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Industry Consultation Responses Methodology

1. Summary

The process for developing, reviewing and submitting industry consultation responses from the Society of Land Referencers (SoLR) forms part of the remit of the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee, as outlined in the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee Terms of Reference. 

 

This paper outlines the process whereby industry consultations are developed, reviewed and submitted to ensure a consistency of approach.  This model approach will be periodically reviewed by the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee and amended as required.  Any substantive suggested changes will be pass to the SoLR Committee for approval.

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Adopted by the board: 18 December 2024.

2. Identification of industry consultations to be considered by SoLR’s Standards & Ethics Committee

All members of SoLR are invited to look out for industry consultations and submit these to SoLR (for instance via a SoLR’s email address) to be passed to the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee.

2. Deciding which industry consultations SoLR will respond to

The Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee, in consultation with this Committee, recommends to the SoLR Committee whether or not it is appropriate, useful and/or possible for the Standards & Ethics Committee to formulate a response.

 

In advising that a response would be desirable, the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee invites the SoLR Committee to suggest appropriate individuals to contribute to the development of the responses.  These individuals are not necessarily members of the Standards & Ethics Committee.

 

Additionally, if time permits (in the view of the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee), the SoLR Committee may be asked to include a request for support in a SoLR newsletter.  Such requests are to be expedited promptly.

3. How industry responses will be developed

The management of the development of the draft response is undertaken by the Standards & Ethics Committee.

 

The Standards & Ethics Committee coordinates the development of the draft industry consultation responses, extolling land referencing best practices where appropriate, possibly as expressed in SoLR’s adopted land referencing industry standards.

 

The Standards & Ethics Committee may elect to consult with key members of SoLR and others in the development of SoLR’s draft responses but this not a requirement.

4. Approval of draft industry responses

Industry responses are to be submitted on behalf and in the name of the Society of Land Referencers, representing SoLR’s membership and supporting the objectives of SoLR.  As a result the Standards & Ethics Committee requires and must seek approval from the SoLR Committee before submitting an industry response.

 

Because a) an industry response may be aligned to adopted SoLR standards; b) industry consultations responses are required within fixed timeframes; and c) those engaged in developing an industry response do so in their own time, it is expected that the SoLR Committee will provide am prompt response to the Standards & Ethics Committee. 

 

The process whereby a recommendation is given by the SoLR Committee is as follows:

 

  1. Draft industry consultation response drafted by Standards & Ethics Committee

  2. Draft industry consultation response submitted to the SoLR Committee Chair

  3. The SoLR Committee Chair may elect to offer the opportunity to review and comment to all SoLR Committee members (potentially in advance of their next scheduled Committee meeting) via the SoLR SharePoint site (folder restricted to SoLR Committee members).  NB -  Any documents added to this folder triggers a SharePoint notification to all SoLR Committee members

  4. If the timescale is prohibitive and the SoLR Committee Chair deems it necessary, an extraordinary SoLR Committee meeting may be scheduled specifically to agree the recommendation in an appropriate timeframe 

  5. Recommendation to approve, amend and approve or reject the draft industry consultation responses with comments, provided to the Standards & Ethics Committee Chair

  6. If approved, the industry consultation response is passed to Chair of Board for adoption by the Board.  This may be at next scheduled Board meeting but again, if the timescale is prohibitive, an extraordinary SoLR Board meeting may be scheduled to address matters in an appropriate timeframe 

  7. Industry consultation adopted (or otherwise) by the SoLR Board

 

All decisions by the SoLR Committee and SoLR Board shall be either a) approval for submission; b) for expediency, conditional approval for submission pending the implementation of specific minor changes without further ratification; c) confirmation that the response is not to be submitted without specific required changes; or d) confirmation that the response is not to be submitted. 

 

Alternatively, the SoLR Board may elect to provide delegated authority to the Standards & Ethics Committee to act unilaterally.

 

All such instructions are to be provided in writing to the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee.

 

In all cases where an action described above falls to an individual, a deputy may be appointed if that appointment is made and agreed in writing.

5. Communication of industry consultation responses

An agreed industry consultation response made by SoLR is submitted by the SoLR Standards & Ethics Committee Chair (or delegated member Standards & Ethics Committee).

 

After submission, SoLR’s industry consultation responses may be published by the SoLR Committee via the SoLR newsletter.  The appropriateness of such publication will be determined by the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee, in consultation with the Standards & Ethics Committee.

 

If possible and appropriate, the publication of the industry consultation responses shall be provided early (ideally at least two weeks before the consultation closes) and shared with SoLR members such that they (and possibly through them, their employing organizations) may echo the views expressed by SoLR in their own consultation responses.

 

Such publication by SoLR is to be expedited promptly.

 

If submitted, and if deemed appropriate, the SoLR Committee may wish to share their industry consultation responses more widely.  The details shared need not be a copy of the entire industry consultation response (these can be long and technical).  The details shared are at the discretion of the Chair of the Standards & Ethics Committee, in consultation with the Standards & Ethics Committee.

6. Confidentiality

Until published all SoLR’s industry consultations shall be confidential.

Our published Industry Consultation Responses Methodology can be found here.

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