Having just spent some time reading the various articles, I'm going to be blunt... none of them come across to me as being pro-NAPIT, in fact I would say quite the opposite.
If you are truly pro-NAPIT and are genuinely looking to gather information that can help them I would say you are going to fail because unless I'm misunderstanding things, every article seems to be trying to paint them in a negative light that implies they are quite happy to take money from members and then stitch them up during complaints processing. At least that's how it's coming across to me.
So, which is it? And how exactly do you fit into this situation?
The other thing I'm going to re-iterate is this... the majority of people on this site who will most likely be in a position to assist are all busy people. We have our own businesses, jobs etc. and if it takes longer than 10 minutes to get the complete picture there is a good chance most of us will stop reading regardless of how worthy the cause is.
For this to work you need to condense it into a 10 minute read (with links out to other documents, articles, sites etc.) that is clear, spells out the key points (why they are being investigated being the key one and the kind of information you think will assist) and provides information about how people can assist. You should, in the interests of transparency, make your position clear... are you in support of NAPIT, are you someone who is being investigated and why (I appreciate this could be tricky if you are as there may be clauses in the agreements between you and NAPIT - I can't remember reading them in that much detail to be fair)?
I was a member of Napit prior to suspension back in October 2023.
In April 2024, following on from the end of their complaints process, UKAS who are Napit's Accredited Body are undergoing a 12 Week Investigation and we around 10 week.
Napit are accredited under ISO 17065 & ISO19001 Standards.
- A.6.2, the certification body must gather sufficient objective evidence to support a certification decision.
The now-ex, Cheif Operating Officer, gave the following statement for basis of a non-compiance, which would allow suspension of membershi, however gave no objective evidence to do so.
"The element of this which directly relates to the finding of noncompliance is that any completed work (e.g. energised circuits) should be tested and certified irrespective of payment."
Mr David Cowburn who is at the centre of the investigation has now resigned, Napit & Mr Cowburn have not, and a will not, provide objective evidence as a basis for his original statement.
If they cannot provide objective evidence this will leave them open to sanctions from UKAS, which could lead to them being suspended or even withdrawn.
While i am certainly in a dispute with Napit, my aim of seeking objective evidence is not bias at and would confirm for them their decision was correct.
I have presented their statement, which should already been objectively evidenced. I am of the belief it cannot, which is why i am seeking the answer they cannot provide, and this is not even taking into account many the tales of tipan event getting here.
For example i have enquired -
"I have tried contacting Mr Cowburn outside of Napit to gather the objective evidence in relation to his statement however, no response. We require confirmation of Napit's position regarding statements made and their authenticity, objective evidence is based on real facts and not personal beliefs.
Can Napit reference s BS7671 regulation to show the requirement for objective evidence has been met / evidences non-compliance.
" The element of this which directly relates to the finding of noncompliance is that any completed work (e.g. energised circuits) should be tested and certified irrespective of payment"
Napit have tried to to apply 644.1 during the process and stated "any energised circuit in all circumstances is completed work and requires certification" regardless of if its part of a larger installation.
Napit attempted to unlawfully end my contract with the client, so in any case it could not be considered a competed installation.
For example they cannot answer such questions -
As David Cowburn specified Completed Work, can Napit clarify if they believe the work is complete, or in progress and give reason for their decision.
Completed Work: means invoices
related to the
work completed have been submitted and paid. This means the work is completed in full and the contractors have all submitted invoices and are paid for that work.
In progress work: means
the project is still underway, but some
of the work has been completed and invoiced.
Source:
Completed Work Definition | Law Insider - https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/completed-work#:~:text=Completed%20Work%20means%20invoices%20related,has%20been%20completed%20and%20invoiced.
Relevant Term To Consider / How did Napit Determine Non Compliance
| The work is incomplete and/or the installer has not been paid | If work is incomplete it is often difficult to judge whether compliance would be achieved if the installer continued to completion. If work has halted due to non-payment it is not possible for TIPAN to monitor the progress towards compliance. If you cannot resolve a payment dispute we would suggest seeking an Alternative Dispute Resolution approach. |
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Napit
