Gas Safe Register - FAQs

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About the scheme

Why has HSE awarded a 10 year contract to Capita when the invitation to tender requested bids for a 5 year contract?

During the competition it became clear there could be significant advantages for gas safety and engineers achieving better value for money in going for a longer period. HSE asked bidders to consider alternative periods and given the potential additional benefits, it was right and proper for HSE to consider them.

The anticipated benefits include additional investment in improving gas safety, reducing burdens on gas engineers, and encouraging more engineers to become registered. A 10-year term will also secure longer term certainty for consumers, engineers and registration scheme employees.

The terms of the contract are such that HSE retains the discretion to open the scheme to other competitors or terminate the contract after five years.

How do you know whether Capita will deliver on what it has promised?

HSE has agreed strong contract management arrangements with the new provider, including:

• Performance delivery will be subject to detailed contractual arrangements, improved governance, and close oversight from HSE.
• The contract includes a range of key performance indicators (KPIs) against which HSE will monitor service delivery.
• In the event of the provider failing to meet KPIs, there are financial implications and HSE can impose a range of measures designed to ensure that any shortcomings are resolved. If there is a serious service failure, ultimately, HSE retains the right to terminate the contract.

How can HSE allow Capita to profit from gas safety?

Allowing the new scheme provider to make a profit attracted strong competitive interest in the scheme and innovative ideas to bring added value to gas safety. HSE believes that this will deliver improved gas safety and improved services for gas consumers and gas engineers.

Profits from the new scheme are capped, and there are a number of additional safeguards to ensure that the provider is not able to take commercial advantage of its position. For example, the new provider will not be able to offer any services to gas engineers beyond its core services, without permission from HSE.

What are the anticipated benefits for consumers?

• Continuing improvements in standards of gas installation work;
• Improvements in consumer gas safety through new initiatives to raise public awareness of the risks and how to manage them;
• Reduced risk from unregistered gas work through better industry initiatives to tackle the problem.

What are the anticipated benefits for gas engineers?

• Setting registration fees at affordable levels, aiming to reduce them in real terms during the lifetime of the agreement;
• Capita expects to announce fees for 2009/2010 in January 2009;
• Reducing indirect costs to engineers by simplifying the current competence and registration requirements
• Providing incentives to encourage engineers to register, and
• Introducing new procedures for handling unregistered engineers.