NEWSDESK
NADC celebrates 15th anniversary
NADC was founded 15 years ago to ensure that the drainage industry voice, and particularly that of the small contractor, would be heard by Government during the passage of the Private Sewers and Drainage Bill which hit the statute books in 2011. During the engagement with Government led by Peter Stacey and Martin Beattie, there was a desire expressed by the Environment Agency for an industry body to introduce training and certification for drainage operatives and the introduction of industry standards. Peter and Martin decided that NADC should take on this challenge and set about creating qualifications for Water Jetting, CCTV and ElectroMech and building the Association to set standards for the industry.
Fast forward 15 years, and NADC is a testament to the vision of the founders. From a handful of members, NADC now numbers nearly 400 and is still growing. With a new range of member benefits being introduced over the coming months (starting with Van Assist and Discount Fuel Cards last month), that number is projected to continue increasing. The range of EU Skills accredited qualifications now covers nearly all disciplines, with the addition of a Vacuuming and Tankering course in the next few weeks.
There are many other achievements over
the years, perhaps the most important being the introduction of DrainSafe, the industry-approved contractor scheme, fulfilling the commitment to set industry standards. With the recognition of DrainSafe by Wessex Water now well established and the results in terms of customer satisfaction now measurable, conversations with other water companies are progressing well. It was always planned to take a geographical approach to the roll out of DrainSafe, and NADC members in those areas where the roll out will happen next will be informed well in advance so they can apply for DrainSafe registration. In the meantime, more and more stakeholders are stating a preference for DrainSafe registered contractors in tender documents.
For larger contractors, NADC has pushed hard for the rewriting of the Guidance for Gully Maintenance, and this is now a project being progressed by CIRIA. It has introduced a Hydrant App to improve productivity and reduce the risk of prosecution by water companies, and as an extension to this will be piloting a smart standpipe this month as a prelude to members being able to use a single standpipe across all water companies. NADC will be competing with Aquam for future water company hydrant standpipe contracts. In addition, the hydrant App now also contains a database of waste sites nationally and will be further developed as set out below.
The Hydrant App will become the NADC App with a range of additional functions and features for the benefit of all members. First, there will be subcontracting functionality for members to place work with each other, with strict conditions in respect of any attempt to ‘steal’ customer relationships. There will also be a feature to advertise spare capacity, something that water companies have expressed interest in, particularly tanker availability. Supplier members of NADC will be able to promote special NADC ‘member only’ offers through the App using notifications to attract the members' attention. In addition, all NADC guidance documents will be available through the App, and the Association will use the App to communicate news items with members.
Peter Stacey with Harry Redknapp at the 2024 Natiuonal Drainage Awards
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Martin Beattie with Frank Bruno during an NADC networking event at the 2022 National Drainage Show
| May 2025 |
draintraderltd.com
In the meantime, NADC continues to invest in its website and ‘find a contractor’ feature to optimise the direction of business for members from those looking to find a contractor online.
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