Over the years, MVIS and Bartco UK have built a reputation for safety within the industry. Doing this has not been easy; we hold ourselves to very high standards that not only help to keep our staff safe, but also our customers and the general public too. In order to rise to the level that we have, we have worked to stringent safety frameworks through accreditations and memberships with organisations that help guide us along the right path, ensuring that we are maintaining as well as pushing our limits when it comes to matters of safety.
Such frameworks offer so much by way of support and guidance and by working to these, we have one of the best trained workforces in the industry. The accreditations and memberships we hold are a true testament to our commitment to safety and serve as a stamp of approval from these bodies that we work with safety in mind in everything that we do.
Amongst the most important of these frameworks are our ISO accreditations in the standards of quality (9001:2015), environmental management (14001:2015) and health & safety (45001:2018). Issued by global certification body NQA, ISO accreditations enforce the practise of and adherence to respected business standards that help organisations perform better in a wide range of aspects. Together, the ISO accreditations furnish us with a full IMS (integrated management system), bringing our systems and processes into one complete framework, making adherence to these core aspects highly important for us.
Subject to an annual audit by NQA, we are tested into order to ensure that we are making full use of the IMS, applying our accreditation skills to all levels of our business, and it is with great pride that we can announce that we have passed our audit for 2022 with flying colours.
One of the other frameworks that we work to is Gold Status in the Constructionline programme. Constructionline offers a platform for thousands of buyers in the construction industry, enforcing an ethos of trust and quality amongst its members.
Assessing all members, the Constructionline platform is used by buyers to quickly find suppliers that will enable them to complete a range of projects in the industry by providing them with a pool of high-quality suppliers that they can engage with confidently.
Achieving Gold status on this platform requires further validation checks using an enhanced prequalification questionnaire that goes beyond those involved in silver. Our credentials were assessed for environmental management, quality management, equal opportunities, modern slavery act adherence and anti-bribery and corruption policies.
We have also achieved Gold status in the Supply Chain Sustainability School, a platform that offers businesses extensive training into topics such as sustainability, offsite safety, procurement and management relevant to the business environment.
With a focus on CPD through training workshops, networking events and e-learning modules, achieving Gold status is done through completing or using a number of these tools across the company to ensure that the skills taught within the programmes are taken on by companies as well as filtered throughout the business.
We have also re-certified with Achilles BuildingConfidence, having been registered for 3 years now. Achilles Building Confidence is a UK construction industry accreditation and risk management scheme that aims to help organisations identify, assess, qualify, and monitor suppliers throughout the supply chain, reducing operating costs.
A standardised pre-qualification questionnaire streamlines the procurement process and manages risk.
Achilles enables communities of buyers and suppliers to build better business relationships through a more open, trusting and proactive approach. Sharing knowledge, standards and best practice leads to buyers and suppliers sharing success.
Achilles BuildingConfidence helps us to accentuate our commitment to these essential aspects of our business.
Another accreditation we hold is the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme (FORS), which an accreditation scheme for fleet operators that aims to raise the level of quality within fleet operations, and to demonstrate which operators are achieving exemplary levels of best practice in safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.
In joining this collection of businesses, we have benchmarked the standard of excellence in our operations, achieving the FORS Bronze accreditation. Holding Bronze accreditation confirms that we employ good practice and comply with the requirements laid out by the FORS Standard, focusing on a dedication to driver and vehicle safety.
Safety doesn’t just encompass physical safety, however. Last year, we signed up to the Prompt Payment Code. The Prompt Payment Code is a voluntary code of practice for businesses, administered by the Office of the Small Business Commissioner (SBC) on behalf of BEIS and sets standards for payment practices between organisations of any size and their suppliers.
Signatories to the code have undertaken to always pay suppliers on time, within agreed terms, to give clear guidance to suppliers on terms, dispute resolution and prompt notification of late payment, and well as to support good practice throughout their supply chain by encouraging adoption of the Code.
By promoting and sticking to these practices, we are serving as a good example for the code which may help to inspire other companies to sign up, enforcing best business practices all along our supply chain to help organisations conduct business safely.
We also prioritise digital safety too. Cyber Essentials is a simple but effective,Government backed scheme that will help you to protect your organisation, whatever its size, against a whole range of the most common cyber attacks.
Cyber attacks come in many shapes and sizes, but the vast majority are very basic in nature, carried out by relatively unskilled individuals. They’re the digital equivalent of a thief trying your front door to see if it’s unlocked. Cyber Essentials is designed to prevent these attacks.
Certification gives us peace of mind that our defences will protect against the vast majority of common cyber attacks simply because these attacks are looking for targets which do not have the Cyber Essentials technical controls in place.
Cyber Essentials shows us how to address those basics and prevent the most common attacks.
It also gives our customers piece of mind that their data is handled according to best practices against common cyber attacks, meaning they can hire with us confidently.
Graeme Lee, Sales Director for MVIS and Bartco UK commented, “The frameworks we work to have been carefully considered and are absolutely essential to ensure the safety of our team, so we do not take it lightly. Everyone within our group has had training that goes beyond the basic requirements for their job role. Clients come to us knowing that we do not compromise when it comes to our standards, giving us a loyal customer base and separating us from other portable VMS suppliers.”
The further we invest in strong accreditations and memberships, the more we change the way we operate and how we approach challenges. In an ever-evolving world, staying up to date on matters of safety has never been more important.