A Qualified Supervisor (QS) is the named individual whom a competent-person scheme such as NICEIC or NAPIT holds responsible for the technical standard of every job a registered business carries out and every certificate it issues. Each registration must have at least one QS, who must hold a current BS 7671 qualification (City & Guilds 2382, 18th Edition), an inspection and testing qualification (typically City & Guilds 2391), and be a principal or employee of the firm. The QS does not have to physically sign every certificate under BS 7671, but scheme rules make the QS accountable for certificates issued by other electricians in the firm, so a documented review before issue is what assessors expect to see.
- The QS is a scheme requirement, not a BS 7671 one; BS 7671 certificates are signed by whoever did the design, construction and inspection and testing.
- One QS is the minimum per registration; the QS is the person assessed at the annual visit.
- The QS is responsible for certificates issued by everyone in the firm and must review them before they go out.
- A QS who is not genuinely involved in the business is a serious non-conformance.
- Digital workflows can hold a certificate in draft until the QS has reviewed it.
What is a Qualified Supervisor?
A Qualified Supervisor is the person a competent-person scheme relies on to control the technical quality of a registered business's electrical work. A competent-person scheme is a government-authorised body (NICEIC, NAPIT, STROMA, BSI) that assesses businesses as competent to self-certify notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations in England and Wales. The scheme registers the business, not the individual electricians; it assesses the QS, and the QS supervises everyone else.
The concept comes from scheme rules, not BS 7671. BS 7671 is silent on supervisors; its Appendix 6 model forms are signed by the people responsible for design, construction and inspection and testing. See How to become NICEIC registered for how the QS fits into the application.
Who can be a Qualified Supervisor?
Each scheme publishes its own criteria, but the consistent expectations are:
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| BS 7671 qualification | Current edition, normally City & Guilds 2382 (18th Edition); expect to hold the current amendment when re-assessed |
| Inspection and testing | City & Guilds 2391 (or 2394/2395) or an equivalent inspection and testing qualification |
| Installation competence | Level 3 electrical installation qualification, NVQ Level 3 or demonstrable equivalent experience; more strictly applied for Approved Contractor and full-scope registrations |
| Relationship to the firm | Principal, director, partner or employee, genuinely present enough to supervise; not a hired name |
A sole trader is automatically their own QS; in a small firm it is usually the owner; in a firm with several vans it may be a supervisor or contracts manager who still works on the technical side. BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026 and A2 is withdrawn on 15 October 2026; existing 2382 qualifications do not lapse, but assessors expect the QS to be up to date with amendments.
How many Qualified Supervisors does a firm need?
The minimum is one per registration, and that is all most small firms need. Schemes expect additional supervisors where one person could not realistically oversee the work: multiple branches, a large volume of notifiable jobs, or distinct types of work each needing someone competent in that field. Each additional QS goes through the same qualification check.
Two rules follow. A QS cannot be shared between unrelated businesses as a convenience; schemes treat that as undermining the assessment. And if the QS leaves, the firm must tell the scheme promptly and nominate a replacement; until the replacement is accepted the registration can be suspended and Part P self-certification stops. See Part P notification explained.
What does the QS actually sign?
Signatures required by BS 7671
The model forms in BS 7671 Appendix 6 have signature boxes for:
| Certificate | Who signs |
|---|---|
| Electrical Installation Certificate (EIC) | Designer, constructor, and inspector and tester (may be one person for a small job) |
| Minor Electrical Installation Works Certificate | The person responsible for the work, covering design, construction and inspection and testing |
| Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) | The inspector, and a second signature where the report is reviewed and authorised for issue by someone else |
Nothing in BS 7671 says these must be the QS; an employed electrician who designed, installed and tested a circuit signs for all three. See EIC explained.
What the scheme expects from the QS
Scheme rules add a layer: the QS is responsible for the technical content of every certificate issued under the registration, whoever signed it, and is expected to review each one before issue and be able to show an assessor that this happens. Some scheme forms have a box for the QS to authorise issue; on third-party forms the review is usually evidenced by a countersignature, an "authorised by" entry, or a record in the firm's job system. The EICR is the clearest case because the model form separates the person who inspected from the person who authorises the report.
What is the QS responsible for on certificates issued by others?
The QS's responsibility is for the standard of the work and the accuracy of the certificate. In practice, the QS should be satisfied that:
- The right form was used. A new circuit or consumer unit change needs an EIC, not a Minor Works certificate.
- The BS 7671 edition and amendment are stated.
- Every circuit on the schedule of test results has real, plausible measured values: a Zs below the measured Ze, or an insulation resistance of exactly 999 on every circuit, both get questioned.
- Circuits needing RCD protection under Regulations 411.3.3 or 411.3.4 have it, with the test result recorded.
- The schedule of inspections is complete and attached, with limitations stated.
- EICR observations carry the correct code with a regulation reference, and any C1, C2 or FI makes the report Unsatisfactory. See EICR codes explained.
- Notifiable work has been notified to the scheme.
A QS who signs off certificates without reading them is taking responsibility for whatever is in them. That is the point of the role.
Why does the QS need to review before issue?
Two reasons. An issued certificate is a formal declaration to the client, and for landlord EICRs it is the document the landlord relies on to comply with the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020; a wrong code cannot be quietly corrected once it has gone to a letting agent. And at the annual assessment the assessor reviews a sample of the year's certificates and visits jobs done by electricians other than the QS. If they are inconsistent, incomplete or wrongly coded, the finding is against the QS's supervision, not just the electrician who filled the form in.
What findings do assessors raise against Qualified Supervisors?
| Common finding | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| QS not genuinely supervising | QS rarely on site, no review records, electricians issuing certificates directly |
| Certificates issued without QS review | No evidence of review; errors that a review would have caught |
| Inconsistent certificates across the firm | Different electricians using different forms, missing schedules, different coding standards |
| Test results not credible | Identical values across circuits, values that contradict the supply characteristics |
| Wrong form type | Minor Works for consumer unit changes or new circuits |
Most come down to the same thing: a QS on paper but no working process for reviewing what goes out.
How do digital certificate workflows handle QS review?
Paper certificates make QS review awkward: the electrician fills in the pad, hands the top copy to the customer and the QS sees a carbon later. Digital certificate apps generally solve this with a draft-and-approve workflow:
- The electrician completes the certificate on site.
- It is saved as a draft, with blank required fields flagged.
- The QS opens the draft, checks test results, coding and form type, and sends it back or approves it.
- On approval the certificate is issued as a PDF, with a record of who reviewed it.
The advantages for assessment are an audit trail (who inspected, who authorised, when), consistency because everyone uses the same form and required fields, and a year's certificates in one place when the assessor asks for a sample. Whatever software you use, check it supports a separate authoriser step and will not issue a certificate with empty test result boxes; see what to look for in electrical certification software.
How Certio helps
Certio produces the EICR, EIC, Minor Works certificate and PAT records on the BS 7671 model forms and turns them into branded PDFs. Photograph the consumer unit and the circuit schedule drafts itself; point the phone camera at a Megger MFT-X1 and the reading goes straight into the schedule of test results, or dictate it while your hands stay on the probes. Suggested observation wording with the regulation reference is there for you to check and confirm. The judgement stays yours; the typing goes. Starter is free for 7 days, then £5 a month.