For most people, your public register is your scheme. They will never read your rules or see an assessment. They will type a name or a number into a search box and decide in a few seconds whether to trust what they find.

That makes the register one of the most important things a scheme runs, and one of the most often neglected.

Why the register matters more than ever

Registers are no longer a nice extra. The mandatory technical competence framework published in July 2026 requires self-certification scheme operators to keep a public register of every certified individual and organisation, sole traders included. Read what the framework means for scheme operators.

False claims are a growing problem too. When a scheme's mark carries weight, some people will claim it without earning it. One storage industry association launched an online verification tool specifically because inspectors were falsely claiming its approved status. A quick, reliable public check is the simplest defence.

Seven things good registers get right

  1. It is always current. The register reads from the same records your team works on. When a registration lapses or a business is suspended, the public view changes straight away, not at the next export.

  2. It works on a phone. Most checks happen on a doorstep, a site or a showground. If the register is hard to use on a small screen, people will not bother.

  3. It searches the way people ask. By name, by postcode, by type of work, or by the number on a card, tag or certificate.

  4. Results are clear. "Registered", "Not registered" or "Expired" in plain words, with the date it applies to. No jargon and no codes.

  5. It can verify, not just list. A certificate reference, tag number or QR code should confirm that a specific item is genuine and current.

  6. Members can link to it. A permanent profile link that members use on their websites, quotes and vans turns the register into a marketing asset for them, and spreads your mark.

  7. It shows what you choose, and no more. You decide which details are public, in line with your privacy policy and your members' consent.

The cost of a poor register

A register that is out of date or hard to use does quiet damage. Customers give up and pick someone else. Councils and clients stop relying on it. Impostors find it easier to trade on your name. And every phone call asking "is this person really registered?" is staff time your scheme could spend elsewhere.

How 16i builds registers

Our registers sit on top of the full scheme platform, so the public view is always generated from live records. On PIPA's platform, every tag and inspection report can be viewed by anyone on the scheme's website. See public register software.

Book an initial consultation