Practice Review

Engineers and Geoscientists BC has had a program known as the Practice Review Program in place for more than 25 years, as required by the Engineers and Geoscientists Act (EGA). This program is a proactive and educational quality assurance check of a registrant’s practice based on a random selection process. The Professional Governance Act (PGA) now requires Engineers and Geoscientists BC to have in place a new proactive program now called the Audit Program and a new reactive program called the Practice Review Program. Therefore, it is important to note that the name of our traditionally proactive program (Practice Review) will now be used to refer to a reactive and targeted program for the assessment of registrants.

Over the next 2 years Engineers and Geoscientists BC will be transitioning over the EGA required Practice Review Program to the Audit and Practice Review Programs under the PGA.

The intent of a reactive Practice Review Program as required by the PGA, is to perform a more detailed technical and/or focused review of an individual registrant where professional or ethical issues or risks have been identified either during an audit, practice review, or through the complaint and investigation process.

Practice Reviews will be conducted by subject matter experts and the decisions following the review will be adjudicated by the Audit and Practice Review Committee, these include:

1. close the practice review file,
2. pursuant to section 63(5)(c) of the PGA, impose limits or conditions on the practice of the individual Registrant, including:
   1. restricting the practice that may be engaged in by the individual Registrant,
   2. requiring that the individual Registrant be overseen by another Registrant when engaged in the Regulated Practice, and
   3. requiring that the individual Registrant undertake additional training, or
3. disclose or provide records or information from the practice review to the Investigation Committee pursuant to section 110(3) of the PGA [Confidentiality – committee matters] or notify the Investigation Committee pursuant to section 110(4) of the PGA [Confidentiality – committee matters], as applicable.

Timing

The new reactive PGA required Practice Review Program is now in place. Files opened under the former Engineers and Geoscientists Act Practice Review Program will be completed by July 2022.

More Information

For information regarding the new Practice Review Program under the PGA, and the previous Practice Review Program under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act, please review the following documents:

• Guide to the Practice Review Program for Individual Registrants (under the Professional Governance Act)
• Practice Review Guide (under the Engineers and Geoscientists Act)