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So, you want your products tested. Maybe you’re in the process of transitioning from BS 476 to BS EN test evidence ahead of the September 2029 deadline. It’s time to take a short pause. Have you considered what your testing will cover, the cost of the test program and the possible gaps in your scope? Without a scope analysis , your test program could cost thousands of pounds more than necessary. You could miss opportunities to extend your scope, or worse, miss key evidence from your scope that prevents your product going to market. What is a scoping analysis? A scoping analysis is an expert review of your product wish list. The individual, or team, will review your existing product fire test evidence and your wish list to create a plan of testing to achieve the maximum product scope coverage. This exercise will minimise the testing required by considering how tests results can be extended using Direct Field of Application Rules (DIAP) and an Extended Field of Application  under the BS EN 15269 series where applicable. Protect your investment A single fire resistance test can cost upwards of £9,000 depending on the complexity and length of time. Add into that the cost to manufacture and install the specimen, you want to make sure that you protect your investment. Without a scoping analysis, you might: Test a non-worst-case specimen (leaving a gap in your testing requiring another test). Miss a critical variation Duplicate testing unnecessarily You don’t just lost money. You lose time, delay product launch and miss commercial opportunities. What a scoping analysis should deliver When done by an industry expert, your scoping analysis should deliver a: Visibility of your coverage limits. A roadmap of a defined test program including sampling. A pathway to achieving a full scope covering through an EXAP. Visibility of your coverage limits. Timeline to achieve a full scope including an Extended Field of Application (EXAP). A pathway to third-party certification. This lets you move forward with control, knowing what your spending, what you’re testing, and what it will cover. Planning for 2029 and beyond Manufacturers should be preparing for 2 nd September 2029 when BS 476 fire resistance test evidence will no longer support compliance with Approved Document B. If you plan to sell products in the market beyond 2029, you need to ask yourself… Have you covered your full product scope with BS EN testing? Do you have a program of testing planned? Have you mapped every commercial variant of your product required beyond 2029? If the answer is no to any of these, a scoping analysis could save you thousands. Protect your investment, contact a member of our technical team about your scoping analysis by clicking here .

MHCLG’s February 2026 review of third-party certification schemes  identifies significant inconsistency across 55 voluntary third-party certification schemes in the UK construction products sector, particularly in transparency, surveillance disclosure and digital accessibility. The future of credible certification lies in clearly defined scope, structured surveillance, accessible supporting evidence and durable digital records. UKTC Ensure has been designed to respond directly to these structural gaps, including through the UKTC Ensure Vault - a lifecycle-based digital evidence repository linked to every certificate. Raising the Benchmark for Voluntary Third-Party Certification The MHCLG review provides a detailed assessment of voluntary third-party certification in the UK construction products market. While certification remains an important assurance mechanism, the report highlights substantial variation in scheme structure, certificate clarity, surveillance transparency and access to supporting evidence. Fifty-five schemes were identified within scope Across these, differences were observed in: How product scope is defined. Whether surveillance activity is clearly disclosed. How testing data is presented. How easily certification status can be verified. The direction is clear: certification must demonstrate rigour, transparency and traceability. Clarity of Scope and Regulatory Contribution No product can demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations in isolation. Certification supports regulatory contribution, but performance depends on system design, installation and context. UKTC Ensure certification therefore defines: Certified product or system scope. Inclusion and exclusion boundaries. Applicable British or European Standards. Tested characteristics and performance outcomes. Contributory regulatory statements where relevant. The emphasis is on precision rather than broad performance & marketing claims. Structured Surveillance and Defined Validity The review notes inconsistency in how schemes describe ongoing oversight. UKTC Ensure follows ISO/IEC 17065 requirements and ISO/IEC 17067 Type 5 principles, incorporating: Determination of characteristics (testing, inspection or appraisal). Independent review and certification decision. Factory Production Control review. Periodic audit inspection. Time-bound validity with structured revalidation. Certification status, expiry and any suspension are publicly verifiable through a digital register. The UKTC Ensure Vault: Lifecycle Transparency A key finding in the MHCLG review is limited access to the supporting evidence behind certificates. Many schemes reference standards, but few provide structured, durable digital access to underlying documentation. Construction products often remain in place for decades. Over time, documentation can become fragmented or inaccessible. The UKTC Ensure Vault addresses this by hosting supporting evidence alongside each certificate within a controlled digital repository. The Vault includes: Referenced and version-controlled test report identifiers. Scope documentation and certified variants. Surveillance summaries and revision history. Certificate status, including suspensions or withdrawals. Access is linked directly to the product via secure digital identifiers, enabling verification at any point in its lifecycle, installation, inspection, refurbishment or investigation. The aim is to preserve a durable, traceable source of truth. From Transparency to Commercial Advantage The MHCLG review signals that transparency and digital accessibility are becoming baseline expectations. As procurement frameworks and dutyholders respond, the threshold for credible third-party assurance will continue to rise. A number of manufacturers of fire resistance building products have already moved ahead of this shift by adopting structured, transparent certification models supported by digital evidence retention. By joining UKTC Ensure, these organisations demonstrate: Clearly defined scope and tested performance. Structured surveillance and lifecycle traceability. Publicly verifiable certification status. Accessible supporting evidence through the UKTC Ensure Vault. In safety-critical markets, transparency reduces friction in specification and supports due diligence requirements. Early adopters are finding that being digitally evidence-ready strengthens their position in competitive tenders and regulatory scrutiny. The direction is clear. Certification frameworks that combine technical rigour with durable digital transparency will define the next benchmark for credibility. Manufacturers of fire resistance and other safety-critical products should ask: Is your certification model ready for the next decade of scrutiny? If not, the time to strengthen it is now. To learn more about UKTC ensure and how it answers the calls for transparency, accountability and clearer labelling, download our white paper by clicking below. [Source: Third-party certification schemes for construction products in the United Kingdom - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/699d9098532c9ad91ebbcbc2/Third-party_certification_schemes_for_construction_products_in_the_United_Kingdom_-_February_2026.pdf ]

Specifying passive fire protection products carries real responsibility with risks relating to quality, safety and reliability. These decisions affect the life safety, legal compliance and cost of a project. Third-party certification offers specifiers and building stakeholders independent verification of the quality, performance and manufacturing consistency of a product and provides confidence in their specification. What Third Party Certification Really Means Third party certification is independent verification carried out by a UKAS-accredited body and in accordance with rules of a UKAS accredited scheme. Rules can vary from scheme to scheme however, as a minimum, third-party product certification schemes should cover: Factory Control Procedures Manufacturing Processes Product Performance (through evidence) Product Components Third-party certification isn’t a one-off test or audit. It involves continuous surveillance that provides ongoing oversite that offers real value to the marketplace and reduces risk for stakeholders. How does third-party certification influence product specification? Products that hold third-party certification demonstrate that performance claims have been verified and manufacturing systems are monitored and assessed as a system. This reduces the risks associated with specifying the product thus providing confidence to specifiers and building stakeholders. Does third-party certification provide a return on investment? Every scheme has different rules and it’s critical that a manufacturer assesses the return on investment a scheme can provide before committing to it. Manufacturers should look for these 3 key points when considering their certification options… Is the scheme UKAS Accredited? Is the scheme up to date with regulatory demands and requirements? Are the scheme rules unambiguous? (i.e. do you know what you’re being certified for?) If a third-party certification scheme doesn’t deliver on these key points, can a specifier truly trust the quality and assurance of the scheme? Third-party certification remains voluntary however many specifiers and main contractors expect you to have it in place, it is crucial that they can trust the scheme and understand what it represents. You cannot remove the risk from specification completely but as a manufacturer, you can prove the steps you take to minimise it. By committing to a third-party certification that delivers value for you, your client and the specifier, you give yourself a commercial advantage and confidence to your stakeholders. UKTC Ensure UKTC ensure is a third-party certification scheme for passive fire protection products that has been designed to eliminate ambiguity and answer the demands of industry regulators and stakeholders. It makes certification conditional on the publication of supporting data and establishes a single source of truth for the certified products to align with the requirements of the golden thread. To learn more about UKTC ensure, click here .

Meet the United Kingdom Testing & Certification team behind the industry-leading fire resistance and reaction to fire test experiences. Our Team Meet the individuals dedicated to ensuring life safety through compliance and service. Abby Gray Technical Surveyor Read Bio Andrew Hutchison Operations Director Read Bio Barry Steven Laboratory Manager Read Bio David Brown Business Unit Director Read Bio Holly Fitzsimmons Administrative Officer Read Bio Mark Shaw Reaction to Fire Technical Officer Read Bio Nathan Small Senior Development & Implementation Lead Read Bio Adam Campbell Technical Officer Read Bio Andrew Jeffrey Graphic Designer Read Bio Cameron Leckie Technical Surveyor Read Bio Eddie Wilson Technical Surveyor Read Bio Ian Laithwaite Certification Manager Read Bio Matthew Dale Reaction to Fire Manager Read Bio Rob Grant Technical Officer Read Bio Aditi Bapte Technical Officer Read Bio Andrew McGhee Marketing Manager Read Bio Dan Fitzsimmons Head of Testing Read Bio Ellen Johnson Compliance Officer Read Bio Jago Steven Sales Executive Read Bio Murray Ker Business Development Read Bio Tom Smith Technical Services Officer Read Bio Join our team If you're interested in a career at United Kingdom Testing & Certification, click below to learn more. UKTC Careers

Learn more about the team behind delivering fire resistance and reaction to fire testing for passive fire protection product manufacturers. Our Team Nathan Small Senior Development & Implementation Lead We welcomed Nathan to UKTC in November of 2021 following 8 years in the timber doorset manufacturing industry. Following a role in the testing team that led him to Senior Technical Officer, Nathan has now moved into the role of Senior Development & Implementation Lead. Nathan's new role will strengthen how UKTC supports the construction market through expanding our capacity and service provision. Meet the team Learn more about the team dedicated to delivering leading fire testing and certification services. Our Team

United Kingdom Testing and Certification - UKTC - offer market leading fire testing and certification services to demonstrate client’s building materials and components comply with all appropriate standards and building codes. Accredited by UKAS. FIRE TESTING & CERTIFICATION SERVICES FOR CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS & BUILDING MATERIALS We are United Kingdom Testing & Certification, a trusted provider of fire testing and certification services for construction and passive fire product manufacturers across the UK. We test, inspect and certify to ensure products are safe, quality and compliant. Testing Certification Technical UKAS ACCREDITED FIRE TESTING AND CERTIFICATION SERVICES. United Kingdom Testing and Certification (UKTC) deliver fire testing and certification services that enable manufacturers of building materials and products to demonstrate compliance with all appropriate international standards, regulatory obligations and customer expectations. Testing Services Button Technical Services Button Certification Services Button Our customer experiences The lab install team went above and beyond to get the sample ready for the test (nothing was too much trouble). Thanks to Barry & Thomas and all the team for their effort. Really is appreciated. Integrated Doorset Solutions Ltd. Always a pleasure to deal with the team at UKTC Hampton Doors Very insightful visit. Extremely good company to work with and always flexible to accommodate your requirements. Obex Protection Ltd. Great service and support from the team throughout. Merit Holdings Brilliant Team. Very family feel in the company. Intelligent Membranes Excellent test facility and all of the engineers were very knowledgeable and experienced. Very happy overall and we will be back soon! Jeld-Wen A massive thank you to Rob and the team for all their efforts in what was another successful result for us. Specialist Door Solutions Ltd. Excellent experience with knowledgeable and helpful staff. Good organisation and brilliant hospitality. Westport Committed to Quality and Competence. UKTC is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 21542. The laboratory is accredited by UKAS to ISO/IEC 17025:2017 for Resistance to Fire Testing of the non-load bearing elements of construction including; door and shutter assemblies, walls and partitions, linear joint seals, glazing and architectural hardware. Learn More Testing Reaction to Fire Button Technical Classification Reports Button Certification UKTC ensure™ Button Testing Doorsets & Hardware Button Technical EXAP Reports Button Testing Walls & Partitions Button