UKAS case study - CIBSE Certification

Formed in 1976, CIBSE aims to the advance and promote the art, science and practice of building services engineering.? In addition to investing in education and research, part of CIBSE’s Royal Charter is to support its global community of 20,000 built environment professionals in the pursuit of excellence.? To help CIBSE achieve these goals, its wholly owned subsidiary CIBSE Certification Ltd provides certification services to the built environment, counting many industry-leading organisations among its customers.? CIBSE Certification uses surplus funds to both expand its certification services and support CIBSE’s charitable aims.??

CIBSE Certification’s accreditation journey began in 2007 with it seeking accreditation against ISO 17024, the international personnel certification standard.? Today, the organisation has over 1,000 registered competent personnel and is the only UKAS accredited provider of both EPC (Energy Performance Certificates) and DEC (Display Energy Certificates) energy assessor competency schemes.? CIBSE Certification’s expansion into accredited management systems certification was inspired by its work around ESOS (Energy Savings Opportunity Scheme) regulations.? Driven by customer demand, the company gained UKAS accreditation against ISO 17021 for certification of ISO 50001 Energy Management systems in 2017.?

Over the next few years, the scope of this ISO 17021 accreditation was extended to cover other management systems certifications, including ISO 9001 (quality) in 2018, ISO 14001 (Environmental) in 2021 and, culminating in ISO 45001 (occupational health and safety) in 2024.? Management system services are primarily designed for engineering, consulting and property management organisations that prioritise expertise, tailored to the built environment sector.?

Highlighting the benefits of boasting a broad scope of management systems accreditations, CIBSE Certification’s Director Kieran O’Brien said: “Most of our clients have integrated systems and require a combination of ISOs 9001, 14001, 45001 and 50001 management systems certifications.? Developing this comprehensive portfolio of UKAS accredited services has helped us increase the spectrum of certification work we do with each individual client, usually from an initial one or two management systems to encompass three or in some cases all four management systems.”?

UKAS accreditation has been crucial to CIBSE Certification both growing its potential marketplace and meeting customer expectations, as Kieran explains:? “Although holding UKAS accreditation is technically voluntary for the services we provide, it is highly valued across the built environment, making it a practical requirement of operating in certain sectors.? In many cases, accreditation is something clients assume a reputable and professional certification body who delivers a reliable and impartial service would have.? They often specify accreditation as a minimum requirement of their tendering process, so without accreditation we wouldn’t have been able to get over the first hurdle.”???

Outlining how accreditation has helped CIBSE Certification win the race to convert potential tenders into actual business Kieran said: “Whilst our industry knowledge and being part of CIBSE are certainly attractive to customers, ultimately, it’s our competency and sector expertise that drives their purchasing decisions.? Holding UKAS accreditation enables us to demonstrate that our technical competence and impartiality have been robustly assessed by an internationally recognised and respected body.? In addition to levelling the playing field and raising overall standards within the industry, accreditation allows us to provide independently verifiable evidence of claims and helps to differentiate ourselves from the competition.”?

Going through the accreditation process has also enabled CIBSE Certification refine and improve its own procedures and services with the minimum of disruption to the normal business cycle, benefitting both the company and its customers.? Kieran said: “We have invested a great deal of time and effort into gaining, maintaining and extending the scope of our accreditation.? UKAS assessments provide a comprehensive overview and valuable insight into the consistency of processes and quality of services.? This has helped us identify and incorporate efficiencies and embed updated best practices seamlessly into our operational plan, providing clients with continuity and competency.”?

Commenting on the additional positive effects accreditation has had on expanding the business, Kieran concluded: “Our UKAS accreditation for both management systems and personnel competency certifications provides confidence and assurance to both clients and scheme operators that we are a credible certification body.? It has been instrumental in enhancing the company’s overall reputation beyond the scope of our accreditation, and in turn contributed to CIBSE Certification being appointed as the UK administrator of the Australian NABERS building efficiency rating system.”?