Choosing an electrical contractor is one of the more consequential decisions a facilities manager, landlord or business owner makes. The contractor you appoint will be working on systems that can cause fire and electric shock, producing certificates and reports that you rely on to demonstrate compliance, and often working in occupied buildings around your staff, residents or customers.
Scheme registration, such as NICEIC, is the obvious place to start, and with good reason. But a logo on a van or website is not proof of anything on its own, and not all registrations cover the same type of work. This guide explains what NICEIC registration means, the difference between the main schemes, how to verify a contractor properly and what else to check before you sign an order.
Key takeaways
- NICEIC assesses registered businesses against BS 7671 and other relevant standards, with regular surveillance assessments after registration.
- The Approved Contractor scheme covers commercial, industrial and domestic work; the Domestic Installer scheme is limited to domestic work within Part P.
- Always verify registration on the NICEIC register yourself; do not rely on logos, which are sometimes misused.
- Check that the registered business name and address match the company you are contracting with.
- Registration is a starting point. Also check insurance, health and safety accreditation, relevant experience and the quality of sample reports.
What NICEIC registration actually means
NICEIC is a certification body for the electrical contracting industry. Businesses apply to join one of its schemes, pay a fee and are assessed. During assessment, an NICEIC assessor reviews the business’s work, records and procedures and meets its Qualified Supervisor, the person responsible for the technical standard of the electrical work, and its Principal Duty Holder. Once certified, the business is subject to surveillance assessments, normally at annual intervals, which typically include inspection of samples of completed work.
That ongoing assessment is the real value of registration. It means someone independent has looked at the contractor’s actual installations and paperwork, recently, against BS 7671 and the scheme’s requirements. It does not guarantee that every job will be perfect, but it significantly reduces the risk of appointing someone who does not know or follow the standards.
Why competence matters to you as the client
For employers and building operators, contractor competence is not just a quality issue. The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 require that people carrying out electrical work have the technical knowledge or experience needed to prevent danger, or are appropriately supervised, and the HSE’s guidance on electrical safety at work places clear expectations on those who control premises and commission work. If something goes wrong, you may be asked how you satisfied yourself that the contractor was competent. Choosing a registered business, checking its scope and keeping a record of your checks gives you a straightforward answer. It also protects your own staff, residents and visitors, who are the people most exposed if work is done badly.
Note: Registration relates to the business, not to every individual it employs. A registered contractor is responsible for ensuring that the people it sends to your site are competent and properly supervised, so it is reasonable to ask who will actually carry out the work.
Approved Contractor vs Domestic Installer
NICEIC operates more than one scheme, and the difference matters when you are choosing a contractor for a commercial or mixed-use building. NICEIC’s own electrical scheme guide sets out the scope of each.
| Approved Contractor | Domestic Installer | |
|---|---|---|
| Intended for | Businesses carrying out design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of electrical installations to BS 7671 | Businesses carrying out electrical installation work within the scope of Approved Document P |
| Type of premises | Commercial, industrial and domestic | Domestic only |
| Condition reporting | Includes installation condition reporting | Scope limited to domestic installation work within Part P |
| Ongoing assessment | Surveillance assessments, normally annual | Surveillance assessments, normally annual |
| Building Regulations notification | Not the focus of the scheme; check scope if you need notifiable domestic work | Built around self-certifying notifiable domestic work under Part P |
| Typical client | Facilities managers, commercial landlords, public sector estates, businesses | Homeowners and residential landlords |
If you manage offices, retail units, schools, healthcare premises, commercial kitchens or the common parts of residential blocks, look for a contractor registered for commercial work. A Domestic Installer may be an excellent electrician, but their scheme registration does not cover your type of building. NICEIC also lists other schemes, including one aimed at the rented sector, so check which scheme a contractor holds rather than assuming.
Competent Person Schemes and Part P
In England and Wales, Part P of the Building Regulations covers the safety of electrical installations in dwellings. Certain domestic electrical work is notifiable, including adding a new circuit, replacing a consumer unit and work in special locations such as rooms containing a bath or shower. Notifiable work has to be either approved by building control or carried out by an installer registered with a government-authorised competent person scheme, who can self-certify it.
NICEIC is one of several electrical scheme operators, alongside others such as NAPIT. When a registered installer completes notifiable work, the scheme notifies building control and issues a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate to the customer. Without approval or self-certification, the government’s guidance on building regulations approval warns that you may not have the certificates you need when you come to sell.
Members of electrical competent person schemes are also listed on the Competent Persons Register, which offers another way for householders to find registered electricians. For commercial premises, Part P does not apply in the same way, but other parts of the Building Regulations can, and in higher-risk residential buildings most building work now needs approval from the Building Safety Regulator unless an exemption applies. Our guide to the Building Safety Act for facilities managers explains how competent person scheme work is treated in those buildings.
How to check the NICEIC register
Checking takes only a few minutes and should be part of every appointment. NICEIC explains how to check whether an electrician is registered; in summary:
- Use the “Find a trusted tradesperson” tool on the NICEIC website and choose to browse tradespeople.
- Search for the business by name. For a sole trader, search for the electrician’s own name.
- Check that the listed trading address and contact details match the company that has quoted you.
- If you cannot find them, contact NICEIC’s customer services, as a business is sometimes registered under a different trading name.
Warning: NICEIC warns that rogue traders have used its logo without being registered. Always check the register yourself, even if the logo appears on a van, website or letterhead, and make sure the registered entity is the same legal entity named on your contract and invoice.
For larger contracts, it is also sensible to ask the contractor for evidence of their scheme registration and to keep a copy with your procurement records. Under the Building Regulations dutyholder regime, clients commissioning building work must take reasonable steps to check the competence of the people they appoint, and a documented check makes that easy to demonstrate.
Beyond the badge: what else to check
Scheme registration tells you a lot about technical standards. It does not tell you everything you need to know to appoint a contractor for a commercial building. Consider the following as well.
Insurance
Ask for current certificates for public liability and employer’s liability insurance, and professional indemnity insurance where the contractor is responsible for design. Check that the limits are appropriate for your building and contract.
Health and safety accreditation
Many organisations ask for accreditation through schemes that belong to Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP), such as CHAS or SafeContractor. These assess a contractor’s health and safety management and reduce the need for repeated pre-qualification questionnaires.
Individual competence
Ask about the qualifications and experience of the electricians who will attend. Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) cards are widely used in the industry to show an individual’s qualifications and occupation. For inspection and testing, ask what specific inspection and testing qualifications the inspector holds.
Relevant experience
A contractor who mainly rewires houses may not be the right fit for a live airport concession, a hospital department or a block of flats with residents in occupation. Ask for examples of similar work and how they managed access, isolations and disruption.
Quality of paperwork
Ask for an anonymised sample EICR or certificate. Is it complete, clear and specific about locations and circuits? Are observation codes explained? Poor paperwork is often a sign of a poor inspection. Our guide to EICR codes C1, C2, C3 and FI explains what a good report should tell you.
Questions to ask before you appoint
Use this checklist when comparing quotations:
- Which scheme are you registered with, and does it cover commercial work?
- Can you provide current insurance certificates and health and safety accreditation?
- Who will carry out the work, and what are their qualifications?
- Will any work be subcontracted, and if so, how are subcontractors vetted?
- Can you provide risk assessments and method statements before work starts?
- What certification will we receive, and how will it be delivered?
- How do you handle defects found during the work and how will you quote for them?
- Can you show us examples of similar projects and a sample report?
The paperwork you should receive
Every electrical job should end with the correct documentation. Knowing what to expect helps you spot gaps.
| Type of work | Document you should receive |
|---|---|
| New installation, rewire or new circuit | Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) with schedules of inspections and test results |
| Alteration or addition to an existing circuit | Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate |
| Periodic inspection and testing | Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) with observations and test results |
| Notifiable domestic work by a registered installer | Building Regulations Compliance Certificate, issued via the scheme, in addition to the electrical certificate |
| Emergency lighting or fire alarm work | Certificates and logbook entries to the relevant standards (BS 5266 or BS 5839-1) |
Keep these documents together in a single, accessible system. They form part of your evidence that the installation is safe, and for higher-risk buildings they are part of the information you need to maintain.
Red flags to watch for
Most contractors are professional and honest, but the following should prompt further questions:
- a registration that cannot be found on the scheme’s register, or is held by a differently named business;
- reluctance to provide insurance certificates or references;
- an EICR price that seems too low for the size of the installation, which may mean too little time on site to test properly;
- reports with large numbers of FI codes or vague observations without locations;
- pressure to approve expensive remedial work immediately without an itemised quotation;
- no clear information about who will carry out the work or how it will be supervised.
NICEIC also offers its Platinum Promise as a consumer safety net where a certified business has ceased trading, but commercial clients should treat their contract, warranties and insurance as their main protection.
How JKS London can help
JKS London is an NICEIC approved contractor and has been delivering electrical compliance, maintenance and installation work across London and the South East since 2004. Our accreditations, including NICEIC, CHAS and SafeContractor, are listed on our accreditations page. We work for commercial, public sector, retirement living and airport clients, and we are happy to provide the evidence you need for your procurement records.
Explore our electrical compliance and installations and refurbishment services, learn more about JKS London, or contact us to arrange a free, no-obligation site visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is it a legal requirement to use an NICEIC-registered electrician?
No. There is no legal requirement to use a contractor registered with any particular scheme. However, the law does require electrical work to be carried out safely by competent people, and scheme registration is one of the most practical ways to evidence competence.
Is NICEIC better than NAPIT or other schemes?
Each government-authorised scheme assesses its members against the relevant standards, and good contractors are registered with each of them. What matters more is that the contractor's registration covers the type of work you need and that they can demonstrate relevant experience.
What is the NICEIC Platinum Promise?
It is a safety net offered by NICEIC: if an NICEIC-certified business carries out unsafe or unsatisfactory work within its scope and has since ceased trading, NICEIC may arrange for the work to be put right, subject to its terms and conditions. Commercial clients should still rely primarily on their contract, warranties and insurance.
Can a Domestic Installer carry out an EICR on my office?
The Domestic Installer scheme covers domestic work within the scope of Part P. Commercial periodic inspection and testing falls outside that scope, so for offices and other commercial premises you should look for a contractor registered for commercial work, such as an NICEIC Approved Contractor.
Written by the JKS London technical team. NICEIC-approved engineers and compliance specialists maintaining airports, retirement villages, commercial and public-sector buildings since 2004. This guide is general information — for advice on your premises book a free site visit.
