This Technical Bulletin is applicable to all Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS) Certification Bodies (CB) accredited for MCS installation measures.
Following the publication of MCS 2025 v1.0, this bulletin has been produced to update Certification Bodies and stakeholders on the UKAS assessment process and overall timelines for assessment and transition to the revised standard.
Compared with the previous version of the scheme, the main changes to the revised edition include:
- Collection of data: historical information and certification data must be recorded and will continue to be evaluated
- Responsibility: the CB is now responsible for monitoring, controlling, and aligning with the risk matrix
- Documentation: the documentation needs to be updated, discontinued text or clauses removed, and new processes well-documented
- New processes: these are introduced for record keeping, nonconformities and their impact
- Resource requirements and additional responsibilities: additional administration and evaluation processing are required
- Scheme awareness and training: the CB will need to assess appropriate training and information sharing to ensure scheme awareness
- Records: maintaining records and the time frames for addressing nonconformities will differ from the current process
- CB agreement: must be reviewed by the CB
- Certificate content: some consideration for wording on certificates to ensure compliance with scheme requirements
UKAS has developed a transition plan to support a consistent approach within defined timescales and will be assessing against the requirements of the revised standard from July 2025.
The initial assessment to confirm the understanding and implementation of the revised requirements will be conducted by desktop review with a follow up witnessed site assessment (WA) to confirm the successful implementation of the scheme requirements by the certified installers. The WA will cover two MCS measures to confirm successful implementation of the new scheme requirements. The WA’s may be incorporated into the routine annual assessments, where existing site assessments have been planned to cover MCS technologies. Effort will be assigned to the assessment to enable UKAS to do this as detailed below:
Technical Assessor – 0.5 day desktop review
Technical Assessor – 1.0 day on-site assessment (WA)
Lead Assessor – 1.0 day office time
If this is not possible either due to the readiness of the CB, or where UKAS has been unable to confirm the effective implementation of requirements in the revised standard, then a further assessment may be required. If areas are identified that do not adequately fulfil the revised requirements, then these will be raised as mandatory improvement actions, and shall be addressed in the normal manner.
Assessment activity will take place as soon as practicable in line with the above. All assessment activity will be required to be completed by the 31 December 2025. This will allow CBs time to address potential mandatory improvement actions, to complete additional assessment activity (as required), and for UKAS to complete the decision-making process prior to the 31 March 2026 transition deadline. As with any transition, failure to meet the milestones and complete the transition by the deadline may put accreditation for the relevant scope at risk.
Timeline:
| Date | Milestone / Activity |
|---|---|
| July 2025 | UKAS to commence assessments against the new requirements (desktop review) |
| 1 August 2025 | CBs to confirm readiness for witnessed assessment to UKAS |
| 31 December 2025 | All assessment activities to be completed |
| 31 March 2026 | All UKAS transitions of CBs completed |
Should you require any clarification on the above, please contact your Assessment Manager in the first instance. In the absence of your Assessment Manager, one of the following may be able to assist:
- Richard McFarlane: Head of Technical Coordination – [email protected]
- Paul Donald: Accreditation Specialist – [email protected]
Download a pdf copy of this bulletin here.