What is The National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS)?
NERS was introduced to regulate and standardised electrical distribution in the UK by setting specific requirements, scopes, and responsibilities that Independent Connection Providers (ICPs) must follow when working on electricity networks on behalf of their clients. The scheme is recognised by all UK Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) and forms part of an initiative to introduce competent competition to the market.
In short, the scheme assesses the technical proficiency of electrical contractors to:
- Design.
- Project manage.
- Undertake electrical connections.
LRQA operate the scheme on behalf of DNOs and performs technical assessments of service providers and accredits them for contestable works associated with the installation of electrical connections. Once accredited, the service provider is a ‘NERS Provider’, also known as an ICP. Without NERS, it is not possible to have ICP stats, and the organisation would simply be an ‘electrical contractor’.
Being NERS accredited allows an ICP to tender for work within the constable connections markets. The Developer / Client can be confident that when work is complete, that the local DNO will adopt the connection. All contractors wanting to work on contestable connections must be suitably accredited for the scope of work they are to undertake.
At 68 pages long, the NERS standard is large (ISO 9001 is 28 pages). It covers 14 sections:
- Introduction and purpose.
- Responsibilities.
- Scopes.
- Role competency requirements.
- Subcontracted work.
- Methods of working.
- Work issue and control.
- Audit.
- Contract document and record control.
- Legislation, standards, and guidance.
- Quality and safety systems.
- Human resources procedures and training.
- Passport and ongoing competency records.
- Insurance.
Organisations that have a certified ISO 9001 Quality Management System, and / or and ISO 45001 Health and Safety Management System, have a bit of a head start. For example, there’s obvious links between responsibilities, work control, auditing and competency which allow an organisation to integrate the requirements of NERS into wider business processes. Despite this, it remains a sizeable undertaking. The cost of accreditation varies significantly based on the category and scope of accreditation. It could be as low as £5K for a narrow scope of Design or Project Management, or alternatively £20K for all scopes to 132kV. Further costs can be incurred following an LRQA audit if a revisit is required, for example because not all requirements have been met.
How can HSEQ-360 help?
As a builder of integrated management systems, we are able to identify the requirements of NERS and either make additions to the current or developing system or suggest a plan to address the key requirements. This may include undertaking a gap analysis, document reviews or creating processes and procedures to be dovetailed into existing arrangements.
With a varied team of Lead Auditors and Chartered Engineers across several disciplines that understand how to build systems that reflect the reality of an organisation, and having been through the NERS process, we are well placed to assist. Our usual approach is to:
- Assist in identifying the requirements that apply to the chosen scope.
- Create a plan of how best to meet the requirements. This could be modifying existing documents or creating new.
- Undertake an audit against the requirements to provide comfort or identify areas to address.
For further information, please see our website at www.hseq-360.co.uk or contact a member of the team on info@hseq-360.co.uk
