The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has suspended 14 member companies for failing to comply with its independent audit process.
All the companies were found to have failed to meet the standard required in BESA’s Competence Assessment Standard, which covers business practices, financial solvency, insurance, health and safety, and technical proficiency.
It is also fully aligned with the industry benchmark provided by the Build UK Common Assessment Standard (CAS). Firms applying to join BESA or remain in membership must meet the standard.
BESA told CM that, at this stage, it cannot share the names of the suspended member companies, or the specific reasons for each suspension.
BESA’s council, which is responsible for the trade body’s governance and upholding its values, said it was taking “robust action” in the interests of the whole building engineering sector and its clients.
BESA members can be suspended for a maximum period of 12 months and can be expelled from the trade body by resolution of BESA’s council or its board.
During suspension, members are still required to adhere to BESA’s constitution and the requirements of the CAS.
‘We take our responsibilities extremely seriously’
David Frise, BESA’s chief executive, said: “BESA has never been afraid to robustly defend its remit and constitution. We do not suspend members lightly but take our wider responsibilities to the industry and its ultimate clients – building occupants – extremely seriously.
“Last week’s Grenfell: Uncovered documentary on Netflix was a timely reminder of why we must do everything we can to maintain the highest possible standards. It should remind us that every decision we make has a consequence – whether in the short term or much further down the road for the people who inhabit buildings.
“The country should be able to depend on its building services industry to deliver work to the highest possible standards.”
BESA has 800 members. The trade body told CM that it suspended 53 members in the past five years. It added that it typically suspends 10 to 15 members each year for audit non-compliance. The number of members suspended for this reason in 2024 was 18.
Suspended members can reapply for membership but must go through the audit process.
The BESA audit, which is carried out by a UKAS-accredited independent part of the BESA group, asks prospective and existing members if they have all the skills necessary to deliver quality and safe work.
It includes an onsite technical audit based on checklists linked to the latest technical standards.
Frise added: “We have never been afraid to suspend members who don’t meet our standards. It is always a last resort as we would much rather work with companies to help them improve, but when it is clear that is not possible, we have demonstrated that we will take the ultimate sanction.”
That’s a demonstration of professional integrity, not only for BESA but for all the other companies that have this membership and have not been suspended. The IFE could learn a lot from this with the Adam Kiziak incident and perhaps not take up to 4 years.