CIRI – New register of construction companies and sole traders

January 17, 2014January 17, 20141239 Views

Following a request from the Government, the CIF has been working on establishing a new register of construction companies and sole traders.

The new register will be called the Construction Industry Register Ireland (CIRI). It will include main contractors, builders, specialists, sub contractors and sole traders of all sizes.

This is the register which you may have heard the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government Phil Hogan TD and other members of the Government refer to in recent months. CIRI will operate on a voluntary basis initially but the Government has said they will look to put it on a statutory footing next year.

CIRI is being set up to try to distinguish legitimate construction companies/ sole traders from those who have given the industry a bad name. At the moment anyone can pass themselves off as a builder or construction operative. There is nothing to stop anyone, regardless of their skills or qualifications from looking to secure construction work.

CIRI will provide a mechanism to the public to distinguish between the credentials of registered construction practitioners from those not on the register.
It will highlight those who follow best practice.

CIRI should not be confused with any other registers you may hear about. CIRI is the only construction register that is being supported by the Government.

The Building Control (Amendment) Regulations 2014 provides for the appointment of competent contractors and builders. Provision will be made for including a member’s CIRI registered number on statutory Commencement Notices for lodgment with Building Control Authorities on and after 1 March 2014.

Eligibility for the construction register

Only those construction companies and sole traders who meet certain standards will be able to join CIRI. This is to ensure that those on the register will follow best practice in the industry.

To join CIRI a construction company or sole trader must meet the following criteria:

They must adhere to an industry code of ethics and commitments.
They must demonstrate that they have construction competence and experience generally for a period of no less than three years.
They must be tax compliant.
All members of CIRI must commit to undertaking continuous professional development (CPD).
Everyone on the register must comply with the health and safety regulations relating to the construction industry.
They must have a knowledge and understanding of the latest building standards and regulations and commit to adhering to them.
They must undertake an induction training course.

All applicants must be able to meet the eligibility criteria if their application to CIRI is to be processed.

Upon receipt of those details the application will then pass to the Construction Industry Registration Board (CIRB), who will assess the information provided and ensure the applicant is suitable for listing on CIRI. If the CIRB approves the application then they will be listed on CIRI for a period of up to one year.

All members of CIRI will be required to renew their membership on an annual basis. This is to ensure everyone on the register continues to meet the relevant standards and CPD requirements.

How to apply to join CIRI?

A new website for CIRI is currently being finalised. It will be available from 1st February on www.ciri.ie

From the 1st March 2014 members of the public and others interested in the construction industry will be able to search for construction companies and sole traders through the CIRI website. Our expectation is that over time the CIRI website will become the main resource for anyone who is looking to engage a construction company or sole trader for work.

Ahead of the register going live to the public, construction companies and sole traders of all sizes will be able to apply to join the register via the CIRI website from 1st February 2014. At that time the website will provide information about the register and take applications for CIRI from interested construction companies and sole traders.

Before applying to join the register, members should know they will need the following information and documents to support their application for registration:

Current tax clearance certificate.
CRO number (where appropriate).
Letter/ certificate from insurance company/ broker confirming that appropriate insurances are in place.
List of at least 3 projects which display the competence and experience of each applicant company/ sole trader, along with names of potential referees for same.
Undertake an induction course.
Payment details.

To be approved for listing on CIRI all applicants must meet the eligibility criteria and then be approved by the CIRB.

Induction courses

To ensure that everyone listed on CIRI fully understands the requirements associated with the register, the CIF is running a series of induction courses. These courses will be offered throughout the year. Only directors or senior management staff are eligible to attend these courses behalf of applicant companies.

The initial set of courses will be run as follows:

28th January – CIF Dublin. Registration at 8am. Induction course from 8.30am to 12pm
28th January – CIF Cork. Registration at 9am. Induction course from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
4th February – Athlone Radisson Hotel. Registration at 8am. Induction course from 8.30am to 12pm.

Please click here for further information.

Bookings can be made and additional information can be sourced by emailing training@cif.ie or by calling 01 4066019.

Further courses will be made available throughout the country over the course of the year. Please keep an eye on the CIF website here (and the new CIRI website once it goes live on 1st February) for further induction course dates and information.

Further information

The CIF will be sending out additional information about CIRI over the coming weeks. However if you have any queries you can email us on ciri@cif.ie 

You can also check the CIF website for more information or discuss CIRI directly with the CIF by calling 01 4066000.