What is BICS?
The Bridge Inspection Certification Scheme (BICS) is a accreditation recognising the skills, knowledge and behaviours required of bridge inspectors across the industry in the UK and Ireland.
• Designed to match the requirements for bridge inspectors as set out in CS 450 Inspection of Highway Structures, used by National Highways, devolved organisations and local authorities.
• BICS is a UKAS accredited certification allowing registration under National Highways.
• Bridge Inspection Certification
Scheme – it is not a training scheme, rather is a way of certifying experience you already have.
Why BICS? – Individual Benefits
• Industry recognised - BICS is an accreditation, recognised and supported across the industry by clients and employers. (Please see our supporters page and testimonials for further details.)
• Certification - BICS provides certification of competence for Inspectors and Senior Inspectors.
• Recognition - BICS enables you to demonstrate and obtain professional recognition for your breadth of knowledge and experience.
• Career Progression - You can plan your career route to Inspector and progress to Senior Inspector.
• Opportunities - Having BICS makes you more valuable and marketable to employers and opens up a wider range of opportunities.
• Commitment - Working towards and achieving BICS demonstrates commitment to your role.
• Development - With BICS, you can identify areas for your own development and the limits of your own knowledge.
• Become an assessor – Senior Inspectors can become BICS assessors, responsible for certification of prospective Inspectors.
• Become a mentor - Once certified, you can assist in mentoring others and help to develop new Bridge Inspectors.
• Industry Links - The BICS LANTRA team have strong links with key industry personnel and organisations.
• Online support - The BICS scheme provides access to an online support team, online CPD records and an
e-portfolio recording your achievements and experience.
• Continuous Improvement - The BICS scheme is managed by LANTRA, who are committed to continuous improvement to ensure the scheme remains relevant.
Why BICS? – Benefits for Organisations
• Safety – having BICS certified inspectors increases surety of their competence and ability to carry out inspections safely, reducing the risk of accidents.
• A competitive edge – having BICS certified Inspectors may give an advantage when tendering for work.
• Staff development – supporting BICS demonstrates a commitment to developing your staff, making you more attractive to prospective employees.
• Skills assurance – having BICS certified inspectors provides assurance to your clients that your staff have the sufficient knowledge, skills and experience to undertake inspection works.
• Quality Product – BICS can result in higher quality and accuracy for inspections and reporting, which can boost your company’s reputation within the industry.
• Consistency – BICS provides greater efficiency and consistency for bridge inspections and recommendations.
• Compliance – having BICS certified inspectors demonstrates compliance with the requirements of the DMRB.
Why BICS? – Benefits for Bridge Owners
• Safety - having BICS certified inspectors reduces the risk of unplanned events on the network from missed structural defects.
• Right first time – having BICS certified inspectors results in quality and consistent inspections and reporting.
• Staff development – supporting BICS demonstrates a commitment to developing your staff, making you more attractive to prospective employees.
• Skills assurance – having BICS certified inspectors provides confidence that inspectors have the required skills and knowledge.
• Asset Management Data – BICS provides increased confidence in the quality of data used to manage assets.
• Inspection Planning – BICS certified inspectors increase assurance of current structure condition, enabling more efficient forward planning of maintenance and future inspection
Bridge Inspectors Renewal Process
Please click here to download the renewal process