Which level is appropriate for my company?
The ‘Listed’ level is primarily designed for the smaller company that will normally be a 2nd or 3rd tier subcontractor level in a supply chain that needs to demonstrate they have the appropriate business structure and policies in place, together with public and employee liability insurances. Health & Safety policies are subject to a biennial CHAS compliance assessment and financial probity is evaluated annually by Graydon UK Ltd. The
‘Accredited’ level is designed for companies that actively interface with clients and other participants in the supply chain. At this level all the information submitted for the ‘Listed’ level, together with full CHAS or Safe Contractor accreditation and financial probity elements, is subjected to annual independent inspection to the BS EN 45011 standard by a UKAS-accredited Certification body.
A company should select the most appropriate standard to match its commercial needs. The scheme embraces all construction sectors including the professions.
What is a 'Company information Profile' (CIP)?
This is an online questionnaire that covers over 375 pieces of management information in 12 topical sections including finance; health & safety; insurance; management procedures; customer care; human resources, equal opportunities, training, quality assurance and technical capability. Many of the questions just require simple yes/no answers and guidance notes are adjacent to the questions.
Completing this electronic ‘Company Information Profile’ (CIP) may appear at first to be a lengthy procedure. In fact, its completion is straightforward and may be undertaken in manageable ‘chunks’. You are not obliged to complete it at one sitting – you can save your work at regular intervals (e.g. having completed a section) and return/reopen it later to complete further sections. However, it is recommended that you familiarise yourself with the whole CIP before starting to complete it.
How do I become 'Listed'?
First, you need to complete a ‘company information profile’ (CIP) online. Second, you need your health & safety policy and related information assessed by CHAS or an equivalent scheme. In addition, the information presented in your CIP needs supporting by uploading some relevant documentation e.g. a copy of your Certificate of Incorporation.
How long does it take to become 'Listed'?
Typically it depends on the availability of the supporting documentation but the qestions take about 2- 3 hours to complete. They do not have to be completed in one sitting. On average companies are taking 3-4 weeks.
Can I get training to help prepare me for certification?
Training programmes are available for micro and small businesses from recognised training providers e.g. Successtrain
Funding streams which subsidise construction training programmes are often difficult to identify because the funding organisations differ from region to region. Accordingly, funding and/or sponsorship cannot be guaranteed. The training provider generally will identify subsidies available at the time of enquiry. Currently SME’s have been able to offset much of their training costs through regional grant aid. Further funding may be available from ConstructionSkills for those companies in scope.
What are the commercial benefits of being 'Listed' ?
The ‘Listed’ level enables a company to efficiently disclose to its clients and supply chain partners certain key information about the policies and practices by which it is managed. This provides the ‘Listed’ company with a competitive advantage over those companies that cannot or are unwilling to do so. ‘Listed’ status companies are displayed to public and private sector clients alike, and to those main contractors, that are looking to set up supply chains. Domestic clients are also able to view these companies' summaries provided they register as a user.
'Listed' status is regarded by many as both a first step in serious business development and a valuable marketing tool. It assists in winning financial support for company training programmes.
What is the 'Accredited' level?
This level builds on the ‘Listed’level by confirming, through an annual inspection by a UKAS-accredited certification body, the company’s policies, practices, procedures and their correct application.
This inspection is in two parts. First, it verifies that the standards and requirements are fully understood, that documentary procedures are in place to meet the requirements and are being correctly operated. Second, site visits verify that the requirements and procedures are being met in a practical manner at the point of delivery to the client. Any weaknesses identified by the inspection could result in a failure, however, a reasonable period of time is allowed for remedial procedures to be implemented by the company.
How long does it take to become 'Accredited'?
Once 'Listing' has been achieved, the inspection by a CB typically takes 2 months to arrange and complete.
What are the commercial benefits of being 'Accredited' ?
First, certain clients will favour ‘Accredited’ companies because they receive real time validation of companies’ competencies and founding which has been confirmed by independent inspection against relevant industry standards .
Second, insurers can be confident that risk assessments of a company’s liabilities have been undertaken and are current. Zurich UK Insurance, acknowledging the reduction in risk, currently offers preferential terms to ‘Accredited’ companies.
Finally, ‘Accredited’ companies have a unique platform for promoting their high level competencies and thereby enhance their market standing.
Can branches and subsidiary companies join the service?
At present, incorporated subsidiary companies are treated as individual applicants with full fees applying. At the 'Accredited' level in the case of companies with branch offices, the head office is member that is inspected annually together with a proportion of branches. However, there is nothing precluding a branch becoming a 'Listed' member in its own right.
Do I need to be registered with CHAS?
Not necessarily but the service does record independent Health & Safety assessment and currently accepts CHAS ‘compliance’ at the ’Listed’ level and CHAS ‘accredited’ or Safe Contractor ‘accredited’ at the ‘Accredited’ level.
Can I become 'Trustmark' registered via the service?
Member companies are able to gain TrustMark certification via a supplementary application to BM Trada Certification Ltd., who are a TrustMark scheme operator. All Trustmark companies must be able to offer an insurance backed warranty. In most cases the additional charge for TrustMark registration will be minimal. Details are available from BM Trada Certification Ltd.
What are the benefits offered by Zurich Insurance to 'Accredited' companies?
Working in partnership with CIAPS , Zurich Insurance has developed a unique insurance facility for construction companies that are CIAPS members in recognition of the independently validated competencies and standards. This facility is a rating model that provides registered companies with preferential rates. ' Accredited' companies will benefit from a unique cash rebate* clause designed to reward superior performance.
If there are no claims 15%
If claims do not exceed 40% of premiums 10%
If claims do not exceed 50% of premiums 7.5%
If claims do not exceed 60% of premiums 5%
* subject to renewal and the Employer's Liability, Public Liability and Contractors All Risks covers being held by Zurich. The rebate is paid in cash and is not a discount off the next renewal. Currently this facility only applies to Contractors and is not extended to professional advisors (i.e. those requiring Professional Indemnity insurance) or manufacturers. See here.
For a quotation, construction companies should ask their insurance broker to contact Paul Furness at Zurich Construction, t: 0121 697 8789; e:paul.furness@uk.zurich.com , quoting “ CIAPS / Zurich Insurance Facility”
Why do clients use the service?
Public and larger private clients use the service primarily because it enables them facilitate their risk assessments and satisfy their due diligence requirements whilst profoundly simplifying their procurement process.
How do clients see my company's information?
There are two levels of access for clients. The first is a free low level simple ‘search and contact’ facility that is open to any registered client and only the company's certification status and overview is displayed.
The second higher level is restricted to those clients that have a status tracking group facility. This allows them to view companies’ industry profiles, track status and request full information from the company. As the website has very intuitive navigation the resultant savings in administrative burden for local authority clients are profound and substantial cost savings may be realised.
Can a member company register with the service as a client ?
Member companies are not precluded from registering as clients and should apply via the client registration page. However, access is limited to a member company's overview only. Access to a company's industry profile is confined to those clients or managing contrctors that have status tracking groups.
What are the key features of the service?
- Savings
a) CIAPS systems can be used by prime suppliers to establish integrated supply chains based on validated risk and to remove the hassle of verifying and maintaining in-house sub-contractor lists.
b) No special software is required to use CIAPS systems. The system has very intuitive navigation so the resultant savings in administrative burden are profound.
- Flexibility
a) Clients and their partners can set/add/amend the ‘criteria’ in house without recourse to the service's admor expensive software development.
b) Participating companies have freedom of choice over certification bodies - certification inspections can be combined with other scheme’s audits.
c) Participating companies can, if they wish, choose their training providers - and training can be combined with other programmes.
- Transparency
a) All CIAPS certification systems are transparent. The standard system exerts no obligation on a participating company to progress to a level that is beyond its commercial needs.
b) Participating companies own their datasets and may draw down all or part of their dataset to support a PQQ.
- Security
The web software and data are hosted centrally on secure servers that are supported by a full back-up and disaster recovery service. This allows real time updating online by companies, training and certification bodies.
Who sets the standards?
The standards used. wherever possible, are those commonly used by the construction industry e.g. for Health & Safety to use CHAS/ISO 18001 and for customer quality and environmental management to use ISO 9001:2000 and ISO 14001:2004 respectively. This has the added benefit that compliance acts as a business improvement tool, helping consolidate best practice principles and achieving greater productivity and profitability.
How does the service differ from with other industry registers?
The service provides a single, universal industry standard to meet the objective pre-qualification requirements of procuring clients. Other industry registers have sought to address specific client needs but none have sought the annual and systematic independent accreditation to BS EN 45011 of a core set of company data. CIAPS significantly reduces the risk assessments that procuring clients are often obliged to undertake and also markedly improves their due diligence defence.