Part 1.

It goes without saying that having your product or system certified by the BBA provides a mark of quality that demonstrates to specifiers, architects and contractors that it meets the specific and set criteria which may be required for a project. This assurance is backed up by the BBA’s continuous audits of the manufacturing process for the product or system, ensuring that the manufacturing method is consistent and continues to meet the standards expected. What this means is that at all stages of your certificate lifecycle, you are fully supported by us.

Ramona Donnelly

As an independent third-party organisation, we offer a range of certification schemes covering a multitude of construction products and services. These certification schemes range from Product Approval Certification and the BBA Agrément Certificate to Installer Schemes and Management Systems, as well as others supporting Test Services.

Each Certification we offer includes several schemes which apply to different sectors of the industry, depending upon their application. For this reason, in order to select the best certification for your product or system, we’ve decided to explain how each one works in our exciting 2-part series called – Certificates 101 – Your Guide to BBA Certification.

BBA Product Approval Certification

As the name suggests, Product Approval refers to construction products and systems that are to be placed in the market and require third-party independent certification. This is both to comply with applicable building standards and regulations and to offer the added benefit of demonstrating superior quality and credibility in a competitive construction industry market.

When a construction product carries the BBA logo, it signifies quality and reassurance and helps manufacturers to ensure their products are accepted by specifiers, local authorities and insurers.

Within our Product Approval basket, we offer a range of schemes which help manufacturers gain acceptance in the marketplace. These include:

European Technical Assessments (ETAs)
Certificates of Conformity (CoC)
Certificates of Constancy of Performance(CoP),
Certificate of conformity of Factory Production Control (FPC)
Micro-generation systems (MCS)
Environmental Profile Certification.

However, the BBA Agrément and BBA HAPAS Certificates continue to be our main approval schemes, and they have been opening doors for construction and highway product manufacturers for over 50 and 20 years respectively.

BBA Agrément Certificate

A BBA Agrément Certificate is a third-party approval document which demonstrates that a product or system has been independently assessed against UK Building Regulations and is classified as fit-for-purpose.

The Certificate is the manufacturer’s quality assurance document and supports their claims that the product certified is suitable for a specific intended use.

The BBA Agrément Certificate is valid within the UK; however, it is recognised in some other countries around the world such as the Middle East and China.

This type of certification can be obtained for any type of construction product and system whether it’s covered by an existing harmonised standard or not.

BBA HAPAS Certificate

HAPASThe BBA HAPAS (Highways Authority Product Approval Scheme) is designed for products and systems that are expected to be used within the highways industry.

The approval process verifies that the products and systems meet the requirements of Highways England and its DMRB (Document Manual for Roads and Bridges).

Examples of products which would be certified under HAPAS for use in the construction of highways are asphalt, bitumen, and materials used for high-friction or pavements.

Similarly, civil engineering products such as retaining walls, geogrids, drainage products and other soil reinforcement products etc can also obtain a BBA HAPAS Certificate when applied within the highways sector.

In part 2, we will be exploring European Technical Assessments (ETAs), Certificates of Conformity (CoC), Certificates of Constancy – also known as Certificate of Conformity of Performance (CoP), Conformity of Factory Production Control (FPC) – Micro-Generation Systems (MCS) and Environmental Profile Certification, to see what they feature and how they can help in smoothing your market acceptability journey.