Scheme Platforms
Platforms for certification and inspection schemes
Running a safety scheme means keeping thousands of records right: who is registered, what they are competent to do, which devices or installations have been inspected, and whether every certificate is genuine. Your members depend on it, and so does every member of the public who checks your register.
16i builds the platforms that hold all of that in one place, for scheme operators who need them to work every day and stand up to audit.
The team behind a national inspection and certification platform
We rebuilt the national inspection and certification platform for PIPA, the scheme for inflatable play equipment. Inspectors use it to record inspections in the field, operators rely on it for certification, and the public use it to check that equipment is safe. It is the system the whole scheme depends on.
That work, and our platforms for other inspection schemes, means we start from your world rather than a blank page. Inspection bodies, scopes of registration, tags, declarations of compliance, re-inspection cycles and accreditation audits are where we begin. We have built this enough times to have a proven core, so you are not paying us to start from scratch, but every scheme gets its own rules and configuration.
What a scheme platform has to get right
Registrations and competence
Businesses, inspectors and technicians, each with their own scopes, qualifications, renewals and expiry dates. Your team sees at a glance who is current, who is due and who should not be on the register.
Inspections built around your rules
Inspection forms that follow your standard, with evidence captured on site, pass and fail logic applied consistently and re-inspections scheduled automatically. More on software for inspection schemes.
Device and asset registers
Unique tags or IDs, a full history for every item and clean transfer between owners, so an inspection record follows the equipment wherever it goes.
Certificates people can verify
Certificates generated automatically from the inspection or assessment, verifiable online and withdrawn straight away when they need to be.
Payments that do not need chasing
Card payments and accounting integration, such as Stripe and Xero, with the option to release certificates only once they are paid. Read more on taking payment before a certificate is issued.
A public register people trust
A fast, simple way for the public, councils and clients to check a registration, tag or certificate, updated the moment anything changes. See public register software.
Our work with PIPA
Building a national inspection and certification platform
View solution
"It doesn't matter what challenges we have faced or problems encountered day in day out, they have always come back in a friendly and professional manner. 16i have delivered solutions that have addressed our problems, continually improving the product and providing development opportunities to achieve everything we are trying to here at PIPA."
Craig Whitelock-Wainwright, Project Manager, PIPA
Type of scheme
What we build for it
Inspection schemes
Device registers, inspection forms, tags and public checks for equipment that
has to be inspected. Software for inspection schemesSelf-certification schemes
Registration, competence assessment and public registers for schemes previously
known as competent person schemes. Software for self-certification schemesFire safety schemes
Registers of certified companies and inspectors, inspection records and labels.
Software for fire safety schemesTrade associations
Approved member schemes, audits, renewals and certificates for associations that
vouch for their members.
Ready for regulatory change
Rules change. HSG 175 updates, the new mandatory technical competence framework for self-certification schemes and the Building Safety Act all affect what a scheme has to record. Our platforms are built around configurable rules, so most changes are a settings update rather than a rebuild. Read what the new mandatory technical competence framework means for scheme operators.
How we work
1. Understand the scheme.
We start with how your scheme actually runs: who registers, who inspects, who certifies, what the public needs to check, and where the admin time goes today.
2. Design around the people who use it.
Inspectors in the field, your office team, members and the public all need different things. We design each journey with you and review it at every stage.
3. Build it properly.
Your rules, forms and certificates configured on a proven core, with your existing records migrated, cleaned and checked before anything goes live.
4. Launch and support.
Your office stays first-line support for your members. We support your team, keep the platform secure and make changes as your standards and regulations move.
Why schemes choose 16i
We have built platforms for two national inspection schemes, including the national inspection and certification platform for inflatable play equipment.
We have built this enough times to have a proven core, so you are not paying us to start from scratch, but every scheme gets its own rules and configuration.
You work directly with the people designing and building your platform, not an account layer.
B Corp certified, Cyber Essentials certified and a Microsoft partner.
Established in 2010 and based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and happy to come to you.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a scheme platform cost?
It depends on the size of your scheme and what it needs. Every platform has a one-off setup fee for configuration and migration, then an annual licence covering hosting, support, security and regulatory updates. As a guide, schemes with up to 250 registered businesses typically cost £25,000 to £40,000 to set up, with a licence of around £12,000 a year. Schemes with 250 to 1,500 registered businesses typically cost £40,000 to £70,000, with a licence of around £20,000 a year. Larger schemes, or platforms running several schemes, start from £70,000, with a licence from £30,000 a year. We will always give you a clear, fixed proposal after an initial conversation.
Can you move our existing records across?
Yes. We map and clean your existing data, run test migrations with your team and switch over with you, so your register stays live throughout. On PIPA, accurately transferring and validating every historical inspection and certificate was the first priority.
Do we own our data?
Yes. Your data is yours, and you can export it at any time.
Where is the platform hosted?
On Microsoft Azure, in UK data centres, with backups, monitoring and security updates managed by us.
Can it handle our scheme's own rules?
Yes. Scheme-specific rules and workflows sit alongside the proven core, so you get what your scheme needs and still benefit from shared improvements.
We are a small scheme. Is this for us?
Yes. Smaller schemes are often where a platform makes the biggest difference, because a small office team has no time to spare on manual admin and chasing.
Talk to us about your scheme
Whether you are replacing an ageing system, moving off spreadsheets or preparing for new regulations, we would welcome a conversation. No obligation, and an honest view of what your scheme needs.