NASC announces changes to Supplier Membership

At a NASC General Meeting on Friday 12 September, held in Manchester as part of ScaffEx25, several changes to the Supplier Membership category were voted on and passed. In July 2024 Supplier Membership changed to accommodate what was formerly Services and Ancillary Products (SAP) Membership, while what had been the Code of Practice Audit (now the NASC Approved Product Scheme) became optional.

Enhanced requirement Supplier Members

From 1 October, there will be enhanced membership criteria for all Supplier Members, particularly with regard to qualifications and continuing professional development (CPD) required for service activities. See the attached document for details. Supplier Membership compliance will now be assessed by desktop audit on application, a process that will be repeated every year following admission to membership.

Supplier Members will now also be required to advise NASC, on an ongoing basis, of any key changes to the business. Again, the attached document has all the relevant details, as does this article on improvements to the audit process.

Open to international Supplier Members

These changes mean that it is now possible for Supplier Membership applications to be accepted from companies without a UK-registered company. A third party, with people based in the relevant country, will be used to provide a due diligence report for applicants based overseas.

This report will cover entity details, regulatory detail, financial information, reputational risks (including social media) and ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance). The cost for this report (currently £2,500) will be charged to the applicant in addition to the membership application fee.

NASC Approved Product approval will not be available to Supplier Members without a UK base at this time.

Design Membership

In 2021, scaffold design businesses were identified as a special category of NASC member and separated from a general membership category. In 2022, other suppliers of services to scaffolding contractors were reclassified as SAP members, and became full Supplier Members of NASC in 2024. Design members were not included in the transfer and so were not given the additional rights and benefits given to full NASC members.

This inequality is now being corrected. From January 2026, the Design Membership category will be closed and Design members will become full Supplier Members of NASC.

On top of the current benefits of being a Design Member, these firms will now also benefit from added benefits that come with being a full member, which include:

• A free copy of all NASC guidance including a free subscription to TG20 on the NASC ePortal.
• Free downloads of NASC guidance (except TG20) and at least 50% discount on all hard copy guidance notes.
• Discounted rates for exhibiting at https://nasc.org.uk/scaffex25/ (40%)
• Certificate of NASC membership.

All existing Design Members will be communicated with directly about this change and how it may affect their membership.