Consultancy accreditation - Chartered Institute of Ergonomics & Human Factors

If you are in an organisation or you are an individual who offers consultancy services in ergonomics and human factors, applying for accreditation as a CIEHF Registered Consultancy will benefit your business.

When you become registered you will:

Gain recognition and credibility as a consultancy that has been reviewed and accredited by the CIEHF
Have the opportunity to advertise your accreditation on your own website and other communications
Be listed on our consultants directory, which we regularly publicise on social media
Benefit from our support, advice and opportunities for professional development
Receive client referrals through the CIEHF from enquiries made to us by clients
Have the opportunity to advertise on high-traffic pages of our website
Benefit from being part of a vibrant, innovative and supportive community

Quick eligibility check

Our/my ergonomics expertise is available on a consultancy basis to any potential client.
We/I have at least one Registered Member or Fellow of the Institute with Chartered Status on our/my permanent staff. They will be nominated as the main contact.
Our/my consultancy has a track record of experience in the areas of competence I will be claiming.
We/I can provide specific evidence of successfully completed ergonomics projects carried out in the last 3 years.
We/I can provide at least 2 client references.
We/I agree to abide by the Institute’s Code of Conduct.

Key points

Your competencies

Applications are assessed to determine whether the claims made within it are appropriate given the experience presented on the application form. This form is the sole means by which a consultancy can be approved for registration.

When completing the form it is important to remember that the Institute is registering your consultancy – it is not registering you as an individual. You must demonstrate that your consultancy has a track record of experience in the areas of competence being claimed. The assessors need to understand what the consultancy has done, rather than what your personal experience is. For example, if you have spent 10 years as an employee of British Aerospace working on Eurofighter, you can’t claim Eurofighter as experience for your consultancy.

The assessors will review the projects you have entered as experience during the period the consultancy has been operating, and link those back to the competencies being claimed. If there is no evidence that describes the work undertaken to achieve the competencies claimed, the competence can’t be assessed and will be removed from the application. The assessors are also forming a judgment based on the cited experience about the organisation’s competence as a consultancy – how it delivers work, the quality systems in place, client management and so on.

The technical quality of your ergonomics consultancy service will be assumed to be satisfactory if all the work is performed by a Registered Member of the Institute, or the work is supervised and signed off by a Registered Member.

The assessors will also seek to ensure that you have demonstrated the ability to plan and conduct projects within commercial time and budget constraints. To help with this, specific evidence of successfully completed ergonomics projects carried out in the 3 years prior to the application must be provided. So, when completing the application form, please choose the competencies you wish to claim carefully. Describe the technical approach you took in delivering the project and show links in the description of your experience to the competencies. Describe how the deliverables you contributed to achieved the competency.

Questions you might have

How much does it cost?

There is also a one-off application fee of £75+VAT. The annual subscription fee is £200+VAT.

Who will assess my application?

Your course will be assessed by the Registered Consultancy Panel of the Professional Affairs Board of the Institute.

What happens if my application is accepted?

Your consultancy will be listed as an Institute Registered Consultancy, and will be promoted via our website to potential clients. It is important therefore to think carefully about the details and descriptions you supply to us for this purpose, in order to maximise your chances of attracting work. You will be able to use a special Institute logo to show your accreditation.

Do I have to renew my application?

No but each year we will ask you to re-affirm your eligibility for registration and to confirm that the details of your entry are wholly accurate and complete.

Can I apply if I have only just formed a consultancy?

Yes, provided you meet the requirements for registration. If you have no trading history, you may be designated in our promotion of you as a ‘New Consultancy’ for the first year of registration.

How to apply

Gather your project examples

Compile a set of project examples that demonstrate the competencies you are claiming in your application.

Complete the application form

Download the application form, complete it, and email it to us.

Contact your client referees

Download the referee report form and email each of your 2 client referees a copy. Ask them to complete the form and email it directly back to us (details are on the form).

Pay the application fee

Once we have received your application, we will issue you with an invoice for the application fee, together with instructions on how to pay. Once you have paid the invoice, we can begin the assessment process.