The Golden Thread proves the
paperwork exists. Calibrate proves
the people were competent.
Since Grenfell, the Building Safety Act 2022 has made a continuously updated "Golden Thread" of information a legal requirement for higher-risk buildings. But documents alone don't answer the question regulators actually care about: was the person who signed this off, verified it, or installed it genuinely competent to do so — and can you prove it, years later? Calibrate is the human assurance layer that sits underneath your Golden Thread, turning competence from a claim into evidence.
The Golden Thread exposed a gap most contractors didn't know they had
The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced the Golden Thread: a mandatory, continuously updated digital record of safety-critical information for every higher-risk building, running from design through Gateway 2 and Gateway 3 to handover and occupation.
Most organisations have focused on the document-management half of that problem — storing drawings, certificates and inspection reports. Far fewer have addressed the other half: proving that the people who created, approved and are accountable for that information — principal designers, principal contractors, site managers and supervisors — are actually competent to hold those roles, and stay competent throughout.
Recognised competence frameworks now set out exactly what that competence looks like for each dutyholder role. Regulators can ask for evidence of it. Most contractors currently have none.
What changed after Grenfell
Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the Building Safety Act 2022 introduced a formal building control regime for higher-risk buildings — those at least 18 metres tall or with at least seven storeys. Every such building must now pass through mandatory Gateways at design, construction and completion, overseen by the Building Safety Regulator.
A clear chain of dutyholders runs through the building's lifecycle: Client, Principal Designer and Principal Contractor during design and construction, handing over to the Accountable Person during occupation. Each carries defined legal responsibilities.
Critically, the Act treats competence as a first-class compliance requirement, not an afterthought to documentation. Dutyholders must be able to demonstrate — not just assert — that the people responsible for safety-critical decisions were competent to make them.
Turn competence into evidence, not assumption
Calibrate gives principal contractors and dutyholders the infrastructure to define, evidence and maintain competence across every site, project and sub-contractor — creating a defensible record that sits alongside your Golden Thread, not another place to store drawings.
The infrastructure to prove competence, not just claim it
Critical Role Expectations
Define the precise task, behavioural and compliance standards for every dutyholder and supervisory role on your projects. Move from assumed expectations to clearly codified ones that every leader understands and can be developed against.
Structured Competence Assessment
Enable managers and site leaders to reflect against role expectations on a regular cadence, creating honest evidence of performance that supports development conversations, Gateway submissions and regulatory audits.
Targeted Development Plans
Generate individual development plans based on each person's specific competence gaps, not generic training programmes. Every plan is practical, role-relevant and connected to the real demands of a safety-critical environment.
Real-Time Programme Visibility
Give principal contractors and directors live visibility of how competence standards are being maintained across sites and sub-contractors. Identify where consistency is strong and where intervention is needed before it surfaces at Gateway review or audit.
Build competence you can prove, not just claim
Talk to Calibrate about evidencing dutyholder competence across your projects, in line with the Building Safety Act and Golden Thread requirements.
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