UK Competent Person Schemes — explained
NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA, BESCA, Certsure, ECA — and how to register details in WireWrite
In one sentence: a Competent Person Scheme is a Government-authorised registration that lets electricians self-certify Part P notifiable work in dwellings (England and Wales) without involving Building Control — saving days of wait and the council inspection fee.
What is a Competent Person Scheme?
A Competent Person Scheme (CPS) is a UK Government-authorised registration scheme. Members can self-certify that their electrical work complies with the Building Regulations Part P (Electrical Safety) — without notifying the local authority Building Control beforehand.
In return for the authorisation, scheme members are audited annually (typically one site visit per year, a desk review of certificates, and a periodic technical review). When a member completes notifiable work, they lodge the certificate via the scheme's portal and the scheme notifies Building Control on their behalf within 30 days.
Without scheme membership, every piece of notifiable Part P work has to be either notified to Building Control in advance (with fees and an inspection visit), or certified retrospectively by a registered third-party certifier (which is more expensive and slower).
The seven recognised schemes
All seven are listed on the Competent Person Register. WireWrite supports all of them as options on your profile.
NICEIC
National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting. Part of the Certsure group. The most established and widely recognised scheme; "NIC EIC" appears on millions of UK consumer units.
NAPIT
National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers. The second-largest scheme by membership. Wider trade coverage (gas, plumbing) alongside electrical.
ELECSA
Also part of the Certsure group (same parent as NICEIC). Historically the route for general builders' electrical certification; increasingly absorbed into the NICEIC route.
STROMA
STROMA Certification. Multi-trade scheme; covers electrical alongside MCS solar/PV and other building services trades.
BESCA
Building Engineering Services Competence Accreditation. The CIBSE/BESA-affiliated scheme; strong on building-services electrical work in commercial and high-rise contexts.
Certsure
Parent body of NICEIC and ELECSA. You enrol via NICEIC or ELECSA rather than "Certsure" directly, but the underlying authorisation is Certsure.
ECA
Electrical Contractors' Association. The trade body for larger commercial / industrial electrical contractors; ECA membership often runs alongside NICEIC or NAPIT enrolment.
Part P — what's notifiable?
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 sets the safety requirement for fixed electrical installations in dwellings (England and Wales). It doesn't itself prescribe the wiring rules — that's BS 7671's job — but it sets the duty that any work must be carried out by someone with sufficient knowledge and skill.
Notifiable work is the subset that must be either self-certified by a CPS member or notified to Building Control. Following the 2013 Part P amendments, notifiable work includes:
- Installation of a new circuit (e.g. new ring final, new dedicated 32 A spur for an oven)
- Replacement of a consumer unit (or distribution board in a dwelling)
- Any addition or alteration to existing circuits in a special location — bathroom, shower room, swimming pool, sauna
- Connection of an electric vehicle charge point (Building Regulations 2021 amendments)
Like-for-like accessory replacement, repair, maintenance and additions to existing circuits outside special locations are not notifiable. They still need a BS 7671 Minor Works Certificate; they just don't need to go through Building Control or a scheme.
Registering your scheme details in WireWrite
WireWrite uses a self-certify system — you enter your scheme membership details yourself and tick the verified box to confirm they're accurate. No document upload is required.
Required details
- Scheme name — pick from NICEIC / NAPIT / ELECSA / STROMA / BESCA / Certsure / ECA. Must match your actual enrolment.
- Enrolment number — e.g. "NICEIC 654321" or "NAPIT 12345". Contractor-level enrolments may be shared across employees at the same firm.
- Grade or role — Qualified Supervisor, Approved Electrician, JIB Technician, Building Control notification, or other.
- Enrolment expiry date — the date your current enrolment lapses (usually annual renewal).
Steps
- 1Open Settings and find the Registration Verification section.
- 2Pick your scheme, enter enrolment number, grade and expiry.
- 3Tick the verified box to confirm the details are accurate.
- 4Click Save. You can now issue BS 7671 certificates with your scheme details auto-stamped on every cert.
Team accounts: If you work for a firm registered with NICEIC/NAPIT/etc., every electrician on the team can enter the same contractor enrolment number on their personal profile — the scheme registration is at company level, not per electrician.
Expiry warnings
WireWrite monitors your enrolment expiry and warns you before it lapses:
- •Amber warning — less than 90 days until expiry. Renew with your scheme provider soon.
- •Red warning — enrolment has expired. You cannot issue new certificates until you renew and update the expiry date in Settings.
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Frequently asked questions
What is a UK Competent Person Scheme?
A Competent Person Scheme is a UK Government-authorised registration scheme that allows electrical contractors to self-certify that their work complies with the Building Regulations Part P (Electrical Safety) without involving the local authority Building Control. Members are audited annually and can lodge notifiable work directly with the scheme provider, who notifies Building Control on their behalf.
Which schemes are recognised in England and Wales?
The seven Government-authorised schemes for electrical work are NICEIC, NAPIT, ELECSA, STROMA, BESCA, Certsure, and the ECA. All are listed on the Competent Person Register at competentperson.co.uk. NICEIC and ELECSA are part of the Certsure group; the underlying authorisation is identical.
Do I need scheme membership to issue an EIC?
Not strictly — a competent person can produce a BS 7671 Electrical Installation Certificate without being scheme-registered. But for Part P notifiable work in a dwelling (England and Wales), the work must be either self-certified by a scheme member or notified to Building Control beforehand and inspected. Without scheme membership the Building Control route applies, which adds time, fees and inspection visits.
What is Part P?
Part P of the Building Regulations 2010 covers electrical safety in dwellings in England and Wales. It requires that anyone carrying out fixed electrical installation work in a dwelling has the knowledge and skills to do so safely. Notifiable work (new circuits, consumer unit replacement, work in bathrooms/special locations) must be either self-certified by a Competent Person Scheme member or notified to Building Control.
What information does WireWrite store?
WireWrite stores your scheme name (e.g. NICEIC), enrolment number, grade/role (Qualified Supervisor, Approved Electrician, etc.) and the date your enrolment expires. These appear on the certificates you issue under the BS 7671 Appendix 6 "Details of contractor / installer" block. You self-certify the information; WireWrite does not contact the scheme provider to verify.
Is Scotland or Northern Ireland different?
Part P does not apply in Scotland or Northern Ireland — the equivalents are the Building (Scotland) Regulations and the Building Regulations (Northern Ireland) respectively. Both still require BS 7671 compliance for fixed installation work, but the certification and notification routes differ. SELECT in Scotland and JIB-NI in NI operate as the dominant scheme bodies but are not direct Part P equivalents.