MCS consults on Umbrella Schemes
21 September 2021
MCS have today published a one-month consultation on umbrella schemes and is inviting industry participation in an information gathering exercise. The aim is to establish how umbrella schemes operate today, the forms they take and how they comply with current Standards.
Umbrella schemes are operated by MCS certified organisations who hold the contract with the customer and typically complete the design and commissioning of a new system but subcontract all, or elements of, the installation of the system.
Responses can be anonymous; this is not an assessment of individual scheme compliance but an attempt to create a much clearer understanding of how umbrella schemes operate today.
Once complete, MCS will publish a summary of the findings, describing the range of umbrella schemes, without disclosing the details of individual scheme operators. These findings will inform how our Standards, Guidance and associated Certification Scheme might be adapted and improved in line with the core principle of ensuring every consumer receives a high-quality MCS certified installation that they can have confidence in.
You can provide feedback on the operation of your umbrella scheme via our online questionnaire here.
This questionnaire will remain open until the 19 October 2021, after which responses will be collated and analysed, with the target of publishing non-attributable findings in November. If you choose to leave your contact details, we will make sure you receive a copy of these findings once they are published.
The questionnaire is not the only way in which you can provide input. If you have additional information that is not easily covered through a response to the questionnaire, please feel free to share this with the MCS Secretariat via email: meetings@mcscertified.com. If you want to arrange to talk through the operation of your scheme, please use the same email address, providing your contact details so that we can arrange to call you back.
Why is your feedback important?
MCS wishes to better understand and then document, the operation of ‘umbrella schemes’. This continues to be a controversial subject, attracting debate both within the MCS Standards community and more broadly, across the industry sector. We are therefore launching an information gathering exercise that aims to clearly define the various forms of umbrella scheme and how each can operate in compliance with the Standards.
Well run umbrella schemes have an important role to play in supporting the sector’s growth. They can provide a critical framework through which a broad range of contractors can participate in the delivery of small-scale renewable installations. Our sector needs to increase capacity, necessary to support growing consumer demand and for the achievement of government targets, including an ambition to see 600,000 Heat Pump installed every year from 2028.
Umbrella Scheme Online Questionnaire