The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has suspended 14 member companies for failing to meet the standards of its independent audit process.
The association’s council, which oversees BESA’s governance and mission, said it was taking “robust action” to uphold industry integrity and protect clients.
The companies in question, which were not named, were found to have fallen short of BESA’s Competence Assessment Standard (CAS), which assesses business practices, financial stability, insurance, health and safety, and technical capability.
CAS is aligned with the Build UK Common Assessment Standard and is a requirement for both new applicants and existing members.
“BESA has never been afraid to robustly defend its remit and constitution,” said BESA chief executive David Frise.
“We do not suspend members lightly but take our wider responsibilities to the industry and its ultimate clients – building occupants – extremely seriously.”
Frise referenced the recent Grenfell: Uncovered Netflix documentary as a stark reminder of the real-world consequences of industry failure.
“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,” he said.
BESA’s audit is conducted by an independent UKAS-accredited body within the BESA group, ensuring that the assessment process meets nationally and internationally recognised standards for competence.
It includes an on-site technical inspection based on up-to-date checklists to ensure firms are equipped to deliver safe, high-quality work.
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.”
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