The ‘company information profile’ or CIP is composed of a set of standards and competencies which reflect the clients' and main contractors’ requirements of their partners and suppliers. Put simply, CIAPS database presents these standards as two online 'profiles' or question sets. The standard CIP information profile currently holds over 350 units of information in 12 sections. The sections are:
1. Contact and general company details
2. Trading
3. Financial probity
4. Insurances
5. Health and Safety/occupational health
6. Environmental sustainability (including waste management)
7. Equity (equal opportunities)
8. Human resources
9. Specialist expertise/technical capability
10. Quality assurance/ customer relations
11. Training
12. IT capability
The number of sections in the information profile may be expanded to include (if needed) specific information requested by a client or principal contractor to cover individual project needs. Independent verification of H&S compliance and financial probity checks are made at this point.
To achieve 'Accredited' status the second profile in the CIP, the 'certification profile', is verified by an annual inspection conducted by an independent certification body. Provided there are no outstanding non-conformances, the certification body confirms the company has achieved the standards and the company is shown on the CIAPS website as 'Accredited'. The CIAPS database holds each company's full CIP, including the inspection outcomes. The information therein belongs to the company and the company can revise or update its CIP content online at any time. CIAPS always seeks to recognise other comparable specialist competency schemes wherever it can, thereby avoiding duplication of effort. In particular, CIAPS dovetails with CHAS and/or Safe Contractor over health and safety assessment and with Graydon over financial probity evaluation. Click here to view a process flowchart.
There is further opportunity for those companies wishing to aspire to compliance with the Construction Commitments to seek an endorsement of their accreditation in any or all of the six Commitments (i.e. Procurement & Integration, Commitment to People, Client Leadership, Sustainability, Design, and advanced Health and Safety). This entails satisfying the certification body that key milestones have been met in integrating the Commitments into their company management structure and procedures (Click here to view a process flowchart). Each of the six commitments is addressed in CIAPS as a certification question set and most companies find the easiest way of reaching this standard is to combine its completion with a dedicated 12 day training programme over six months. See Training and Support.