Best (Or least bad) CPS to join as a sole trader

[tallbloke808]

Hi Team!

Can anybody shed any light on the 'best' CPS to throw my money at please, or are they all the same, pretty much?

If you are registered on a CPS, which one is it and why did you choose that one?

Have always worked for other people and am going to set myself up to do my own jobs, and I'd like everything in order and above board before I do so.

Many thanks

 

[timhoward]

I don't think there is much to choose between them. NICEIC are better known but I struggled with their admin (understatement). NAPIT were extremely helpful to me but not as well known.
I joined Napit just before the rules changed last August and so far have found them ok. I 'chose' them simply because they actually phoned me back and seemed to be vaguely organised. I also thought that 3rd party certification (TPC) would be useful which NICEIC don't allow, but it's turned out to be rather an administrative burden, so I don't intend to renew that part.

At end of the day it's a fair chunk of change to produce bits of paper that most of the time customers don't even know they need, with almost zero enforcement. So not terribly exciting!

Btw you are only the 2nd fellow Shropshire sparks I've met on here, whereabouts are you?!

 

[JBW175]

I’ve been with NAPIT a few years now and can’t fault them to be honest. Not been with any of the others to compare against, but their customer service is good and so is their tech help desk if you’ve got any queries.

I’d imagine the assessments and paperwork you need to produce is pretty much the same across all schemes, but I think NAPIT is slightly cheaper to join than the NIC.

 

[tallbloke808]

I don't think there is much to choose between them. NICEIC are better known but I struggled with their admin (understatement). NAPIT were extremely helpful to me but not as well known.
I joined Napit just before the rules changed last August and so far have found them ok. I 'chose' them simply because they actually phoned me back and seemed to be vaguely organised. I also thought that 3rd party certification (TPC) would be useful which NICEIC don't allow, but it's turned out to be rather an administrative burden, so I don't intend to renew that part.

At end of the day it's a fair chunk of change to produce bits of paper that most of the time customers don't even know they need, with almost zero enforcement. So not terribly exciting!

Btw you are only the 2nd fellow Shropshire sparks I've met on here, whereabouts are you?!

Morning Tim

Thanks for the info, I think I'll give napit today to get the ball rolling...

I think I was also the first Shropshire spark you've met on here also, as we swapped a couple of messages a couple of weeks ago!

To jog your memory, I'm from sunny Shrewsbury

Chris

 

[timhoward]

I think I was also the first Shropshire spark you've met on here also, as we swapped a couple of messages a couple of weeks ago!

That would be fairly typical of my ability to remember things, but in this case @Raptor0014 had the honour of being the first. (also in Shrewsbury!)

 

[mattg4321]

I’m currently mulling over whether I can be bothered to move from NIC to NAPIT. I find NIC generally unhelpful and their communication is poor. Also they require a full day assessment to be registered with them for commercial works, whereas NAPIT is half day. NAPIT also a little cheaper although not by much.

 

[JBW175]

@timhoward @tallbloke808 What if I told you, you weren’t the only Shropshire Sparks?

Originally from Ironbridge / Madeley, before I migrated down south.

 

[timhoward]

I’m currently mulling over whether I can be bothered to move from NIC to NAPIT. I find NIC generally unhelpful and their communication is poor. Also they require a full day assessment to be registered with them for commercial works, whereas NAPIT is half day. NAPIT also a little cheaper although not by much.

Out of interest, are NIC talking a lot about CPD and encouraging attending monthly webinars?
Apparently at renewal time Napit are going to want to see some kind of evidence of CPD, in line with new rules.
To show willing I've attended every webinar so far, and to be fair one was excellent and I learned a lot about lesser known RCD's like type B and type F. The others have been a little bit 'meh' though. They are only an hour at least.

 

[westward10]

Our last NIC assessment just before Xmas he droned on about CPD and their webinars which gives automatic points once you have watched it that is assuming their site works. He was in our office and said I will show you guess what he couldn't get it on. I said I can start one of these webinars let it roll until the end without watching and get brownie points he said yes, I said sounds good to me.

 

[mattg4321]

Should get points for posts on this forum. More learnt here than a lot of these webinars imo.

I wouldn’t mind so much jumping through all these hoops if it did something other than just add more costs and bureaucracy to those of us operating legitimately, whilst doing absolutely nothing to stop the cowboys.

 

[timhoward]

Our last NIC assessment just before Xmas he droned on about CPD and their webinars which gives automatic points once you have watched it that is assuming their site works. He was in our office and said I will show you guess what he couldn't get it on. I said I can start one of these webinars let it roll until the end without watching and get brownie points he said yes, I said sounds good to me.

With Napit, you respond to an email saying you are ‘interested’ and whether you watch it or not you get a generic certificate emailed afterwards which they tell you to “add your own name to”
No fundamental systemic flaws in that at all then…..

 

[AJshep]

My old firm used to be NICEIC, and the accessor was a bit of a knob, if you ever asked a technical question he would try shut you down without actually answering the question.
When i setup my own buisness I decided
ot go with Napit and they have been fine.

with CPD you can just keep a record, it can be anything from writing a post on this forum to watching a documentary on the telly you don't need any certificates really.

 

[Vortigern]

There is no doubt NIC are the de facto cps scheme that many clients insist on. So for certain work like high end contracting it is advantageous to join NIC. If you are doing domestic work, then any scheme will cover you for work and notification. Most domestic customers have not the least idea of schemes, although saying, the average householder does seem to have a better grasp of these things nowadays. NAPIT for me cost wise and customer service wise. Although they do take a long time to do things, Covid did it!