BESA Year In Review 2022-23

“Joining BESA was a positive step for Axis Europe as having the BESA ‘Badge of Quality’ demonstrates competence and provides our clients and potential clients with reassurance, peace of mind and trust that they are in safe hands.

Accreditation was challenging, but BESA were at hand to guide us through the process and achieve the ‘Badge’.

BESA provides us access to resources, training, knowledge and expertise, as well as networking opportunities to share best practice with other members.

Having the BESA ‘Badge of Quality’ enables us to evidence our competencies and help win new business”

John Hayes, CEO, Axis Europe

BESA Year in Review 2022–2023: What our members say... Contents 03 04-07 08-09

“Since becoming members in May 2022, BESA has provided RJC (Mechanical) with a support platform covering various areas of the business from Technical to Health & Safety and more. The assessment process, although very comprehensive, was straight forward and gave us assurance that our business management capability, workforce competence and technical compliance was at a level that would give our clients confidence in us.

Maria Driver, Business Development Manager at the BESA has made sure that RJC are aware of the services that we now have access to, which will enable us to make the most of our membership.

It is great for RJC that we have an industry recognised accreditation that also provides comprehensive industry relevant support.”

Neil Miller, QHSE Manager, RJC Mechanical

“Just to say thank you very much to Danielle and your team for your help, support and understanding with our BESA CAS audit. It was great to have someone on hand at the end of the phone when needed and truly appreciated.”

Paula Parki, Senior Administrator, DWHP Ltd

“The entire BESA CAS Audit process took less than 4 weeks to conclude and was a worthwhile exercise to participate in.

It serves to ensure your organisation retains the skills and competencies within your business, in order to deliver high quality products to our clients.

It ensures your systems and processes are fit for purpose, meet required standards befitting of BESA membership. It highlights where applicable, gaps in your systems and processes and offers guidance in how to improve such.”

Tim Muir, National Compliance Manager, ECG Facilities Services

“I wanted to say a huge thank you to Roger Smith at BESA who guided us through our first PCVR audit, as we have recently purchased this business and have very little experience in writing these reports to such a detailed standard. Roger always had a smile on his face and made what we thought was a difficult task into a simple one.

Our customers have been impressed with the PCVR’s and it will help us win more business in the future around the UK.”

Richard Shaw, Managing Director, Clean & Gleam

Credibility

BESA Chief Executive Officer David Frise says the beauty of being a BESA member is that you don’t have to face problems alone. The Association has been around for almost 120 years and the sense of community remains as strong as ever.

Year in numbers

Facts and figures showing our latest achievements, from technical and training updates, to issuing guidance and advice.

Trust

BESA President Rab Fletcher discusses how the trust of clients and the public will be increasingly important as we tackle the big built environment challenges around energy, carbon, health and well-being, and safety.

Communication

BESA President Elect Claire Curran stresses that the industry has always looked to BESA for leadership and, as a relatively small trade body, we have always punched above our weight.

BESA Governance 2022-2023

The framework of management, roles and the division of responsibilities within the whole decision-making process.

BESA Representation

The members of the BESA committees and how we’re also playing a part in external groups and task forces.

Regional Chairs

The Chair and Vice Chairs of the 11 regions throughout the United Kingdom.

10 11 13 11-12 14-15

BESA External Representation 2022 – 2023

We collaborate as representative bodies to lobby government at the UK and EU level as we strive to improve the building services sector.

Being a BESA member means winning more work through specification. With the construction industry undergoing a digital revolution, specification has become more critical than ever, with specification documentation serving as the backbone of the entire digital project. It will reference the quality and standards which should be applied. BESA members demonstrate commercial and technical compliance and are audited and work to the highest industry standards.

However, the beauty of being a BESA member is that you don’t have to face these problems alone. The Association has been around for almost 120 years and, while we have been through more than our fair share of ups and downs in that time (and name changes) the sense of community has always stayed strong.

Membership means more… credibility

We like to think that exceptional situations bring out the best in us, but we are equally proud of our ability to keep delivering for members whatever the circumstances. Every year our in-house team of technical, health & safety, HR and legal experts save members more than £2m through advice, guidance, and very specific support.

We continue to work hard on industrial relations and last year negotiated another new wage agreement that will run through to the end of 2023 – helping to oil the wheels of employment and recruitment. We continue to push hard for yet more improvement around late and unfair payment practices – given further impetus by our membership of the new umbrella body Actuate UK.

On the technical front, we are across all the key disciplines but have received particular praise for our efforts to improve competence and

compliance in building safety, net zero carbon and indoor air quality – all of which are enjoying a high public profile.

None of this would be possible if we did not operate as a community. BESA staff at our offices in London and Penrith and stationed all around the UK are there at your disposal, but we never lose sight of the fact that we cannot do our jobs without your support and your willingness to share information and ideas with the rest of the BESA family.

As a former member myself, I know only too well about the pressures of running a building engineering contractor and have experienced those moments when it all feels overwhelming. It is at those times that being part of something bigger and being able to share problems and solutions with like-minded colleagues and friends makes all the difference in the world. n

DaviD Frise - BESA CHIEF ExECUTIVE OFFICER

“ When Robert Stephenson was congratulated by his peers on his great invention of ‘The Rocket’ steam locomotive in 1829 he was quick to share the credit. “The locomotive is not the invention of one man but of a nation of mechanical engineers.” ”

“ The legal and commercial team at BESA have successfully supported Lowe and Oliver on a number of commercial issues and contract reviews, saving us thousands against the traditional very expensive route of external legal support. This alone is worth our BESA membership fees and we would happily recommend this service to other member companies. ”

“ The Employment Team at BESA has been supporting us with our

issues since 2019. The team are always prompt in responding to enquiries and all clearly have extensive knowledge and experience. They provide professional and helpful support to prevent things going wrong and help resolve any issues that do arise. It is reassuring to know that they are available whenever we may need their advice and I would highly recommend them. ”

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Membership means more… trust

There is almost limitless potential demand for our expertise. Building engineering services are at the heart of the twin challenges of energy and climate security, and the new professional culture demanded by the Building Safety Act means clients will have to ensure they only appoint contractors who are demonstrably competent.

These challenges also seem to be changing the way society views engineers. A survey carried out by the market research firm Ipsos towards the end of 2022 found that almost nine in 10 people in Britain trust engineers to tell them the truth. The only profession with a higher integrity rating is nursing.

The trust of clients and the public will be increasingly important as we tackle the big built environment challenges around energy, carbon, health and well-being, safety etc.

These issues were at the heart of the first ‘in person’ BESA National Conference and Awards for three years, which took place last October. It broke historic attendance records with over 270 delegates at the

conference during the day and more than 400 attending a sparkling awards dinner in London the same evening.

Over the period of just a few hours, we managed to cram in all the big topics and key challenges our industry and its clients are facing. The BESA team were able to assemble an impressive line-up of more than 50 speakers to tackle our conference theme: ‘Bringing buildings to life’ with specialists from a wide range of sectors looking at current and future skills, the decarbonisation challenge, human health and well-being, and the implications of the country’s economic troubles among other things.

Who knows better than a building services engineer how to retrofit a building and re-set its services to deliver optimal energy and carbon performance without the need for the massive investment and disruption involved in new build – not to mention the impact on embodied carbon?

The Conference also saw the launch of the first ever World Ventilation Day – a global initiative aimed at improving ventilation standards in buildings to

ukraine, inflation, energy prices, building health and safety, material and skills shortages, economic and political turmoil – you couldn’t say that 2022 was an average year. The prospects for 2023 aren’t great, but BESA members do have several reasons to be optimistic.

raB FLetcHer - BESA PRESIDENT

protect the health, well-being, and productivity of people worldwide.

BESA moved with impressive speed to pull the campaign together in time for the day itself on November 8th. We worked with 21 other organisations, including professional bodies, universities, and environmental groups from across UK, Europe, North America, and Australia.

The theme of the day was: ‘Improving Ventilation for a Healthier World’ and this was picked up more than five million times on social media networks in 30 countries. The website attracted over 15,000 visitors from 75 different countries and print media coverage had a reach of 382 million across 12 countries.

World Ventilation Day (#WorldVentil8Day) took place the day after a coroner in Rochdale confirmed that the tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak was the direct result of his exposure to damp and mould caused by lack of ventilation in his apartment. There could have been no more poignant reminder of why ventilation engineers do what they do.

Remembering why we do what we do helps us push past the more mundane but necessary aspects of our working lives. So, BESA members should feel a sense of pride and optimism as they consider the year ahead. n

“ The trust of clients and the public will be increasingly important as we tackle the big built environment challenges around energy, carbon, health and well-being, safety etc. These issues were at the heart of the first ‘in person’ BESA National Conference and Awards for three years, which took place last October. ”

Membership means more… communication

The industry has always looked to BESA for leadership and, as a relatively small trade body, we have always punched above our weight. That is thanks to the commitment of our officers and staff, but also the many members who pour hours of volunteer time into helping us develop technical guidance and who demonstrate why professional best practice matters in their everyday activities.

As a professional working in the facilities management sector, I feel I am coming to the Presidency at the perfect time.

The market has shifted dramatically towards increased scrutiny of existing buildings, partly because of the energy crisis pushing up running costs, but also because of the growing recognition that net zero carbon targets are simply unachievable with the current carbon footprint of our built environment.

There is also far greater focus on the ‘safety culture’ in buildings as a result of the new Building Safety

Act and the enforcement of increasingly stringent fire safety regulations from January this year. All of this creates a unique set of circumstances for those professionals responsible for the way buildings are managed and maintained.

However, many of them are uncertain about how to put a proper FM strategy in place. Lack of awareness, information and expertise means businesses are missing out on energy savings and performance improvements that can also help them remain compliant with new regulations.

Research carried out by the Centre for Economic and Business Research (CEBR) found that UK businesses and homeowners are already missing out on over £3bn worth of savings every year which they could take advantage of immediately if they give a bit more thought to what is already happening in their buildings.

The market for UK building maintenance is estimated at over £60 billion/per annum, but a lot of that money is not being properly targeted, and not enough is being spent on keeping buildings operating safely and efficiently.

FMs often struggle to make a persuasive case to the building owner to defend maintenance expenditure – even if it is relatively modest – because they lack the relevant data and this is an area where BESA, and in particular its industry standard for building maintenance SFG20, will play an increasingly influential role.

The acceleration of the digital revolution in building operating and maintenance will be one of the most significant changes to building culture following the Grenfell Tower inquiry and should leave a legacy of better information, communication and maintenance excellence that will reap safety, cost, and carbon reduction benefits far into the future. n

cLaire curran - BESA PRESIDENT-ELECT

“ Being elected President of this great Association with all its history and prestige is a considerable honour. I am looking forward very much to taking up the reins later this year and continuing the wonderful work of my immediate predecessor Rab Fletcher and the distinguished industry leaders who have gone before us. ”

BESA Governance 2022-2023

Presidential Team

Council

Rab Fletcher Fife Council

Claire Curran Linaker Ltd

Adrian Hurley FP Hurley & Son Ltd

Neil Brackenridge Balfour Beatty

Abbey Maxwell Swiftclean

Adrian Sims Vent-Tech Ltd

Alan Gregory IAQ Consultancy Services Ltd

Anna Shephard E&S Heating and Ventilation Ltd

Christopher McGlen Robert Kirkland (Blyth) Ltd

Damien Martin Assure Services NI Ltd

BESA Board

Rab Fletcher Fife Council

Claire Curran Linaker Ltd

Adrian Hurley FP Hurley & Son Ltd

Neil Brackenridge Balfour Beatty

Anna Shephard E&S Heating and Ventilation Ltd

BESA Representation

Trustees

John Norfolk Imtech Engineering Services Central

Martin Coote Gatwick Park Mechanical Services Ltd

BESA Academy Board

Julie Verity Teconnex Ltd – Non-Exec Director

Mark Dacey NPTC Group - Non Exec Director

Rob Clemson Flamco – Non Exec Director

Affiliate Committee

Chris Owen Tata Steel (Chair)

Gordon Pringle Heating Appliances & Spares Ltd (Vice-Chair)

Adam Taylor ARM Environments

Chris Herber BSS

Glen Narbeth Narbeths Mechanical Services Ltd

Jason Canning NBC (Air Conditioning) Ltd

John Norfolk Imtech Engineering Services Central

Kevin Knapp Ecolution Renewables

Kevin Morrissey HE Simm Ltd

Martin Coote Gatwick Park Mechanical Services Ltd

Pete Curtis Briggs & Forrester Group

Richard Merritt AC Solutions Group

Steven Rawding Richard Irvin FM Ltd

Will Pitt Laing O’Rourke

Damien Norton Norton Mechanical Ltd

Nick James Arnold James (St Albans Ltd)

David Frise BESA Chief Executive

Skye Hardy BESA Finance Director

Nick Mead Crown House Technologies

David Frise BESA Chief Executive

Skye Hardy BESA Finance Director

Helen Yeulet BESA Director of Training & Skills

Dave Brown Smith Bros Stores Ltd

Gary Perry Altecnic Ltd

Lance Hitchins Mitsubishi Electric

Peter Dyment Camfil

Stephen Duck Flamco Ltd

Rab Fletcher BESA President

Claire Curran President Elect

Adrian Hurley Vice President

Neil Brackenridge Immediate Past President

Education Committee

Neil Brackenridge Balfour Beatty (Chair)

Claire Curran Linaker Ltd (Vice-Chair)

Alan Gregory Independent Air Quality Consultancy Services

Damien Norton Norton Mechanical Ltd

Dave Bone Mitie

Dave Kieft RDM Electrical Services Ltd

George Friend Ventilation Surveys & Services Ltd

Glenn Narbeth Narbeths Mechanical Services Ltd

Employment and Policy Committee

Pete Curtis Briggs and Forrester Group (Chair)

Adrian Hurley F P Hurley & Sons

Alastair Green Imtech Engineering Services

Andy Talbot Geoffrey Robinson

Anita White Vaughan Group

Brian Boyd NG Bailey

Legal and Commercial Committee

Anna Shephard E&S Heating and Ventilation (Chair)

Bev Myers ADM Systems

Damien Norton Norton Mechanical

Declan Fitzgerald NG Bailey

Evelyn Gutteridge Comyn Ching & Co (Solray) Ltd

Membership Committee

John Norfolk Imtech Engineering Services Central (Chair)

Adrian Hurley F P Hurley & Son Ltd

Alan Gregory IAQ Consultancy Services Ltd

Brian Hughes Derry Building Services

Don Monaghan Stothers M&E Ltd

Technical Committee

Kevin Morrissey H E Simm & Son Ltd (Chair)

Andy Sneyd Exyte Hargreaves Ltd

Garry Haigh Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick

Gary Edgar Imtech Engineering Services London & South Ltd

Gary Heitmann Lorne Stewart plc

George Adams Spie Ltd

George Friend Ventilation Surveys & Services Ltd

Giuseppe Borgese Sodexo

Lee Bridges Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick

Les Higham Balfour Beatty Kilpatrick

Specialist

Groups

HAPS Chair - Martin Coote

RACHPG Chair - Richard Merritt

SFG Chair - Alan Gregory

Ventilation Chair - George Friend

Jack Sharp Skanska

John McKay Taylor and Fraser

Julia Argles Swiftclean (UK) Ltd

Kevin Morrissey HE Simms

Martin Coote Gatwick Park Mechanical Services Ltd

Rab Fletcher Fife Council Building Services

Steven Rawding Richard Irvin FM Ltd

Tanya Webb Darke & Taylor Ltd

Tony Byrne Independent Consultant

Glen Walton Sayes and Co

John McKay Taylor and Fraser

Mel Gore Design Installation Services Ltd

Michael Moore F G Alden Ltd

Richard Harris Gratte Bros Ltd

Victoria Simm H E Simm

Gary Nicholls Swiftclean

John Norfolk Imtech Engineering Services Central

Karla Robinson Farmwood

Stacey McKinlay Ductform

Steve Bouchard United FM

Graham Harrowell Ductwork Design & Installation Ltd

Kevin Morrissey HE Simm

Mark Johnson Crown House Technologies

Mark Regan Balfour Beatty

Steve Hudson Derry Building Services

Steven Rawding Richard Irvin FM Ltd

Neil Ellis Exyte Hargreaves Ltd

Nick Mead Crown House Technologies

Paul Cornwell Michael J Lonsdale Ltd

Paul Newby SES (Engineering Services) Ltd

Peter Rogers Technical Consultant

Remi Suzan Gratte Brothers Ltd

Rob Lambert Skanska Rashleigh Weatherfoil Ltd

Stephen Duck Flamco Ltd (Affiliate member)

Stephen Jennings SES (Engineering Services) Ltd

Steve Taylor Fire Protection Ltd

Will Pitt Laing O’Rourke

BESA Regional Chairs

Scotland

North East

Yorkshire

Chair Rab Fletcher fife Council

Vice Chair Steven Rawding richard Irvin

Northern Ireland

Chair Damien Martin assure services nI

Vice Chair Don Monaghan stothers M&e

Cyrmu/Wales

Chair Glen Narbeth narbeths Mechanical services ltd

Vice Chair (Chair Vacancy)

Chair Stephen Paylor robertsons facilities Management ltd

Vice Chair (Chair Vacancy)

Chair Daniel Ball Imtech

Vice Chair Ian Fisher

East Midlands

Chair Pete Curtis Briggs & forrester group

Vice Chair Brian Hughes derry Building services

North West

Chair Ian Lammas Imtech north

Vice Chair Dale Kenyon end systems ltd

South West

Chair (Chair Vacancy)

Vice Chair (Chair Vacancy)

West Midlands

Chair (Chair Vacancy)

Vice Chair (Chair Vacancy)

Eastern Counties

Chair Alan Gregory IaQ services

Vice Chair Abbey Maxwell swiftclean

London & South East

Chair Richard Merritt aC solutions group

Vice Chair (Chair Vacancy)

BESA External Representation 2022 – 2023

We are connected to many other professional bodies within the sector. We all collaborate as representative bodies to lobby government at the UK and EU level as we strive to improve the building services sector.

BESA

ACRIB Board Directors

Richard Merritt, AC Solutions Group Ltd

Jason Canning, NBC (Air Conditioning) Ltd

Graeme Fox

Graeme Fox Chair, ACRIB Technical Committee

Richard Merritt ACRIB Chair of the Board

Graeme Fox Net Zero Group

BESA’s RACHP Group is a member and is represented by Graeme Fox and Richard Merritt, AC Solutions Group Ltd

Graeme Fox Chair of Working Group on Refrigerants United Nations Environment Programme

Rachel Davidson Graeme Fox BEIS Heat Network Technical Assurance Scheme

Graeme Fox HVAC Systems Group committee Heat Pump Liaison Group Domestic Building Services Panel AM17 Steering Group – Heat Pump Guide

Rachel Davidson Graeme Fox RACHP Sector Group

Graeme Fox HVAC Manufacturer Group Suppliers’ Group Contractors Section A2L Working Group

Graeme Fox President Elect Net Zero Beyond Refrigeration RACHP EngTech Section

Graeme Fox Decarbonisation of Heating Advisory Group

BESA

Debbie Petford Business Group

David Frise Trade Association Group

David Frise Trade Association Council

David Frise Kirsty Cogan

Iain McCaskey Board Member and Founding Member CICV Forum Pipeline & Commercial Subgroup CICV Forum Supply Chain Subgroup CICV Transformation Subgroup

David Frise Retentions Group

Debbie Petford Onerous Clauses Group

David Frise Trade Association Forum

Rachel Davidson Helen Yeulet Industry Response Group: WG2 – Installers

BESA

Rachel Davidson Certification Committee

and Safety

Rachel Davidson Competence & Compliance Group

Rachel Davidson Common Assessment Standard Review Group

Voice – Technical

Voice – Economic Recovery

Voice – Competence, Compliance

Rebecca Crosland Chair, Health & Safety Subgroup

Rachel Davidson CSCS Alliance Chair, CSCS Alliance Steering Committee

Duncan Sibbald CSCS Alliance – Competence and Skills

Duncan Sibbald Competent Person Forum

Graeme Fox

Duncan Sibbald MTC (Minimum Technical Competencies) Working Groups for: Heating and Hot Water Ventilation and Air Conditioning Combustion Appliances

Graeme Fox Future Buildings Standard Working Group

NIAW

Rebecca Crosland Chair

Rebecca Crosland Board Member (on behalf of Actuate UK)

Northern Ireland Apprentice Week

Iain McCaskey Skills Partnership, Construction Cluster Meeting

Iain McCaskey Industry Leadership Group – Skills

Helen Yeulet Standards Consultation Forum (Downstream Gas)

Helen Yeulet IfATE Apprenticeship Review

Helen Yeulet Green Jobs Action Group Iain McCaskey Working Group

Iain McCaskey All Party Group on Construction Built Environment Sector Partnership (BESP) Department of Education

Helen Yeulet Reviews of BSE NOS

Helen Yeulet Chair, Skills Group Chair, WG2 – Building Services

Duncan Sibbald

Helen Yeulet WG2 – Building Services

Iain McCaskey Cymru Committee Northern Ireland Committee

Iain McCaskey Board

Helen Yeulet Non-executive Director

Helen Yeulet CBE Advisory Group

Iain McCaskey Cross-Party Group (CPG) on Construction, Skills and Housing

Helen Yeulet Optimised Retrofit Wales Government

Project Board

Helen Yeulet Non-executive Director

BESA Priorities 2023/24

Building Safety

the Building safety act 2022 - how we can make sure you understand your new responsibilities and together we can ensure positive culture changes for our industry.

How?

• greater clarity on obligations from the Building Safety Regular through webinars and workshops

• understanding what it means for assessing the competence of individuals and firms

• education of MPs and policy makers on requirement to properly fund the Building Safety Regular to ensure enforcement capability

Indoor Air Quality and Ventilation

We should be able to breath safely indoors and we are continuing to work towards making it a basic human right.

How?

• raising awareness, including promotion and championing of Ella’s Law, particularly to parliamentarians

• Calling for Government to implement a framework to measure air quality, which also recognises the impact of indoor air pollution

• Building on the strong working relationships with Government Chief Medical Officer’s office

Net Zero

We have a number of priorities of how together we can help achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

How?

• raising awareness of the scale of the skills challenge

• education of MPs and policy makers to recognise the importance of a strong and comprehensive skills plan if the uk is to realise its net Zero ambitions

• Continuing the work of refCoM and Besa to ensure the phase down of F-Gas does not hold back on achieving net Zero targets

• Consulting you and the wider industry, to adopt a sector position on hydrogen for domestic heating

Fair Business Practice

Besa is working with policy makers to change the unfair practice of ‘cash retentions’ and champion prompt payment for all.

How?

• lobbying for clearer reporting of payments by value

• Pushing for better enforcement of existing legislation

• Wider use of Project Bank Accounts

BESA

Rotherwick House

3 Thomas More Street

St Katharine's & Wapping

London E1W 1YZ

T: 0345 646 1044

E: membership@thebesa.com

W: www.thebesa.com

BESA 2023