NICEIC buys Zurich arm

The NICEIC has bought Zurich Certification for an undisclosed sum. The business will transfer in its entirety from parent company Zurich Risk Services to the NICEIC without the need for any redundancies. Zurich Certification will continue its operations under the new name of NIC Certification.

The acquisition will bolster the NICEIC’s offering in terms of training, assessment and certification services to the gas, oil heating, water systems and electrical testing sectors. Jim Speirs, director general at the NICEIC, said: “Many businesses working in the electrical contracting sector are also involved in gas installations, therefore the acquisition of Zurich Certification is a positive way forward for the NICEIC and those working across both industry sectors.”

Continuing to operate from its existing Chesterfield base, the new company will be headed up by managing director David Cowburn. He said: “NIC Certification is involved in a number of areas including gas and oil. We will assist in training operatives to be able to operate in these numerous diverse fields associated with our industry.

“If you look at the NICEIC group as a whole, NQA deals with the certification of management systems; the NICEIC [deals with] companies; and now us, NIC Certification, who will deal with individuals. We will fill a gap in the organisation’s offering and create a complete one-stop shop for contractors,” said Cowburn.