The issue of MTCs has been a thorny one since it’s inception. A lot of jumping through hoops for installers to prove their competence at doing their work. In theory it’s a good idea. Anything to try and weed out the deadwood and help the good guys. Or at least that is the aim. But there has been quite a few grumbles about the actual process of MTCs. And this week those grumbles have got a bit louder.
Pay as you go compliance
Up until now, installers have been urged to get on the path of MTCs as the main way of compliance. In fact at one point FENSA was threatening freeze accounts of companies in June 2014 who had not passed their MTC inspections. Clearly this was going to be unenforceable as such a large percentage of the industry’s installers were way off from being compliant.
During these freeze threats, the companies who had already passed were probably feeling a tad smug. They had done their hard work early, passed before the deadlines and got back to the daily grind knowing they put in the effort. There was however a growing concern that as each threat and deadline passed from FENSA, those who weren’t yet compliant were getting away with it without punishment. A point I could understand.
FENSA had a problem though. There was still such a large percentage of installers not yet MTC compliant. If they followed through on the threats to freeze the accounts of installers that weren’t compliant they would be cutting out thousands of businesses which could do damage to the industry overall. So what was the solution? Pay as you go.
“Infrequent installations”
This is how FENSA explain the scheme on their website:
It is a new, all inclusive, alternative surveillance process developed and certified by FENSA. It’s a fast, simple and cost effective option for installation companies who infrequently install replacement glazing.
It is for those companies that wish to avoid the complexities of individual operatives holding an MTC Card and having to provide mandatory IBGs on every job.
FENSA Pay As You Go companies will still need to be ‘Certified’ to demonstrate competence and undertake a document and procedures audit at an onsite Certification inspection. The Certification inspection will be repeated every three years.
So as I understand it, those companies who are not MTC compliant can use this method instead. They pay a fee of £125 ex VAT for each inspection, similar to the way you would pay your council to do it.
Now here is the gripe people have with this. After appearing to want to act tough on those who refused to comply with MTCs, a new alternative has been provided to allow those who didn’t want to get on the MTC ship to keep installing windows and doors legally. A bit like giving in to the bully.
After all the effort for companies to go down the MTC route and the promise to crack down on those who didn’t comply, this seems like a serious climb down from FENSA. This was their chance to really prove to the doubters that they weren’t just fee collectors and had the teeth to properly clamp down and get rid of the companies who didn’t want to play by the rules. Right now, many will be wondering what the whole point of going through the MTC process was.
I can see why FENSA have had to back down. Did they really want to freeze the accounts of probably thousands of installers? It would have meant they wouldn’t have been able to sell and fit windows and doors, effectively suspending businesses. It would have caused immeasurable damage to the industry. But my argument to that would have been if those companies really didn’t want to become MTC compliant, do we really want them in the industry at all?
Click to find out more information on Pay As You Go here
To get daily updates from DGB sent to your inbox, enter your email address in the space below to subscribe:
[wysija_form id=”1″]
Fensa’s 3 year plan to put in place the MTC card has failed miserably. Will the PAY AS YOU GO SCHEME work?
Not when you still have the option of certifying through LABC with minimal costs and no paperwork required.
To protect the companies that have got MTC or NVQ they should have stood by the standards, however as previously they see another way of gaining money and that is the very big bottom line. MTC registration numbers have just gone past the 15000 mark (which is very low for the industry – only 2 per Registered FENSA company and that covers surveyors) but at £300 a time that is £4,500,000 taken out of the industry. Yes 4.5 Million. Plus the re takes as about 20% fail first time. I have no idea how much CERTASS, ASSURE BSI and NVQ… Read more »
FENSA not only threatened to freeze the registrations of those installation companies that failed to adhere to the MTC Card/qualifications requirements (as well as the IBG requirements and those that had not completed a Transition Inspection) – it actually did it. Hundreds of installers (mainly infrequent installers) remain frozen. FENSA hoped that the whole window industry would embrace the MTC/qualifications requirements. But this was not the case. So FENSA has looked to develop a new surveillance process – FENSA Pay As You Go (PAYG) – that maintains Building Regulation standards by allowing companies that undertake infrequent replacement glazing jobs to… Read more »
It is a shame that having 34 years at the coalface means jack shit , I have do not have the authority to tell a customer I am competent , I have started a business from scratch and have run it for 24 years so far, had 2 FENSA non compliances, 1 I challenged and won , the other was a piece of glass in a window we didnt change , but because we coupled a new door to it , we missed it , but I need to pay a jumped up, paper pushing, desk bound organisation £300 for… Read more »
When” Gas ” went under the building regs, through Corgi. Did they say after a year ?
” F**k it .Sorry for making people go underground. We`ll have a re think”
NO , I DIDN`T THINK SO !!
If “infrequent” installers are genuinely “infrequent” installers and FENSA say theyre “hundreds” then im hoping this would still only ba a few thousand installations ?
But what if we get many hundreds of companies on PAYG doing a lot of installations ? At £125.00 a certificate how many that should be registered will be registered ?
What a joke! I’ve paid and become compliant and know loads who haven’t fensa should help by clamping down on these none compliant companies. didn’t think they ever would thou.