Synopsis of
Members Services
Why Choose an ISCA Member Consultant?
- Benefits for your organisation
- What does it cost?
- Professional Indemnity Insurance
- How to choose an ISCA consultant
Benefits for your organisation
Employing a good Health and Safety consultant can work wonders for your organisation, but get it wrong and you could end up wasting time and money. Every consultancy on this site is a member of ISCA. Which means they're fully qualified and possess significant experience. They have also agreed to abide by our code of professional standards. However, you still need to make sure you find the right consultant for your organisation. For those who are relatively new to using health and safety consultants, we've compiled some guidance.
What does it cost?
ISCA member consultant's costs vary and are reflective of a number of factors including complexity of commission, experience, overheads, geographic location and other outputs.
Almost all consultants will base their charges on a daily rate or on a project rate that can usually be negotiated based on the length of a project. Other fee rates may be based on an hourly rate or even as part of a retainer service.
Professional Indemnity Insurance
All ISCA member consultants must be indemnified against legal fees and any compensation awards as a result of being sued for professional negligence and or other losses incurred by the client. As the amount of insurance cover varies widely all ISCA members must be insured for at least £1,000,000. All ISCA members must produce sufficient evidence or a copy of their Professional Indemnity Insurance before being admitted as a member and at yearly frequency levels thereafter.
How to choose an ISCA Consultant
The next step is to draw up a list of potential consultants. Don't act on impulse and instruct the first consultant you see, but don't waste too much time shopping around, a shortlist of 3-4 should be adequate.
Look at the ISCA member consultancies on this website and assess their credentials.
Quality: Do they have a track record of producing quality work and delivering results? Ask to see a portfolio, customer references and details of similar work undertaken.
Relevance: What do they know about your industry and your business? Do they have any conflicts of interest with other clients in your industry?
Stability: All ISCA consultancies have been trading for at least 3 years and are financially stable.
People: Who are their key people? Who will you be working with day-to-day? The people doing the selling will not necessarily be the people who do the work so try and spend as much time as possible with the people you’ll be working with.
Geographic reach: All ISCA consultants will undertake commissions throughout the UK. However, you should check and confirm as travel and /or accommodation charges may impact on fees payable.
Do they listen: In the early days a potential supplier should be listening to you as much as possible. After all, it’s about you and your needs.
Value: Costs vary, but the cheapest solution isn’t always the best...