IFC Certification: A part of the Kiwa UK Group

IFC certification was incorporated in 2003 and has been instrumental in improving standards of installation of fire protection products/systems to the benefit of the construction industry and the clients it serves.

IFC Certification Ltd is a UKAS accredited certification body and is a UK approved body (No. 1720) under the Construction Products Directive.

The necessity for manufacturers and installers to be able to demonstrate capability and traceability of their products and services is now more important than ever before, with increased public awareness, industry mindfulness and regulatory recommendations.

IFC have over 15 years’ experience of certification services to a vast array of clients who specify, design, manufacture, install, assess or maintain fire protection products and systems.

IFC provides schemes for Commercial & Industrial and Residential & Domestic Sprinkler Systems.

There are currently only two UKAS 3rd Party accreditation schemes for the design, installation and maintenance of sprinkler systems into Commercial & Industrial and Residential & Domestic premises, the IFC schemes offer a direct equivalent to the other certification scheme provider, and the IFC is accepted by insurers and specifiers offering a real choice to the sprinkler industry.

Using an IFC certificated company ensures that systems will be properly designed and installed, with staff assessed by IFC for their competence, using the correct approved products and systems within their tested and approved scope.

IFC certified installers of Commercial and Industrial Sprinkler Systems are required to maintain ISO 9001:2015 certification of their management system including records of every contract undertaken to facilitate programmed audits / inspections of ongoing work activities. IFCC installers shall maintain records of all contract awards and on completion the installing company will issue a certificate of compliance and label their work.

The IFC scheme for Commercial and Industrial Sprinkler Systems was developed in conjunction with BAFSA the British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association

IFC certificated contractors are required to undergo a 3-stage assessment process. Only when the applicant contractor has satisfied all these criteria is certification granted:

  • Assessment of office management systems and designs.
  • Assessment of workmanship of site for all trade disciplines for which certification is sought.
  • Competence assessment of supervisory and installation employees.

IFC is a third-party certification scheme that verifies the competence of a contractor company to design and install sprinkler systems to satisfy BSEN 12845:2015 (Commercial & Industrial) or BS9251:2021 (Residential & Domestic) as appropriate to the building type/risk category that fall within the contractors’ scope of certification. As such Fire Defence Servicing may be appointed in confidence, offering assurance of quality and reliability of design and installation over and above that provided by others.

As a participant in the IFC scheme, Fire Defence Servicing has, amongst other things, to employ appropriately skilled design, supervision and operational staff who are assessed as such. Upon completion of all contracts undertaken, IFC companies may issue a IFC endorsed Certificate of Conformity verifying correct completion of works, (unless the system does not fully comply with the requirements of the appropriate standard), whereupon an “installation certificate” may be issued.

A sample of all design contract works undertaken by IFC certificated companies is subject to random inspection by specialist IFC inspectors.

Should you wish your contract specifically to be inspected, (as a contractual requirement) then this can be provided by IFC through a supplementary arrangement with the IFC certificated company.

All IFC site inspectors and sprinkler engineers have technical and practical knowledge and experience in fire protection. Certification requirements have been developed with UK trade associations including:

And training programmes

  • XACT – Residential & Domestic Sprinkler Design & Installation Training

IFC certificated contractors are subject to audits of their offices and ongoing, random design reviews and surveillance site inspections where competence and workmanship are assessed.

IFC certificated contractors are required to log ‘contracts in hand’ on the IFC online database. A ‘Certificate of Conformity (Compliance)’ for the completed works is issued from the IFC online database.