Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association (Limited)

What Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association (Limited) does

Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association (PATTA) is a UK private company limited by guarantee operating as a trade body for professional portable appliance testers, founded in 2013 (originally as the PAT Testing Network) and registered at South Church Enterprise Park, Bishop Auckland. Its single revenue stream is an annual individual membership subscription priced at £75 per year, sold directly through patta.co.uk with automatic renewal on the anniversary of joining and one-month cancellation notice. The membership bundles a Find a PAT Tester consumer-facing directory, access to a private members-only Facebook community, member-exclusive discount codes on labels and calibration, downloadable resources, and entry to the annual PATTA Connect event (next scheduled 2 October 2026 in Grantham).

PATTA member benefits are anchored to a Working Standards framework that members commit to, and the association holds a distinctive regulatory position through contributor representation on the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing 5th Edition (2020), led by Tim James. Operating with a five-person team, the association explicitly serves sole-trader PAT testers up to multi-operator established firms, addressing pain points of professional isolation, lack of industry representation, inconsistent standards and pricing pressure. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via the website, supplemented by event-based acquisition where non-member PATTA Connect attendees receive complimentary membership, and organic social channels across Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram and YouTube.

The business model is intentionally narrow and low-friction: a non-profit trade association with no disclosed equity funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no acquisitions. Revenue is proportional to paid membership count (reported at 160+ members), implying gross subscription revenue on the order of £12,000 annually, with growth driven organically by industry reputation, word-of-mouth and event-led conversion rather than paid marketing.

Name

Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association (Limited)

Legal name

The Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association Limited

Website

https://patta.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

PATTA is a UK-based non-profit trade association founded in 2013 that serves professional PAT testers through an annual £75 individual membership, bundling a Find a PAT Tester directory, private peer community, Working Standards framework, and annual industry event, with influence over the IET Code of Practice.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bishop Auckland

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Annual Membership Fees: PATTA generates revenue through annual membership subscriptions. Members pay £75 per year to access the association's professional network, annual events, industry representation, members-only resources, and exclusive supplier discounts. Membership renews automatically on the anniversary of the joining date unless cancelled with at least one month's written notice before the renewal date.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

PATTA is a UK trade association providing an annual membership (£75/year) to professional Portable Appliance Testing (PAT) testers. Members receive access to a private networking community, the public Find a PAT Tester directory, the annual PATTA Connect event, members-only resources and podcasts, working standards guidance, and exclusive supplier discounts. The association also represents the industry through involvement with the IET Code of Practice and other standards bodies.

Product overview

PATTA is a UK trade association providing a unified membership platform for professional PAT testers. The core offering centers on annual membership (£75/year) which bundles access to the Find a PAT Tester directory, PATTA Connect annual events, member news and guidance resources, downloadable documents, working standards frameworks, exclusive discount codes, and a private members community. The association acts as a professional network connecting PAT testing businesses from sole traders to established companies across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PATTA Annual Membership Annual subscription providing professional PAT testers across the UK with access to the PATTA private members' community, industry representation with IET and other bodies, members-only resources, exclusive supplier discounts, the public Find a PAT Tester directory listing, and the PATTA Connect annual event. Priced at £75 per year, paid by card through the patta.co.uk website.
• Find a PAT Tester Directory Public searchable directory on patta.co.uk enabling UK businesses and duty holders to find local PATTA-member PAT testers by postcode. Members are listed because they have committed to operating to PATTA's minimum Working Standards, helping users identify standards-compliant professionals.
• PATTA Connect Annual Event Annual UK industry gathering bringing together professional PAT testers for expert guest speakers, networking, industry insights, Q&A sessions, and lunch. Members can attend for £25 (refunded if they attend); non-members pay £75, which includes 12 months complimentary membership.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPATTA contributed to the development of the IET Code of Practice for In-Service Inspection and Testing (5th Edition). PATTA had a representative on the panel at every meeting and discussion, with Tim James attending countless meetings and having direct involvement in all stages of production. This involvement ensures the practical experience of working PAT testers informs industry standards.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• NAPIT: National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers — a UK trade body for inspectors and testers in the electrical and building services sector. Directly comparable to PATTA as a professional association serving electrical testing professionals with membership, training, and standards involvement.
• NICEIC: UK's leading voluntary regulatory body for the electrical industry, certifying electricians and electrical contractors. Comparable as a larger-scale trade body offering membership, certification, and directory listings — a more mature version of PATTA's concept for the broader electrical trade.
• ECA (Electrical Contractors' Association): UK trade association for electrical contractors and building services firms. Comparable as a membership-based trade body representing professionals in the electrical services industry with technical standards, events, and member support services.

Broad incumbents

• IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology): One of the world's largest engineering institutions and the publisher of the Code of Practice PATTA contributes to. Already a strategic partner of PATTA; operates in an adjacent (and overlapping) space on electrical standards and professional registration.
• Electrical Safety First: UK charity dedicated to reducing deaths and injuries from electrical accidents. Operates in the same electrical safety ecosystem as PATTA with overlapping concerns around PAT testing quality and standards, though with a consumer-protection mandate rather than a professional membership model.
• IOSH (Institution of Occupational Safety and Health): The chartered body for health and safety professionals in the UK. Comparable as a large professional membership body with events, standards involvement, and member resources, though operating in the broader occupational safety domain rather than electrical testing specifically.

Regional players

• SELECT: Scotland's trade association for the electrical industry, similar in concept to PATTA but serving the Scottish electrical trade. Comparable as a regional trade body offering membership, technical certification, and member events for electrical professionals.

Others

• City & Guilds: UK vocational qualifications body that PATTA engages with on training and PAT testing credentials. An adjacent standards/training actor rather than a competing membership body, but comparable as a credentialing authority in PAT testing-related qualifications.
• BSI (British Standards Institution): UK national standards body with which PATTA engages around electrical testing standards. A thematically related standards-development ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor, but comparable as an adjacent authority in the PAT testing standards landscape.

Emerging players

• British Institute of Non-Destructive Testing (BINDT): UK professional institute for the non-destructive testing (NDT) sector. Conceptually similar to PATTA as a small professional institute with membership, certification, and standards activity, though focused on industrial NDT methods rather than portable appliance testing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PATTA_UK
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCV-He4SI6LXPROq6w2ELYbg
• Facebookfacebook.com/pattauk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/patta
• Instagraminstagram.com/pattassociation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

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 Portable Appliance Testing Trade Association (Limited)