The NICEIC has announced charges of £1.50 per notification to provide an insurance-backed warranty for notifiable work under its Part P domestic installer competent person scheme.

The NICEIC's warranty scheme became operational on 1 April 2006. All Part P scheme operators are required by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) to make arrangements for contractors to offer a warranty for domestic work carried out under Part P.

The NICEIC has decided to make the warranty compulsory for all notifications. The £1.50 warranty is in addition to the £1.50 that installers already have to pay for notification of domestic work to Part P.

An irate domestic installer, who contacted EMC but who wished to remain anonymous, said it was not told of these extra charges when registering with the NICEIC.

"At the time that our Part P scheme was introduced we were still researching our options on the type of policy," said Phil Buckle, marketing and business development director at the NICEIC. "We believe we have introduced a warranty at the lowest possible cost to contractors. £1.50 for six years' cover works out at 25p/year, a cost they can pass on to customers and use to their commercial advantage."

An issue still remains over ECA members that are enrolled with the NICEIC's Part P scheme. Such firms effectively have two warranties in place for domestic work. Will the NICEIC waive its £1.50 warranty charges in such cases? "We are waiting for clarification that the ECA's warranty meets the ODPM's criteria," said Buckle. "Should we get such clarification, we will look at the matter carefully."

Source

Electrical and Mechanical Contractor