Part-P preparations. Not strictly DIY.

[Ed Sirett]

I have been working out the options for registering with CORGI for Part-P self-certification (will allow me to wire up boiler controls in kitchens and other wet areas and run a new circuit if needed). I have the £2m liability insurance. Tick.

The three sticking points (apart from £370 registration and assessment fees) are:

1) Certified test equipment (I've already got some 2nd hand kit but it is not certified. So that's £500 for a basic CALIBRATED 16th edition tester.

2) Exams - no problem but I need to find out where, when and how much.

3) And this is the gotcha - 'an insurance backed work guarantee lasting 6 years'. As yet I have not gone looking for a quote for this. Has anyone else made any inquiries about this. I am pretty pissed off about paying for a scheme that will simply pay for other peoples mistakes. [1] I can't ever see a claim being made by a customer on this - if things go wrong (which sometimes they do me) I fix them. If this premium were more than a few hundred a year....

All this has got me thinking - what if I didn't bother?

I only do so many jobs in the course of one year that would actually require a Part_P building notice. Of those I can square up to the customer and explain the situation. That means that unless they need the ticket because the are going to sell the property in the foreseeable future most will not be interested. That might only leave a few building notices per year and it might be simpler to actually submit a notice the cost would then be directly passed onto the 'concerned' customer. Perhaps £120 per job.

In fact it might work out better than that - a customer might choose to simply get everything inspected and tested before selling and might therefore be even less concerned about the paperwork on any one job.

This looks like it could work out cheaper than registering for self-certification.

As they used to say in exam papers: Discuss.

[1] More likely other peoples poor customer relations, in practice.

[Dave Jones]

Could you not get it calibrated?

2381- local college 12 weeks 3) And this is the gotcha - 'an insurance backed work guarantee lasting 6

You only have to provide an insurance backed guarantee if the customer wants one, which they will pay for, so you just have to have the ability to provide.

And if a unfriendly customer drops you in in, you can face a £5000 fine

[Owain]

"Ed Sirett" wrote | 2) Exams - no problem but I need to find out where, when and how much.

The IEE themselves do a couple-of-days course+exam packages for £££ -- but it might work out better than the day-release or evening classes over an extended period of time usually offered by Tech Colleges.

| 3) And this is the gotcha - 'an insurance backed work guarantee lasting | 6 years'.

Why do CORGI require this for electrical works but not (I assume, or you'd already have it) for gas works?

There are several schemes for Part P and it might be worth shopping around. Already in Scotland, HMO legislation requires electrical inspection so this might be a growing area of legislation to comply with in E&W. Especially if the CORGI scheme only covers you in relation to heating-related works, you might be better with another scheme that would allow you to offer your customers a more comprehensive service including testing and certification of wiring.

| I only do so many jobs in the course of one year that would | actually require a Part_P building notice.

Or you could just say bugger it.

Owain

[John Stumbles]

... it might be worth forgetting about the CORGI scheme and going for a full-blown Part P Domestic Installer ticket instead which would enable you to do more than put in a fused spur for a boiler. Crawley College and some bunch in Aylesbury are the only outfits that I know of doing this (down Sarf) and it seems to be about £1K and 5 days (assuming you don't have any relevant electrical qualifications).

I was planning to do this until I had a call from someone at IEE who said that my degree in elec eng might actually count for something after all and that I only need 2381 with it to get the DI ticket. If so it'll be the first time in [durrr, gets out fingers .... toes ... oh ever so many] years the damn' thing's actually counted for anything! (Wonder if I can still even find it?)

[Paul Barker]

The way I understood it when I spoke to Corgi after geting my renewa

pack. There is no qualification involved with the corgi scheme, just a assessment of competence and proof that you have access to necessar resources (though the corgi tech man I spoke to didn't know wha resources). He said that this would only cover us until 2008 afte which we would need a qualification. The insurance backed guarantee i a corgi requirement to be in their scheme.

I did a web search and thought one of those part p courses for circ £800 followed by one in using the test equipment looked more appealing The corgi tech man was very negative about the whole thing, i.e. if yo want to enrol on our scheme you must be barmy sort of tone in hi voice, almost as though corgi feel obliged to try and help He Majesties Government sort out this mess they've created, but withu puting their heart into it.

Where do you get the test equipment for £500?

Should we bother? Tricky one, I only see excessive additional costs fo me to carry on doing the job I've always done by the book anyway. I a offended and my pocket is bruised, who's got to pay? The futur customers.

If it's anything like the unvented situation it won't be policed at al anyway.

We need it to bring closure to our jobs and get payed while th customer is still euphoric about having their new heating. If we hav to go back a week or two later after the electrician has been, custome will be over that initial euphoric period in which they write out kite' willy nilly, and you'll be into that "I can't find my cheque book period.

Pau

-- Paul Barker

[John]

That is not what CORGI are saying. IMHO CORGI are busily building empires and making up the frills to apply to this stupid OPDM bureaucracy as they go along. I interpret their demand as insurance backed guarantee beiing a requirement not an option

Not if your paperwork places the onus on the customer to take any action required to comply with part P on completion of your work.

This whole shooting match is a clusterfuck. I've been installing "correctly" for years and I am CORGI registered and an MIIE but despite this not recognised as competent to continue the electrical work without paying out yet again. Mind you I do have the neccessary test gear so its really just a matter of going for the 2381 when a local place is available and calibration checks. Another few years and I'll be saying sod it to give my knees a rest. Keep on writing to the MPs about the unneccessary part P bureacratic burden!

[Dave Jones]

"Customers must be offered a warranty "

>>>>>> All this has got me thinking - what if I didn't bother?

Don't know about that, suppose one of us will find out sooner or later!

Another thing in Ireland it cost £170 to get registered, still haven't found out what other European countries are charging, meant to be a common market!

[Mike Harrison]

make it a requirement to be able to offer a guarantee at additional cost if the customer wants it. I suspect it won't be long before the cartels start offereing their own guarantee scheme to swell their profits....

[John Rumm]

eBay sometimes, then get it calibrated...

What test gear do they say you need?

[Ed Sirett]

There is no similar requirement for gas work. It is the biggest obstacle in my view.

When electrical inspection becomes mandatory for rented accomodation on the lines of the gas inspections then the NICEIC/ECA route would obviously look attractive. A couple of grand to get established but then there wouold be a steady stream of work.

Right now the whole Part-P thing is looking like a totally unenforceable deep pile of excrement.

There must be an even larger group of people out their doing a range of electrical work from criminally negligent right up to excellent who don't even know there is anything to say "bugger it" about!

[Ed Sirett]

I think I've got ones of those lurking around somewhere...

[Ed Sirett]

Have a search on the net. That would be for a bottom end 16th ed tester with leads. Ex VAT.

Yep, I reckon so.

[John Stumbles]

[James]

Presumably this would be technically illegal, because a building notice must be submitted *before* the work commences.

James

[Owain]

"Ed Sirett" wrote | > Why do CORGI require this for electrical works but not (I assume, or you'd | > already have it) for gas works? | There is no similar requirement for gas work. It is the biggest obstacle | in my view. ... | When electrical inspection becomes mandatory for rented accomodation on | the lines of the gas inspections then the NICEIC/ECA route would obviously | look attractive. A couple of grand to get established but then there | wouold be a steady stream of work.

As John Stumbles notes, NICEIC don't require *insurance* backed warranty. Another advantage over the CORGI scheme might be if CORGI is individual to you and NICEIC covers the firm, you can include unregistered employees (perhaps very casual) or subcontractors within your own cover.

Owain

[reddisparks]

Ed

just picked up two new 16th edtion multi-testers for £299 from Denmans.

Larry

[John]

Thank you for that information. So we need to ensure that the conditions printed on the back of any estimate or quotation (with copy for signed acceptance) specifies the customer is to make any and all necessary applications and notifications required by statute

[Dave Jones]

yeah but as long as it's in place and your able to provide one, you can then give the customer the choice.

[Mike Harrison]

"It was an emergency and not possible to submit beforehand"

[Fred]

Does the act cater for emergencies?