About us

Who are we?

The British Board of Agrément (BBA) is one of the UK’s most highly regarded construction industry approvals bodies, originally set up in 1966 by Government but now an independent not- for- profit organisation, issuing approvals for construction products and systems and providing inspection services in support of industry installer schemes.

What do we do?

We provide reassurance to the construction industry by assessing manufacturers’ products, systems and procedures to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’.

Agrément Certificates

The BBA’s Agrément Certificates are only awarded to a construction product or system after it has successfully passed a comprehensive assessment involving laboratory testing, on-site evaluations and inspections of production.The manufacturer will also be audited ensuring that a suitable quality management system is in place. Regular monitoring of the product manufacture by the BBA takes place twice a year with a full and comprehensive reassessment every three years. Agrément Certificates are recognised by building control, government departments, architects, local authorities, specifiers and industry insurers like the NHBC. The award of an Agrément Certificate is a must for a new construction product or system to gain quick acceptance in the marketplace.

Installer Schemes

The BBA has staff with a wealth of technical knowledge and experience covering some 200 different product sectors - the largest being in insulation and roofing. In the former, the BBA has run an Approved Installer Scheme for more than 35 years, linking installations of injected cavity wall insulation to BBA approval of these systems by working with both the system supplier and installer. BBA approvals show compliance with Building Regulations and other statutory or non-statutory requirements, including durability.

Client Managed Schemes

The BBA also inspects on behalf of construction industry bodies for schemes like the Fenestration Self Assessment Scheme (FENSA) for replacement windows and doors, the Government backed Trustmark scheme to help consumers find reliable tradesmen and work carried out by members of the Federation of Master Builders (FMB). We also do spot checks for some Certificate holders to check that installers demonstrate good practice on site.

HAPAS

In addition, the BBA runs the Highways Authorities Product Approval Scheme (HAPAS) for the Highways Agency, County Surveyors Society and other agencies in the UK. This is similar to the Agrément Certificate process but applied to highways products. Some of these have Approved Installer schemes linked to them and the BBA also runs those.

A brand you can trust

The BBA is proud of its reputation for integrity and impartiality recognised throughout the construction industry in the UK and worldwide. The reputation of the BBA is also underlined by it UKAS accreditations. It is also the UK representative of EOTA, the body that co-ordinates the issue of European Technical Approvals across the EU. Input into technical work is overseen by a Technical Advisory Committee that includes representatives from all key industry sectors.

Technical Advisory Committee

[BBA]