From little acorns...

Sustainability is increasingly important for the building industry, with government initiatives pushing for more environmentally friendly practices in all sectors. Both the Code for Sustainable Homes and the government’s sustainable procurement action plan mean new business for electrical contractors who can demonstrate they are managing their environmental impact by reducing their carbon footprints.

In early 2007, the government launched its sustainable procurement action plan, which has prompted public sector purchasers to push sustainable procurement down through the supply chain. Any electrical contractors working with public sector clients such as local authorities or housing associations should aim to demonstrate they are actively managing their environmental impact in order to compete for and win tenders.

With the increased interest in the environment comes a focus on greener ways to generate electricity. The Code for Sustainable Homes has set out a long-term plan for a sustainable housebuilding programme in both the public and private sectors. Electrical contractors tendering for work under the programme will need to show they are managing their carbon footprint and will also need to supply evidence that they are competent to install renewable energy sources such as wind turbines and photovoltaic or solar panels.

Electrical contractors who can prove to their clients that they actively manage their environmental impact are much more likely to win these contracts.

So what can electrical contractors do to get a foot in the door? ISO 14001 is the internationally recognised Environmental Management System (EMS) standard and indeed, the most widely adopted environmental standard in the world. It is used by many organisations to help them manage their environmental impact.

If small- to medium-sized companies want to attain ISO 14001, they may find it more practical to achieve in manageable phases. It is possible for smaller companies without substantial financial and human resources to reduce their carbon footprint and manage the process by taking the Acorn route to EMS certification.

The Acorn scheme breaks EMS down into six manageable phases. You don’t have to complete all six and can opt to go only as far as the level that best suits your needs. The scheme can be undertaken at a pace that suits your organisation and the resources and time available. The achievement of all the phases naturally progresses to ISO 14001, but each Acorn phase offers benefits that are recognised by potential clients.

In a world of ever increasing environmental legislation, you need to be able to identify applicable legal requirements and any future law that may be relevant to avoid regulatory action.

Phase 2 of Acorn focuses on identification of applicable legal requirements. Registration under the scheme to phase 3 will imbue your clients and the public with the confidence that you are controlling your environmental risks and legal compliance issues.

Braham Electrical in Warrenpoint, Northern Ireland, has attained phase 3 of the Acorn scheme. The medium-sized electrical contractor, which employs 82 staff, found that it needed to have environmental controls in place to win new business and has seen the benefit that the certification gives them.

Braham Electrical’s managing director Stephen McQuaid says: “Having the Acorn certification has allowed us to tender for and win several jobs, particularly with local schools and hospitals, which we would not have been able to contend for otherwise. It was a learning process, but one which has benefits for the company and lets our clients know that we are complying with government requirements.”

Braham Electrical is certified by NQA, the leading body accredited to certify under the Acorn scheme, which claims a 90% market share. To date, NQA has assessed more than 170 companies that have achieved certification through using the Acorn scheme.

NQA auditors profess to have a detailed knowledge of Acorn and ISO 14001, and extensive experience of auditing organisations of different sizes and complexity from a variety of sectors.

As part of the NICEIC Group, NQA understands the pressures facing those working in the industry on a day-to-day basis. The body’s assessors work closely with both management and employees at the company being audited to develop a thorough understanding of the business in order to deliver value-added certification services for contractors.