Approved contractor

A person who–

(a) has been approved by the water undertaker for the area where a water fitting is installed or used, or

(b) has been certified as an approved contractor by an organization specified in writing by the regulator.

Interpretation given in Part 1: Preliminary of the Water Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations and Scottish Water Byelaws

Approved contractor schemes

There are currently seven Approved Contractors Schemes in the UK. 

Four are approved by the water undertaker for the area which they supply.

• A Plus (Anglian Water)
  
• TAPS (Thames Water)
  
• WaterMark Scheme (Severn Trent water)
  
• WIAPS ( administered by WRAS on behalf of sixteen water undertakers) 
  

Three are certified by the Regulator 

• Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors (APHC)
  
• Chartered Institute of Plumbing and Heating Engineers (CIPHE)
  
• Scottish and Northern Ireland Plumbing Employers’ Federation (SNIPEF)
  

All the schemes have the same entry requirements:

• A recognised qualification in plumbing
  
• A recognised qualification in Water Fittings Regulations or Scottish Water Byelaws 
  
• An appropriate level of public liability insurance and employers’ liability cover.

Each Approved Contractor Scheme operates in different geographical area. To join a scheme a plumber or plumbing business must reside or be located in the geographical area covered by that scheme. 

Click here for further information about WIAPS. For further information about the other Approved Contractor Schemes contact them directly.