the building design rather than retrofitted. This includes designing fire detection and alarm systems, specifying sprinkler or suppression systems, designing smoke control and ventilation strategies, advising on means of escape and compartmentation, and ensuring the design achieves compliance with Building Regulations Approved Document B (or the Scottish and Welsh equivalents). For organisations commissioning new buildings, whether schools, offices, healthcare facilities, or operational buildings, appointing a fire engineer through this framework ensures the fire safety design is led by a specialist who is independent of the building contractor. This independence provides an additional check on the quality and compliance of the fire safety design. The framework covers projects in England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Scotland, with separate supply chains for Scotland recognising the different building regulations framework.

If a fire and rescue authority has issued an enforcement notice, alteration notice, or prohibition notice against one of your buildings, you need specialist fire safety advice urgently. An enforcement notice requires you to remedy specific fire safety deficiencies within a stated timescale. A prohibition notice restricts or prohibits the use of the building until specified conditions are met. An alteration notice requires you to notify the fire authority before making specified changes. The fire safety consultancy lot (Lot 2) provides consultants who can advise on responding to enforcement action. This includes reviewing the notice to understand the specific requirements, carrying out or reviewing the fire risk assessment that led to the enforcement action, advising on the remediation required to satisfy the notice, developing a remediation plan with prioritised actions and timescales, and liaising with the fire and rescue authority on your behalf to demonstrate progress. For organisations facing enforcement action, the direct award route provides the fastest appointment. You can go straight to the highest-ranked consultant and get advice within days rather than the weeks that a competitive process would require. Speed matters because enforcement notices have fixed timescales, and failure to comply can result in prosecution.

Fire safety legislation in Scotland differs from England and Wales. The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 set out the fire safety duties for non-domestic premises in Scotland, and building regulations for fire safety are governed by the Building (Scotland) Regulations with reference to the Technical Handbooks rather than Approved Document B. The framework recognises these differences by providing separate Scotland supply chains for all three lots. Lot 1 has a dedicated Scotland region for fire risk assessments. Lots 2 and 3 have separate Scotland rankings for fire safety consultancy and fire engineering. This means the consultants working on Scottish buildings are experienced in Scottish fire safety legislation, Scottish building regulations, and the Scottish enforcement framework under the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. For organisations that manage buildings in both Scotland and England, the framework provides access to the appropriate specialists for each jurisdiction through a single procurement route, avoiding the need for separate procurements to address the different legislative frameworks.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a new regulatory regime for higher-risk buildings in England, defined as buildings at least 18 metres in height or at least seven storeys with at least two residential units. The Act requires the principal accountable person to register the building with the Building Safety Regulator, apply for and maintain a building assessment certificate, and prepare a safety case report that demonstrates the building’s fire and structural safety risks are being managed. The safety case must be supported by competent fire safety advice, including fire risk assessments carried out to the appropriate standard and fire engineering analysis where the building’s design or construction requires it. This framework provides the specialist expertise that the safety case demands. Fire risk assessors on Lot 1 can carry out the detailed assessments, including destructive sampling, that higher-risk buildings typically require. Fire safety consultants on Lot 2 can advise on the safety case content, fire safety management strategy, and ongoing compliance with the regime. Fire engineers on Lot 3 can provide the technical analysis of fire safety systems, compartmentation, and structural fire protection that the safety case must evidence. For public sector organisations managing higher-risk buildings, including councils with tower blocks and universities with tall residential halls, appointing through a quality-led framework with UKAS-accredited assessors provides the standard of evidence that the Building Safety Regulator expects.

When fire risk assessments across a portfolio of buildings produce a long list of findings, the challenge is deciding what to address first. Not every finding carries the same level of risk, and most organisations do not have the budget to remediate everything simultaneously. Fire safety consultants on Lot 2 can help you develop a prioritised remediation programme that ranks findings by risk severity, considers the building type and occupancy profile, and sequences the work into a deliverable capital programme. The prioritisation typically considers the nature of the hazard, the likelihood of a fire occurring, the potential consequences for building occupants, whether interim measures can reduce the risk while permanent remediation is planned, and the cost and complexity of the remediation. For organisations managing schools, offices, healthcare buildings, or operational facilities, the prioritisation also needs to account for operational constraints: which buildings can be taken out of service for remediation, which need work carried out while occupied, and where temporary measures such as waking watches or enhanced detection can bridge the gap. The fire safety consultant produces a remediation plan that your organisation can use to allocate budget, plan the works programme, and demonstrate to auditors, regulators, or board members that you are managing fire safety risk systematically rather than reactively. Inprova’s Fire Safety Works framework then provides the route to appoint contractors to deliver the remediation.

Fire safety during refurbishment and construction is a distinct discipline from fire safety in occupied buildings. Building Regulations Approved Document B (or the Welsh and Scottish equivalents) sets the fire safety requirements for building work, including new builds, extensions, and material alterations. During a major refurbishment, the existing fire safety provisions in a building are often disrupted: fire doors are removed, compartmentation is breached, fire alarm systems are disconnected, and means of escape routes are obstructed by construction activity. A fire safety strategy for the construction phase is needed to manage these risks and maintain an adequate level of fire safety while the work is carried out. Fire engineering consultants on Lot 3 can develop the construction phase fire safety strategy, design temporary fire protection measures, and advise on maintaining means of escape during the works. For organisations managing major refurbishment programmes across schools, hospitals, offices, or operational buildings, this expertise ensures fire safety is maintained throughout the construction period, not just addressed in the completed building. The consultant can also advise on the Building Regulations fire safety requirements for the completed work, ensuring the design achieves compliance before the building is handed back for occupation.

In England and Wales, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the responsible person to appoint one or more competent persons to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures required by the Order, with equivalent competent person duties under Scotland’s Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 and Northern Ireland’s Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. However, the legislation does not define what competent means in specific terms. It does not mandate a particular qualification, certification, or registration. This ambiguity creates risk for organisations, because if the competence of your fire risk assessor or fire safety adviser is challenged, whether by a fire and rescue authority during an audit, by an insurer following a claim, or in legal proceedings after a fire, you need to be able to demonstrate that the person you appointed had the relevant knowledge, skills, and experience for the task. The framework addresses this by requiring all fire risk assessors on Lot 1 to hold UKAS-accredited company certification, which is the highest independently verified standard of competence for fire risk assessment in the UK. Consultants on Lots 2 and 3 hold appropriate qualifications accredited by the relevant professional bodies. The tender evaluation tested staff competency as a specific quality criterion, so the suppliers on the framework have demonstrated the competence of their personnel through a competitive process. For organisations that need to evidence the competence of the fire safety professionals they appoint, using this framework provides a documented, defensible basis for that evidence.

While the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 applies in both England and Wales, building regulations are devolved. In England, fire safety in new building work is governed by Building Regulations 2010 with reference to Approved Document B. In Wales, the same Building Regulations apply but with a separate Welsh edition of Approved Document B that contains some differences, particularly around sprinkler requirements. Since January 2016, Wales has required automatic fire suppression systems in all new and converted residential buildings, including care homes, student accommodation, and hostels. This Welsh sprinkler requirement affects any organisation building or converting property in Wales and means the fire engineering design needs to incorporate sprinkler systems that may not be required for an equivalent building in England. The framework covers both England and Wales, with fire risk assessors in dedicated Wales and South regions and national coverage for consultancy and engineering that includes Welsh expertise. For organisations managing buildings on both sides of the border, such as national government departments, multi-site charities, or MATs with schools in both countries, the framework provides access to consultants who understand the differences and can advise accordingly. Inprova’s team can help you identify whether the Welsh-specific requirements affect your building programme and ensure the right expertise is appointed for each jurisdiction.