NICEIC

What NICEIC does

NICEIC, a trading name of Certsure LLP, operates as the UK's largest certification body for electrotechnical and building services contractors, founded in 1956 and headquartered in Houghton Regis, Dunstable. The company assesses, certifies, and trains electrical contractors, domestic installers, renewable energy installers, fire alarm specialists, and gas/heating engineers against UK wiring regulations (BS 7671) and statutory building standards, with over 40,000 currently certified businesses. Its scheme portfolio includes Approved Contractor, Domestic Installer, MCS Installer (renewables), Competent Person, BAFE Fire Detection, Hazardous Area, Rented Sector, and Certifier of Construction Scotland schemes, alongside government-backed endorsements (TrustMark, Which? Trusted Trader). NICEIC-certified businesses completed 78% of all notifiable electrical work in England and Wales in 2024.

The business model is primarily recurring subscription-based, with annual scheme fees ranging from £145 to £1,285+VAT and monthly payment options, supplemented by revenue from professional training (classroom, virtual, and e-learning), pay-as-you-go notifications on the NICEIC Online Certification System (NOCS) cloud platform, branded e-commerce (workwear, publications, certificates), and specialist trade insurance services. Digital infrastructure includes the NOCS platform for direct Building Control self-certification notifications, the Pocket Guides mobile app (40+ technical guides), and the Find a Trusted Tradesperson consumer directory, supported by CPD resources (The Wire webinars, Connections magazine, live Q&As) and a technical helpline handling 41,000+ annual calls. The company targets two primary customer sets: B2B electrical contractors and tradespeople (the monetized subscriber base) and B2C householders, landlords, and housing associations (the demand-generation side), with adjacent segments in students/apprentices and facilities/specifier businesses.

Name

NICEIC

Legal name

Certsure LLP

Website

https://niceic.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

NICEIC, a trading name of Certsure LLP, is the UK's largest certification body for electrical and building services contractors, certifying over 40,000 businesses against UK wiring and building regulations through subscription schemes, training, and digital tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade certification and professional standards services

NAICS

Testing Laboratories and Services (54138), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), Services-Services, Nec (8900)

akta.pro primary industry

Electrical Permitting, Inspection Preparation & Compliance Services (HSAOADAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Construction & Trades Licensure (Contractor, Electrician, Plumber, HVAC CE) (EDAAALAH), Third-Party Certification, Code Compliance & Regulatory Inspection (ASME/API/ISO) (EUAEAHAN), Testing, Commissioning & Electrical Safety (NFPA 70E/Arc Flash) (EDAOABAM)

Keywords

• Electrical certification services
• Contractor assessment schemes
• Building regulations compliance
• Electrical training courses
• Competent person scheme

Headquarters

HQ city

Houghton Regis

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Certification Scheme Fees: Annual certification fees for businesses joining NICEIC schemes. Fees vary by scheme type (Approved Contractor, Domestic Installer, MCS, Competent Person, etc.) with starting rates from £695 to £1,285+ VAT. Monthly payment options available for most schemes.
2. Training Courses and Qualifications: Revenue from classroom-based, virtual, and e-learning courses covering electrical training, renewables, gas, fire alarm, emergency lighting, plumbing and heating, and Experienced Worker Assessment. 10% discount available for certified businesses.
3. NICEIC Online Shop: Sales of workwear, publications, certificates, stickers, labels, and equipment. Discounts on branded NICEIC workwear and tools for certified businesses.
4. Online Certification System (NOCS): Pay-as-you-go certification notifications to Building Control. No platform fees; businesses pay only for what they use.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

NICEIC operates the UK's largest electrical certification body, assessing and certifying electrical installation businesses against BS 7671 and Competent Person scheme standards. It sells recurring annual certification scheme memberships (Approved Contractor, Domestic Installer, MCS, Competent Person, BAFE Fire Detection, Hazardous Areas, Rented Sector, Certifier of Construction Scotland, TrustMark, Which? Trusted Trader), training and qualification courses, the NOCS digital certification platform, specialist trade insurance, an online shop for workwear and publications, and the Find a Trusted Tradesperson directory.

Product overview

NICEIC is a certification and training organization for electrical professionals, not a traditional software product company. Its offerings consist of multiple certification schemes (Approved Contractor, Domestic Installer, MCS, Competent Person, BAFE Fire Detection, Hazardous Area, Rented Sector, Student Membership), digital platforms (NICEIC Online Certification System/NOCS), mobile applications (Pocket Guides App), insurance services, training courses (electrical, renewables, gas, fire alarm, plumbing), and support resources (Technical Helpline, The Wire Webinars, Connections Magazine, Live Q&A Sessions). The company also provides consumer-facing services through the Find a Trusted Tradesperson directory and various electrical installation guides (EICR, rewiring, solar panels, heat pumps, EV chargers, fire alarms, consumer units). These offerings are distributed through certification bundles, add-on schemes, and membership programs rather than a unified software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Connected Futures: NICEIC's apprenticeship job board designed to help businesses find and recruit new talent in the electrical industry.
• NICEIC Online Certification System (NOCS)
• The Wire

Products and services

• NICEIC Approved Contractor Scheme Annual certification scheme for electrical installation businesses that undertake commercial, industrial and domestic electrical work. Members are assessed against BS 7671 requirements and gain the right to self-certify their work and use the NICEIC badge.
• Domestic Installer Scheme
• MCS Installer Scheme
• Competent Person Scheme
• BAFE SP203-1 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm System Scheme
• Hazardous Areas Scheme
• Certifier of Construction, Scotland
• Rented Sector Scheme
• Student Membership
• TrustMark
• Which? Trusted Trader
• NICEIC Online Certification System (NOCS)
• NICEIC Pocket Guides App
• NICEIC Training Courses
• NICEIC Insurance Services
• Find a Trusted Tradesperson Tool
• Platinum Promise
• Connected Futures Apprenticeship Job Board
• The Wire Webinars
• NICEIC Technical Helpline
• NICEIC Shop

Quantifiable outcome

• 78% of all notifiable work in England and Wales completed by NICEIC-certified businesses in 2024
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• TradePointminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTradePoint partnership offering NICEIC-certified businesses 10% discount on selected purchases, providing added value to membership and driving demand through retail channel.
• Which? Trusted TradercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerDual accreditation program with Which? consumer organization. NICEIC-certified businesses can apply for Which? Trusted Trader endorsement, gaining access to Which? branding, website profile, dedicated account manager, and consumer complaint resolution support.
• MCS (Microgeneration Certification Scheme)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICEIC is UKAS accredited and MCS approved to offer the redeveloped MCS Installer Scheme. Enables certified businesses to notify renewable installations (solar PV, heat pumps, energy storage) on the MCS Installation Database. NICEIC conducts scheme checks passed to MCS for final approval.
• BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNICEIC offers BAFE SP203-1 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems Scheme certification, helping businesses demonstrate compliance with fire safety regulations through BAFE-recognized assessment and registration.
• TrustMarkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment-backed quality scheme offered as an add-on to NICEIC certification. Provides consumer protection, access to ECO and government funding opportunities for certified businesses.
• Electrical Competent PersonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPart of the NICEIC helpful sites network, directing consumers to the Electrical Competent Person register for finding certified electricians.
• Electrical Industries CharityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Electrical Industries Charity for The Tools to Talk mental health and wellbeing toolkit, exclusively available to NICEIC-certified businesses.
• ECA (Electrical Contractors' Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a helpful site partner, representing the electrical industry through collaboration on standards and industry representation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BPEC Certification: UK certification body for plumbing, heating and gas operatives, with growing overlap into renewables. Competes with NICEIC in the gas, heating and microgeneration Competent Person Scheme space.
• City & Guilds: Major UK vocational qualification and certification body for electricians and trades. Directly comparable to NICEIC's training and CPD functions, and is a complementary (and partly competitive) provider of electrician credentials and technical publications.
• NAPIT: UK's principal rival Competent Person Scheme operator for electricians, plumbers, heating and renewables installers. Directly competes with NICEIC for the same contractor base on annual scheme fees and is the most relevant head-to-head peer.
• ECA (Electrical Contractors' Association): UK trade association for electrical contractors offering representation, training and commercial support. Overlaps with NICEIC's trade-facing value proposition in technical standards advocacy, training and member services.
• BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment): UK fire safety certification scheme operator. NICEIC resells BAFE SP203-1 fire alarm certification, and BAFE is a natural peer in the UK competency-scheme landscape for safety-critical installation work.

Emerging players

• EAL (EMTA Awards Limited): UK specialist awarding organisation for engineering and building-services qualifications. Provides electrician and renewables qualifications that overlap with NICEIC's training and Experienced Worker Assessment offerings.
• TrustMark: Government-endorsed quality scheme for tradespeople. NICEIC offers TrustMark as an add-on to its certification, making TrustMark both a partner and a partial competitor for end-consumer trust signalling in the trades market.
• Which? Trusted Trader: Consumer-organisation-backed directory of vetted trades. NICEIC offers Which? Trusted Trader as a dual accreditation, but Which? is also an alternative end-consumer trust channel that competes with Find a Trusted Tradesperson.

Broad incumbents

• BSI (British Standards Institution): UK national standards body and broad certification/assurance provider. While not a direct Competent Person Scheme operator, BSI's accreditation and certification activities overlap with NICEIC's role in the UK electrical compliance ecosystem.

Regional players

• SELECT (Scottish Electrical Contractors' Association): Scotland's main trade body and certification voice for electricians, operating in a different regulatory regime from NICEIC. Comparable in function—standards, training, member support—but geographically partitioned from NICEIC's England & Wales core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/niceic1
• Facebookfacebook.com/NICEIC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/niceic
• Instagraminstagram.com/officialniceic/?hl=en
• Xx.com/officialNICEIC

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NICEIC