BBA UKAS Suspension–NFRC Engagement and Concerns
After discussing the suspension directly with the BBA, as far as NFRC understands, this suspension relates to a change in corporate structure in 2025. At present, they are unable to deliver accredited testing, inspection and certification activities. Addressing the situation has taken much longer than anyone expected or desired. NFRC continues to monitor the situation and liaise with the BBA, UKAS, and Construction Products Association (CPA) to push for an expedited resolution.
If you hold an existing BBA certificate:
You should continue to maintain your certification. The NHBC has confirmed it will continue to recognise live and maintained BBA certificates, and BBA have assured us that all published certificates remain valid according to their status, which can be verified on MyBBA on the BBA’s website. All certificates, therefore, that are active, are still current, and the related logos can continue to be used in conjunction with the certification permissions. The BBA is continuing to conduct audits and identify non-conformities during this period. Please be aware of the following:
- If your product has an identified non-conformity, BBA has stated that you will be required to submit to an audit in order to maintain your certificate. Refusing to do so could result in your certificate being suspended.
- If in doubt, please contact the BBA directly.
Should UKAS or any of the scheme owners subsequently require that any audits be repeated, the BBA will do so at no additional cost to you.
If you are seeking new BBA certification:
NFRC understands that delays on new BBA certification are causing serious problems for a number of our Supplier Members. If you are seeking new BBA certification, please get in touch with the team directly via [email protected] and they will talk you through what can be done during this time. Due to the suspension of the schemes, the BBA is unable to issue new certificates at this time. Please get in touch with the BBA team to understand more about the current situation and what work can be progressed during this time.
Our advice:
- Do not abandon your existing BBA certification. Engage with any mandated audits to keep your certificate live.
- If you are in the process of seeking new certification from the BBA, engage with them now so that all groundwork is completed so that your work can progress at pace once accreditation is reinstated.
- Look out for further updates from us as the situation develops.
We are continuing to liaise closely with the BBA and will keep members informed of any significant developments.
Our Concerns:
The BBA’s UKAS suspension has exposed the industry’s overreliance on a single body and also the strain than can be generated during UKAS’s opaque investigatory processes. In NFRC’s response to the Construction Product’s White Paper, we outlined the following perspective with views gathered from Membership in response to the government’s proposal to licence Conformity Assessment Bodies:
“This [suspension] has created a material bottleneck for manufacturers seeking to bring new products to market and created confusion about maintaining existing certifications. The licensing regime must not create a situation where these bottlenecks become commonplace. The national regulator for construction products must have the powers, and must use them, to ensure that disputes of this kind between the licensing body and CABs are resolved quickly, or at the very least, resolved in a manner that does not compromise the process but still provides some level of confidence to industry that does not impede work in the manner it recently has with the BBA. The current situation has also starkly made clear the dangers of an overreliance on a limited number of CABs. Diversification is essential.”
