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Pre-construction information (PCI): a practical checklist

A free printable PCI checklist, a worked example and a practical route through information gaps.

Original CDMlogic guide · updated 5 October 2026 · Great Britain CDM / England Building Regulations where stated

What is pre-construction information?

Pre-construction information (PCI) gives designers and contractors the project information they need to plan their work safely. It brings together relevant information the client already holds, or can reasonably obtain, about the work, existing site and foreseeable risks. Its detail should be proportionate to the project.

PCI develops as the design develops. A folder of old drawings is a source of information, but it does not establish that the team has reviewed the drawings, understood their limitations or filled the important gaps.

A checklist you can use on your next project

Download our original four-page, printable PCI review checklist. It includes project details, information prompts and reusable action records with space for owners, evidence references and communication.

Download the PCI checklist (PDF) ↓

Free download · no sign-up · version 1.0, 5 October 2026

Who provides and coordinates PCI?

The client has the duty to provide PCI as soon as practicable to designers and contractors being considered for appointment, or already appointed. On projects involving more than one contractor, the CDM Principal Designer helps the client identify, obtain and communicate the relevant information. Designers and contractors still need to review what they receive for their own work.

Domestic client duties normally transfer under CDM’s domestic client arrangements. Identify those arrangements at the start rather than assuming a homeowner will manage the information process.

What should a PCI checklist cover?

  • Project context: the proposed work, existing use, key dates, client brief and relevant contacts.
  • Management arrangements: time and resources, cooperation, site access, security, welfare arrangements and any restrictions affecting the work.
  • Existing conditions: relevant surveys, structural information, services, adjacent uses, ground conditions and known hazardous materials.
  • Design and construction information: significant foreseeable risks, design assumptions, interfaces and information needed to address them.
  • Previous records: the existing Health & Safety File, relevant as-built information and information about earlier alterations.

These are review prompts, not a fixed list of surveys every project needs. Decide what is relevant and whether additional competent assessment is needed. Record why an item is not applicable when that helps the next reviewer.

How to turn information gaps into actions

  1. Identify the information needed for the proposed work and the decisions it supports.
  2. Check available sources for their revision, coverage, age and limitations.
  3. Give each unresolved question an owner, required date and clear next action.
  4. Record the reviewed evidence reference and who needs the resulting information.
  5. Revisit the record when the design, site conditions or project team change.

Worked example: incomplete services information

Fictional project: a practice is preparing an internal refurbishment. Drawing EX-02 shows the room layout, but its survey scope does not confirm concealed services in the proposed alteration area.

Example PCI record

Information gap: location and status of services affecting the alteration. Available source: EX-02, revision A; layout only, services unverified. Action owner: named client representative, coordinating with the relevant competent adviser. Required by: before the affected design is finalised and before contractors plan the affected work.

Next action: agree and obtain suitable information for the proposed work. Review: the relevant designer checks the resulting information and its limitations. Communication: record the issued reference, recipients and any outstanding uncertainty. Keep the entry open until the agreed action and review are recorded.

The example demonstrates an information workflow. It does not specify a survey method or authorise work to proceed with an unresolved hazard.

PCI, the construction phase plan and the Health & Safety File

PCI informs design and planning. The construction phase plan sets out health and safety arrangements for construction. The Health & Safety File keeps useful information for future construction work. They inform each other but serve different purposes.

Keep the checklist connected to the evidence

CDMlogic’s PCI tracker records information items, owners, status and review dates, with supporting files linked to the record. A completed status is a workflow marker; the team still assesses the information’s sufficiency and shares it with the people who need it.

Official source: HSE L153, Appendix 2: pre-construction information, with domestic client arrangements in Appendix 6.

Continue your project review

General workflow information, not a project-specific determination. Check current official guidance and obtain appropriate professional advice for your project.

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