<p>Demand for the services of an authorized inspector is currently low.</p>

For almost a year now, investors have been able to hire an authorized inspector for expedited construction proceedings. To date, the Minister for Regional Development has appointed 67 of these professionals, and their number is expected to increase further next year. However, the system has been operating for a relatively short time and interest in the inspector's services is still low. Most builders still prefer the existing form of cooperation with the building authority when obtaining construction permits, even though it often involves a significantly lengthy process. The Coordinating Council for Authorized Inspectors is therefore trying to summarize the existing experiences, and the Ministry for Regional Development of the Czech Republic plans to promote the entire institute more broadly.

The authorized inspector conducts highly professional checks of projects and the construction process to ensure successful completion and commissioning. This means that they verify the project documentation for the building and issue a certificate allowing the commencement of construction, check the binding opinions of the affected authorities, can approve changes to the building before completion, and finally issue a certificate for the issuance of occupancy approval by the building authority. Unlike the office, however, in case of discrepancies, they do not have to halt the proceedings but systematically work to rectify the project's errors, convene necessary meetings, and continue smoothly with the building approval process. Thus, the construction permitting process is much more flexible and occurs at a higher professional level, similar to practices abroad, from where the model originates.

The use of expedited construction proceedings conducted by an authorized inspector has been possible since December of last year. This has been made possible by the construction law effective from January 2007. However, a large portion of the nearly seventy professionals from among architects, engineers, and technicians, who succeeded in rigorous examinations, are still awaiting their contracts.

Fortunately, requests for cooperation with an authorized inspector are gradually beginning to appear for larger projects, major development activities, or time-limited constructions. The inspector is also being utilized for more complicated constructions involving multiple clients, and offers for long-term contracts are emerging, for example, for issuing certificates for occupancy approval for the same client.

According to the statement of the Chairman of the Coordinating Council for Authorized Inspectors Doc. Miloslav Pavlík, the main reason for the low demand for authorized inspectors may primarily be the insufficient public and governmental awareness of the option to hire these services. Therefore, the Ministry for Regional Development plans to systematically publicize the topic, including the publication of positive investor experiences. In addition, in the Czech Republic, the fees charged by authorities are relatively low compared to other countries, and if there is no forthcoming amendment to the law on administrative fees, the investor service, which is fully funded by clients, may seem unnecessary and expensive, leading them to continue preferring the existing form of cooperation with the building authority.

As a result, the Coordinating Council for Authorized Inspectors is starting to summarize experiences with the functioning of the institute, while also preparing proposals for changes related to the performance of the authorized inspector profession in the amendment to the construction law. Among other things, it proposes to expand their powers to a level comparable to that of building authorities, for example, when processing individual opinions or conducting inspections of the building.

At regular discussions, which began on Authorized Inspectors' Day in mid-September, individual inspectors will present their practical experiences related to expedited construction proceedings, contractual relationships, communication with clients and the building authority, issuing certificates, or issues surrounding fees for services rendered. The establishment of an Association of Authorized Inspectors is also planned, which would function at the level of regular club meetings, facilitating the exchange of necessary experiences. The conclusions from all meetings will be gradually evaluated and reflected in the functioning of the entire system.