Book excerpt: The RIBA Principal Designer Guide, a companion guide to the RIBA Health and Safety Guide, provides architects with an essential understanding of the Principal Designer duties under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and Building Safety Act Dutyholder Regulations. To ensure chartered architects are reaching a high standard of knowledge, the RIBA has introduced an online test based on a comprehensive curriculum to test for competency. The must-have content considers details of the relevant statutory duties, guidance regarding the implications of those duties for project delivery and examples of documents, templates and schedules that Principal Designers could use to manage, track and demonstrate compliance with the duties. This guide also includes guidance on the competence requirements for Principal Designers with content mapped against BSI Flex 8670 and PAS 8671 that enables readers to demonstrate their competence.