The Health and Safety (HSE) today announced that it has selected Capita as its preferred bidder to run the new registration scheme for gas installers from 1 April 2009. This will replace the scheme currently operated by CORGI.
The main differences between the bid from Capita and CORGI the other bidder lay in their approaches to introducing innovation to the scheme, promoting gas safety and a new brand, delivering efficiencies and the continuous improvement required.
The new scheme aims to improve gas safety, and bring enhanced benefits to gas consumers and installers across Great Britain.
Responding to HSE's announcement a few moments ago (http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/bidder.htm) that Capita is the preferred bidder to run the new gas installer registration scheme, APHC's Chief Executive, Clive Dickin, comments:
"I would like to offer my congratulations to Capita and commiserations to CORGI. I would also congratulate the HSE for its management of what appears to have been a professionally-run, detailed and complex competition.
"The contractual negotiations that will take place over the next few months will bring a lot more details and as soon as they become available, we will provide advice and guidance to our members via factsheets, our website, our newsletter and in direct correspondence.
"We encourage anybody entering the industry to become a CORGI member, and we would discourage anyone who sees this as an opportunity to leave CORGI. This change must not be an excuse for any engineer operating illegally."