RICS has introduced updated CPD requirements. So what’s actually changed, and what stays the same?
Let’s start with what has not changed.
You still need 20 hours of CPD per year.
You still need at least 10 hours of that to be structured learning.
The 12 month CPD cycle still runs January to December.
The earlier proposal to increase the requirement to 30 hours did not make it through. The headline numbers remain the same.
What Is New?
The most significant shift is the introduction of mandatory topics on a rolling three year cycle.
Each year, members must complete CPD in one of the following areas:
- Professional and Ethical Standards
- Sustainability
- Data, Technology and AI
Over a three year period, you must have covered all three.
This is a clear signal from RICS. Ethics remains central to professional practice. Sustainability is embedded within modern construction and property. And Data and AI are now formally recognised as core professional risk areas.
Recording Learning Outcomes and Reflections
There is also a stronger emphasis on documentation and reflection.
Regardless of whether CPD is structured or unstructured, members must:
- Record the learning outcome(s) of each CPD activity undertaken throughout the CPD year
- Complete a single annual reflective statement
That reflective statement must explain:
- Why the CPD was undertaken in relation to your current role and learning needs
- How it has influenced your professional development
- How it informs your future CPD plans
This is about demonstrating meaningful development, not simply logging hours.
Enforcement Is Tightening
RICS has also made it clear that compliance will be actively monitored.
A percentage of members will have their CPD records reviewed each year. There is a stepped disciplinary process which can escalate from caution to suspension and, ultimately, removal following repeated breaches.
This is no longer something that can be left until late December and rushed through.
Exemptions and Concessions
There are clarified exemption rules covering parental leave, illness, retirement and non practising concessions.
However, for most practising Quantity Surveyors, the 20 hour annual requirement remains fully in place.
Structured Study Carry Forward
There is one important flexibility worth understanding.
If, in any given CPD year, you undertake a structured programme of study leading to an externally accredited award, such as a diploma or degree, and it exceeds 10 hours while being eligible to be recorded as CPD, you may carry forward up to 20 hours of structured CPD.
Those hours can then be recorded as up to 10 hours in each of the following two CPD years.
Similar arrangements may apply to other structured programmes of study, but these require prior agreement from RICS.
Digital Logging and the Member App
RICS has also introduced improvements to its digital tools, including updates to the Member App.
Members can now log CPD, record reflections and manage compliance more easily via their phone.
The administrative process is becoming more structured and more transparent.
The Practical Reality for QSs
Most Quantity Surveyors are flat out.
Valuations. Compensation events. Procurement strategies. Final accounts. Client meetings. Programme pressure. Commercial risk.
CPD often gets pushed to the margins.
Under the updated framework, that approach becomes increasingly risky.
How to Stay Ahead of the Changes
The key is to plan structured CPD properly throughout the year rather than scrambling for compliant hours in December.
At Metroun, we have launched the Metroun QS App to make that process simpler.
Inside the app you will find over 60 hours of formal structured CPD courses designed specifically for Quantity Surveyors, covering:
- NEC and contract practice
- Commercial management
- Procurement
- Valuation
- Sustainability
- Risk management
- Digital workflows
- AI in construction
Each course includes tests. Each completed module generates a certificate. Structured CPD logs with built in learning outcomes can be exported easily.
Instead of reacting to compliance pressure, you can:
- Plan your 10 structured hours in advance
- Cover your mandatory topic for the year
- Generate clear learning outcomes
- Maintain tidy, compliant records as you go
If you want to simplify your CPD and stay fully compliant under the updated RICS framework, explore the Metroun QS App today on the App Store or Play Store.
