Competent Person Scheme (CPS)

Competent Person Scheme

Join to start self-certifying your own work in compliance with the Building Regulations.

CPS membership will allow you or your employees to self-certify that your work complies with the Building Regulations in England and Wales, saving you time and money by removing the need to notify Building Control in advance, or having to pay the Building Control fees normally associated with an installation.

It is a legal requirement that certain work should be notified and CPS membership is the most effective way of complying as well as saving, on average, £241 in Building Control fees for every piece of notifiable work you or your operatives carry out.* It also lets your customers know that you and your employees' work is of a high standard and that regular assessments take place to demonstrate the ongoing competence of you and your operatives.

* Average cost from: DCLG, (2012) Changes to Part P (Electrical safety - Dwellings) of the Building Regulations in England: Consultation stage impact assessment.

Scheme Details

Scope: England & Wales
Approval: MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, communities and Local Government) and Welsh Government authorised and UKAS accredited

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Scheme Requirements

The following general conditions must be met by all CPS members:

Trade Building Regulations Key Supporting Standards
Electrical Approved Document P BS 7671 (the current IET wiring regulations)
Microgeneration Several Approved Documents* MCS scheme standards
Heating Approved Documents G,J & L Building Services Compliance Guide
Ventilation and air conditioning Approved Documents F & L Domestic Ventilation Compliance Guide
Plumbing Approved Documents G & H Water Supply Fittings Regulations
Building Fabric Several Approved Documents*

Relevant Standards: Technical Standards for the approved scope must be held or accessible. Competencies are published in specifications referred to as Minimum Technical Competence (MTC) documents. These are available at www.gov.uk. However, the relevant primary approved documents and supporting standards vary by trade as shown below. Note that while the main Approved Document is listed, any self-certification is a confirmation that all relevant parts of the Building Regulations have been met.

Qualifications - The key requirements of the MTCs are met via qualifications and/or training. NAPIT has produced guides to qualifications for most trades.

Legal Requirements – Work must comply with the Building Regulations 2010 (as amended) and be notified as described below.

Notification – Self-certification must be carried out by notifying NAPIT within 21 days of completion of an installation in order for NAPIT to issue a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate and notify the relevant local authority.

Insurance - You must have a minimum of £2m public liability insurance. Where work involves design, advice or the reporting of test results you will need at least £250,000 professional indemnity insurance.

Instruments – You or your employees must have access to sufficient instruments to carry out tests relevant to your scope of work as well as an in date calibration certificate for you or your employees' equipment where applicable.

Inspection – You must make available suitable installation work to demonstrate compliance and competence.

The inspection will look at the work itself and assess the competence of individuals carrying out the work. Evidence of how you or your employees comply with other requirements (risk assessments, insurance evidence, quoting etc.) will also be assessed.

Website Listing – Once successfully registered, your business will be added to the NAPIT online search facility, Competent Persons' Register, Registered Competent Person Electrical search facility (for Full Scope electrical members only).

for further information on the regulations and view these documents visit www.gov.uk/government/collections/approved-documents .

How CPS relates to MCS and EEM

The competence requirements of the three schemes are demonstrated via similar routes, but both MCS and EEM have additional company requirements (as well as a wider geographic coverage). Because of this overlap, if NAPIT assess you or your operatives under MCS or EEM, you may be eligible to carry out CPS work relating to these schemes and self-certify without incurring any additional membership charges.

If you would like to discuss the scheme further with us, contact our friendly Customer Registration Department on 0345 543 0330 (Ext. 2) or email us at [email protected].

To apply for this membership scheme, simply follow the link to fill in the relevant Membership Application Form