[ Spotlight: ECA and ESC partnership ]
From April next year Certsure LLP will be the vehicle through which the alliance’s registration, certification and assessment schemes – ELECSA, NICEIC and ECA Certification – will be operated. This consolidation of operations promises immediate and future benefits for customers using these services, with the creation of the Electrical Safety Register being the first step. Certsure also promises excellent customer services and active promotion of its contractors in the marketplace. For the first 18-24 months, the registration scheme
brands will continue to run in parallel. ECA members will still enjoy the same customer services as they did before, with the same area engineers, assessors, contacts and so on, while best practice customer services and operations are aligned. There will, however, be a harmonisation downwards of fees for comparable services and the introduction of a range of new benefits – which will initially include offering customers a free training course in a new area, to help them diversify their businesses. Emma Clancy, who will be CEO of Certsure, said:
Steve Bratt of the ECA (right), Phil Buckle from ESC (centre) and Emma Clancy of Certsure (left) launch the partnership agreement
the Electrical Safety Register will provide a valuable resource for anyone looking for the services of a competent electrical contractor. The online Register – at www.electrical
safetyregister.com – provides an easy-to-use database of both domestic and commercial contractors, searchable by postcode or address. The venture brings together 80 per cent of
electrotechnical Competent Persons Scheme registrants, while more than 90 per cent of all building control notifications will be issued by those on the Register. The Electrical Safety Register is a one-stop- shop for consumers and specifiers, featuring more than 33,000 contractors from across the UK, including Northern Ireland, that are registered with NICEIC, ELECSA and ECA certification schemes , as well as 3,000 ECA registered members (more details of the listings are included in the ‘What does it all mean’ section of this article overleaf). As all contractors will have been assessed against
rigorous technical standards, the online register offers protection to both householders and commercial consumers alike. It is the definitive searchable database for electrical contractors, and will be promoted to hundreds of thousands of specifiers by the ECA and ESC. Those on the Register will be able to display the new Electrical Safety Register logo on their vehicles, websites and company stationery.
Certsure Certsure is a newly-created joint venture company that is 50/50 owned and governed by the ECA and ESC.
November 2012 ECA Today 27
‘The customer was at the start of this process and they are at the heart of the partnership that we are building. The good news is, they don’t have to do anything. To enjoy the same services tomorrow that they enjoy today, they need to do absolutely nothing. There will be, in that sense, no changes.’ However, Clancy promised: ‘While it is the same in
We believe this will provide unity for our sector, simplicity for our clients and consumers, and it will provide benefits for contractors
that sense, it’s also going to be a lot, lot better. We have ideas and a programme of benefits that we will be drip-feeding to our customers over the forthcoming months and years.’ These will include extensive promotional activities
to help customers get new business. Excellent customer service is also promised, with a commitment to helping customers technically and raising standards across the organisation.
Welcome change The signatories of the agreement were ECA president Paul McNaughton and ESC chair Charles Tanswell. ‘This partnership marks a new beginning for the
electrical contracting industry,’ said McNaughton. ‘This is about the industry showing leadership and self-regulation. There is strength in unity, and this alliance unites the key electrical industry players: the sector trade association, the electrical consumer
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