Joining Sole Practitioners - Scheme for Scotland

Sole Practitioners applying to register as Approved Certifiers of Design (Building Structures) are required to be of Chartered Engineer status with either the Institution of Structural Engineers or Institution of Civil Engineers generally for a minimum of 5 years.

Sole Practitioners must apply as both an individual and a body. The combined fee for both types of application is £75 plus VAT. £25 for individual application and a discounted rate of £50 for Sole Practitioners applying for Approved Body membership.

Payment is by online Credit/Debit card, or cheque (made payable to SER Limited). Please pay online if possible, as this helps minimise administration costs for the scheme. A full VAT receipt will be emailed once payment has been accepted.

Registration of a Sole Practitioner is for a 5 year period initially. Every 5 years, Sole Practitioners are expected to seek re-registration even though they may have been successfully audited in the meantime.. After audit and if the individual and firm is 'approved', registration on the Scheme will be confirmed for the remainder of the 5 year period.

Sole Practitioners will need to pay an annual fee in order to maintain their membership of the Scheme and remain an Approved Certifier of Design/Approved Body. The fee for renewal is currently £75 plus VAT. A reminder email will be sent one month before your renewal date.

Once accepted on to the Scheme, individuals will be Approved Certifier of Design (Building Structures). This title allows them to certify the structural design of buildings in Scotland and to issue certificates in support of applications to local authorities for Building Warrants and amendments to Warrants.

The Scheme generally does not allow certification without checking by a second person. 'Two pairs of eyes' should be involved in order to give the Certifier adequate assurance of a sound design before the certificate is signed. Sole practitioners therefore need to enter into an agreement with another firm for checking of design if they are the Certifier or should approach an Approved Body for the provision of certification services.