Introduction to the new audit process
A requirement for membership of the Property Care Association (PCA) is that all contractors in their respective business sectors are audited biennially, every two years. The audit covers every aspect of your business which includes technical competency, business administration and compliance with legal and statutory requirements for contracting works undertaken by your business.
In line with the government guidance released last year, the membership audit has been reviewed and a new strategy and process is being introduced for undertaking these detailed audits which will commence from the 1 July 2024.
The next steps
You will be notified via email from the appointed auditor a date for when the audit should be completed by. Notification will be at least 30 days prior to the audit completion date. Included with the notification will be attached a pre-audit questionnaire which is to be completed by the business and will also request the collating of statutory documentation functionally required for the size of your business sector. The majority of the documents will be time sensitive and are to be sent the auditor. On receipt of the documents, the auditor will arrange a suitable date to visit an assigned site and offices if deemed necessary. The site visit and assigned site (and office if deemed necessary) is essential as this provides an indicator of the technical competency of your business.
Why has the process changed?
The process has changed for four reasons:
- The legislative and policy demands on contractors are ever increasing and the audit is undertaken to ensure that all our members are compliant with these requirements
- A record of documentation becomes available to the PCA
- The audit is comparative across all the PCA sectors and sizes of business
- Provides an overview of business and technical competency in line with the government guidelines for the procurement of a contract.
The process is therefore essentially an audit of a contract of work requested by a consumer and therefore it has been renamed a Contractor Audit Assessment (CAA).
Going forward
Our auditors have received training ahead of the launch date on 1 July.
Audits undertaken by the PCA should never be viewed as policing of your business. This is not a auditor's function. It is however a method of ensuring that your business contracts are compliant with current policy and legislation and therefore provides a protective arm to validate you as the business and also provide a confidence to the consumer of your competency as a service provider.
As this is a new process, we recognise that there may be questions from members. I am happy to support you with any questions you may have and please email me [email protected].