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Administrative Structure and Committee Terms Of Reference

The Scheme will be administered by an independent Committee structure as shown in the figure below. The Terms of Reference of the Committee and its Technical Assessment Panel are as follows:

BuildCert Industry Forum

The membership shall comprise:

Voting Members

• All BuildCert Members.
• Representative from DWI.
• Representative from the Department of Health.
• Representative of BuildCert

Non-voting Members

• The Technical Assessment Panel.
• The Bathroom Association.
• The TMVA
• Any other invited expert.
• The Secretary (BuildCert staff member).

Meetings will be held twice annually, otherwise meetings will be held as and when required at the request of the Chairman.

The Functions of the Committee shall include:

• To approve testing laboratories that have been investigated and recommended by the Technical Assessment Panel.
• To agree the membership of the Technical Assessment Panel.
• To agree on any necessary cancellation of certification.
• To agree amendments to the Specification.
• To consider issues referred to it by the Technical Assessment Panel
• To resolve disputes and differences between aggrieved parties.

Technical Assessment Panel (TAP)

The Panel shall report to the BuildCert Advisory Committee.

The membership of the TAP shall comprise:

• An independent Technical Expert.
• A member endorsed by NHS Estates as representative of the Hospital Engineers.
• A Secretary (to be provided by the BuildCert)

As and when necessary or requested by members, observers shall be invited from:

• Members of the BuildCert advisory committee.
• The NHS Estates.
• DWI
• The Testing Laboratory concerned with the testing of a particular fitting.
• The manufacturer of a product and/or his independent expert.(Note: The manufacturer of a product and/or his independent expert may only be present with the consent of the Panel and only when the subject of his application is being discussed).

The functions of the Technical Assessment Panel shall include:

• To review application forms in advance of testing, to establish those fittings that require testing and the test requirements to be applied.
• To receive test results for non standard products from the approved test houses together with all relevant documentation marking and any other appropriate details relating to the product to establish whether the product meets the requirements of the product standard or BuildCert's .
• To establish the reasons for any failure and advise the manufacturer or factor.
• To propose amendments to the Specification for consideration by BuildCert
• To investigate applications for nominated testing laboratories seeking approved status and to make recommendations to the BuildCert Advisory Committee.
• To oversee the Audit Scheme in accordance with the laid down Audit Scheme procedures for each product.
• To collaborate with BuildCert in the investigation of failures and all matters arising from such as laid down in the Audit Scheme procedures.


The TAP meeting dates for 2012 have been confirmed as follows;


• 26th January
• 15th March
• 17th May
• 12th July
• 6th September
• 24th October
• 12/13th December

BuildCert Liaison Group

The Liaison Group meets on a ad hoc basis to discuss detailed technical matters on behalf Industry Forum. Those invited to attend the meeting may vary depending on the subject matter, but will normally be members of the Industry Forum or the Technical Assessment Panel. The Group reports back to the Industry Forum.

BuildCert Advisory Committee

The BuildCert Advisory Committee shall be made up of manufacture and users representatives with an independent chair. The current membership is:

•  An independent Chair.
• A representative from DWI.
• A representative from the Department of Health.
• A representative from the Bathroom Association.
• A representative from the TMVA.
• The Scheme Manager.
• The Scheme Managing Director.
• The Secretary (BuildCert staff member).

The Advisory Committee shall be responsible for overseeing BuildCert’s operating policies and that it operates in an unbiased manner by:

• Scrutinising the policies of BuildCert
• Reviewing the Quality System of BuildCert
• Hearing any appeals against the decisions of the TAP
• Ensuring that the Scheme meets the requirements of EN 45011.

Advisory Committee Working Group

The Advisory Committee Working Group is made up of:

• The Advisory Committee Chair (or his nominated replacement)
• BuildCert Scheme Manager
• BuildCert Quality Manager
• BuildCert Managing Director

Its functions are to review:

• the progress of the Scheme towards the actions set by the Advisory Committee.
• any changes to certification requirements proposed or made since the last meeting.
• any changes to the Quality System and to any Quality System breaches reported by the Quality Manager.

It reports back to the Advisory Committee.

Nominated Testing Laboratories

Testing Laboratories may be nominated by manufacturers, factors or themselves for testing to the BuildCert specification.

Testing Laboratories shall be investigated by the TAP which will then make a recommendation to the the BuildCert Advisory Committee. Applications shall be made directly to the BuildCert Secretary.

The Testing Laboratories shall be accredited for testing to the relevant Specification by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) or an equivalent accreditation body affiliated through some national agreement to UKAS.

The Testing Laboratories may be required to undertake round robin testing with other laboratories to demonstrate consistency between the Laboratories.