Certification Requirements & Process
Pre-Certification Requirements
To prevent undue delays and costs in your journey to becoming Flexi-Orb Certified, you should first familiarise yourself with the INS-001 Installation Scheme to check you meet the requirements. It is also advisable to ensure you have the below prerequisites in place before you apply.
Training & Competency
You must be able to evidence that your business has within it the competencies, skills, and sufficient experienced installers, whether in-house or subcontracted, to undertake the design, installation, commissioning, and handover of the renewable energy systems that your business will be certified to install.
It is a requirement that at least one installer holding valid national qualifications for each of the technologies being installed on a site is present throughout the installation period and that they are responsible for that installation. Additionally, at least one of the roofing team within the business must hold a recognised national qualification or have a documented record of experience.
For full details of the training and competency requirements, please refer to Section 6 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme.
Consumer Code
If all or part of your installation activities include domestic installations then you will be required to be a member of a Chartered Trading Standards Institute Approved Code – either the Home Insulation and Energy Systems Contractors Scheme (HIES) or the Renewable Energy Consumer Code (RECC)1.
If you do not currently have a Code membership, whilst it is possible to apply for certification and to a Code in parallel, it is advisable to have as a minimum, an Agreement in Principle in place with a Code before you apply for certification. Without a Consumer Code, even though you may be assessed successfully by your chosen Certification Body, you cannot achieve Flexi-Orb Certification.
For full details of the consumer code requirement, please refer to Clauses 9.1 and 9.3 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme.
Note: Installers carrying out small-scale commercial installations only, e.g., in the new build or social housing sector, do not need a Consumer Code.
1 Please be aware that while Flexi-Orb recognises RECC as such a Code, however at this time their byelaws dictate that an installer must be MCS certified. We are working with them to revise this, however, installers are advised to check directly with RECC in writing before applying for Flexi-Orb certification with any of our Scheme Operators.
IBG Provider
If all or part of your installation activities include domestic installations, then you must be registered with one of our Approved Insurance Backed Guarantee (IBG) Providers, as shown below, and provide all of your domestic Solar PV and Battery installation customers with an IBG (providing an IBG for an EV Charge Point installation only is optional).
Recognised Providers
For full details of the IBG requirement, please refer to Clause 9.2 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme.
Note: For small-scale commercial installations providing an IBG is optional.
Note: The market for Insurance‑Backed Guarantees is changing, with new Financial Protection Products (FPPs) being introduced for renewable energy installations. As these new products become available, we are reviewing the IBG policies that Flexi‑Orb will accept to ensure they continue to provide the right level of protection for homeowners. This review includes assessing the increased levels of cover now being offered by some providers and confirming that any policy accepted by Flexi‑Orb meets our standards for consumer protection, clarity, and reliability.
What to expect during the Assessment Process
During your journey to becoming Flexi-Orb Certified, you will undergo a Head Office assessment and an on-site technical assessment of a recently installed system that should include all the technologies you wish to be certified for. Click below to learn more about each assessment stage.
Head Office Assessment
You will be required to undergo an office assessment(s) of your Quality Management System (QMS) for the process of the installation of the products at each location where installation activities are coordinated. The office assessment will follow the OAC-001 Office Assessment Checklist template and will include a document review in conjunction with interviewing staff and, where appropriate, contractors.
During the QMS audit you will required to evidence that your internal infrastructure is sufficient to support your installation activities to the qualitative technical requirements of the Scheme. You must have in place a documented and controlled QMS of your installation processes and procedures, and these processes and procedures must ensure that each project is undertaken in a consistent manner, compliant with the Scheme.
If you do not have an appropriate QMS in place, there are several software providers who offer a range of solutions that could help you gain and retain your Flexi-Orb Certification. For more information please see our QMS Interface page.
For further details on the QMS requirement, please refer to Sections 5 and 8 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme.
To download a copy of the OAC-001 Office Assessment Checklist please see our Technical Annexes section.
On-site Technical Assessment
The on-site technical assessment(s) will be of an existing installation and should cover each of the technologies you wish to be certified for. If you do not have an installation that covers all technologies then it is possible to have multiple assessments, however, this may incur additional fees. If installation activities are coordinated from more than one office location, a technical assessment will be required for each location.
The technical assessment(s) will be assessed against the relevant regulatory and normative documents as detailed under Section 10 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme and will follow the TAC-001 Solar PV Assessment Checklist, TAC-002 EESS Assessment Checklist, and the TAC-003 EVCP Assessment Checklist.
For further details on the Technical Assessments, please refer to Sections 5 and 10 of the INS-001 Installation Scheme.
To download a copies of the Technical Assessment Checklists, please see our Technical Annexes section.
Ready to apply?
If you are ready to take your business to the next level and have….
Read through the INS-001 Installation Scheme
Confirmed you meet the Pre-Certification Requirements
…then see below for details on how to apply for Flexi-Orb Certification.
Apply for Flexi-Orb Certification
Applications to become Flexi-Orb Certified must be made via one of the Certification Bodies (Scheme Operators) that have been accredited by UKAS to operate the Flexi-Orb Installation Scheme. Once an application has been made, your chosen Operator will contact you with an assessment date and guide you through their process.
Scheme Operators
The following organisations both offer a route to Flexi-Orb Certification. Each has its own unique benefits and pricing structures, and the journey to certification may differ from one organisation to the other, depending on the volume of work that they are currently handling and on the availability of their resource. To help you decide which route would be best for your business and/or to submit your application to your chosen operator, please click the links below.
