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Loyd

I have submitted my application to the NICEIC for MCS.

I have a Health and Safety Handbook and appropriate method satements and risk assessments. What I do not have is a Quality Management System. I don't want to write this myself from scratch and so need a template to work from.

I am sure many of you were in the same boat. Did you buy/beg/steal/borrow a QMS template? If so where from and would you recommend it?

Loyd
 
Hi Loyd,

Your not going to be able to buy this as it is bespoke to your company and methods of work. No one can tell you how to do your processes.

The QCS is best described as a manual to hand to a complete stranger on how to run your business while you go on holiday! Outrageous I know but that was how it was described to me.

Think about how you are going to or do handle every item from first customer contact to hand over and registering. What controls you have in place for customer care, complaints. Product checks and delivery. What source of information are available and how to check and source sub contractors etc. Think about every step of the works, what information you need and need to give. Where to find this information and detail where it is kept (in crate under bed for example!) How you will review the information and how often. Detail date and version number on it also to identify updates etc.

Having done ours some 12 months ago we review every 3 months but in practice its reviewed every time we add or change suppliers or products etc. It doesn't take much if saved on a PC.

Its not as hard as you may think and it doesn't have to be war and peace!

PM me if you need guidance or even to review one you have written, I'd be happy to do so but having written ours I'm not going to pass it out or write one for someone else, Sorry! Not that it would be relevant to how YOU do things.

Mark
 
Hi Mark

I'm know I'm sticking my neck out here I know because I haven't been through MCS but .....

My reasoning runs like this. There have to be many common processes and standard documents used by all Domestic PV Installers. Currently, like most prospective MCS Installers, I have little experience of installing Solar PV. If 10 of us started from scratch in producing those processess and documents we would come up with 10 different versions, some parts of which would be brilliant, other parts would be total tosh.:confused:

If we were to pull all the best bits together we would get close to Best Practice processes that we could adapt to our own busineses.

It's that Best Practice starting point that i'm looking for.

I may be wasting my money but I have booked myself on to the National Energy Foundation / Solar Trade Association course. More info here NEF | MCS - Microgeneration Certification Scheme Made Easy Course. I wouldn't use their Quality Management System unchanged, but it looks like it is a good model.

The course is next Wednesday in Manchester - I'll let you know after the course whether I have wasted my time and money.
 
Good luck with the course. Let us know how you get on. Would be interseting to know.

I understand your reasoning regarding the QCS. Pulling all the best bits together may still not be how you will do things and unless your QCM resembles what you do then it will be of no relevance. We had only done two installations when we formed our first QCM but what we produced was relevant to our use at that time. Once we increased installations we updated the QCM as required by adding bits in and changing others. If you show a fully loaded QCM on first inspection you may be asked to demonstrate how you implement it. As I was told the QCM for British Gas would be no use to our two man band company.

I have seen companies advertising manuals made bespoke for you but I don't know the cost and when amendments need to be made whether they have to do them as well or if they let you have a digital draft copy.
 
The National Energy Foundation/Solar Trade Association 'MCS Made Easy' course is very good.

The course was delivered by a MCS Assessor - an external contractor to BRE. She had been involved in the renewable energy business for 20 years and knew the ropes. She overcome any conflict of interest by being outside the BRE organisation and by making sure that she did not assess any company that had been on one of her courses.

The course provided just what I was looking for - it took us through a best practice quality management process manual containing document templates to address the basic requirements of MCS. NEF claim is that without their template, creating an MCS Quality Management System will take ~20 man days. Tailoring the 'MCS Made Easy' templates to the requirements of your business they claim will take ~ 1 day. As they provide CD containing templates in word format with your company name and other key data already merged, this is a fair claim.

The added bonus is that we can adapt the processes and templates to improve the management of our existing business.

I'm just waiting for the final CD with our personalised templates. I will keep you informed of progress.
 
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I've not used the software yet. I'm going to do the QMS course to make sure I'm as well prepared for the visit as possible. After that, I will reassess whether making a purchase is a good idea or not.
 
Hi Mark,

I am just looking at getting my MCS in place for PV but do not have the time or knowledge to create a QMS, I have heard of a company called easymcs Cost & Pain Free MCS Installer Accreditation & Certification

they seem to produce a QMS bespoke for your company and mentor you through the process. I have spoken to a few people and these guys seem to be the biggest in the market at the moment, do you know much if anything about them? they have said the cost is £495 which when you consider a course is generally £150 and then a day not installing is another £250 + i would still have to build it with most of these seminars i think it is a good deal?

They have also offered a £50 discount to mcs assessment with NIC EIC do you know if this is legitimate?
 
I have submitted my application to the NICEIC for MCS.

I have a Health and Safety Handbook and appropriate method satements and risk assessments. What I do not have is a Quality Management System. I don't want to write this myself from scratch and so need a template to work from.

I am sure many of you were in the same boat. Did you buy/beg/steal/borrow a QMS template? If so where from and would you recommend it?

Loyd

The problem with stealing, begging, or borrowing other QMS's, as stated, is that it isn't specific to your business, and will force you into doing things in ways you don't work.

Far, far better to document the processes you currently follow, keeping it as simple as you can, while covering everything.

Draw flowchart diagrams to start with, and take it from there.

I've stuck up a link to another conversation about this, only a week or so ago.
 
Hi Bill,

that link is great thanks , apparently easy mcs will build your qms for you what are your thoughts on this?

There's a few companies out there with offers along these lines - one I recall offering a complete QMS in 30 days.....at only a grand. On closer inspection, it was, kind of.

The real problem with a lot of QMS consultancies, and especially ones which offer "standard" QMS systems is that they generally either only offer a "starter" system which misses half of what you actually do, or it forces a load of stuff on you that you don't need to do.

There is a myth that QMS is hard to understand. It isn't. In essence, all any QMS is, is a system which contains documentation of how your business operates. It needn't be any more complicated than that.

The Easy MCS scheme seems to offer the right service - not sure on pricing, but definitely worth investigation as to cost, and precise involvement. It likely won't be cheap though, especially given the strap saying 0% loans for Welsh Installers (time for a Welsh branch location?).....

One key thing I will say is that the more you can document what you already do, and design basic processes for, the easier the process becomes, the better your understanding of things, and the more likely you are to be consistent in things in any case.

You probably already have most of what you need, just never written it down at all.

For example - do you deal with all installations in the same way? Many of the processes for testing, inspection, even install practice are already there.

The single biggest thing most people have difficulty getting their head around is mapping the processes - i.e. every document has to have a unique number, so it can be referred to unambiguously.

The other thing of note is that is is ALWAYS worth speaking to your scheme admin to see if they have any guides as to what they expect from you in terms of the QMS. They should have some kind of overview document, and may even let you have a copy of the assessment form.

After all, it's as much in their interest as yours that your application is successful.
 
Bill,

I received my QMS manual from Easy MCS today and have been in contact with Pete one of the mentors over the last few days to get myself set-up to implement it over the x mas break. I am really impressed with the package they have provided but the mentoring they have given me over the last few days has given me full confidence in going for my accreditation. The package they provide cost me £495 and includes all the relevant procedures for mcs for heat pumps the only bit I have to get is the TR/30 guide.

They have given me a list of 10 things to do over the x-mas break such as creating a non conforming product area and a few example customer complaints and using the info in the folder i need to create a project pack and hand over but everything is in the pack.

They have advised either NIC or Corgi for my assessment does anybody know of any others ?
 
Bill,

I received my QMS manual from Easy MCS today and have been in contact with Pete one of the mentors over the last few days to get myself set-up to implement it over the x mas break. I am really impressed with the package they have provided but the mentoring they have given me over the last few days has given me full confidence in going for my accreditation. The package they provide cost me £495 and includes all the relevant procedures for mcs for heat pumps the only bit I have to get is the TR/30 guide.

They have given me a list of 10 things to do over the x-mas break such as creating a non conforming product area and a few example customer complaints and using the info in the folder i need to create a project pack and hand over but everything is in the pack.

They have advised either NIC or Corgi for my assessment does anybody know of any others ?

That's quite impressive then.

It seems you're well on the way, too.

I'd have said either NIC or Corgi for the assessment too.

Happy Christmas!
 
I have recently received my quality management system, mentoring service & advice on inspection from a company called easy mcs i am now looking to book my assessment. does anybody have any advice on who to use for my inspection i have been advised either NIC or Corgi ?
 

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