New EAS website brings electrical competence specification and qualifications guide together

The Electrical Contractors' Association (ECA) told members on 21 October 2026 that the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification (EAS), its qualifications guide and supporting information can now be accessed in one place on a new website, the-eas.co.uk.

The site records its own launch in October 2026 as a central hub for electrotechnical competence. It describes the EAS as setting out mandatory requirements for enterprises engaged in electrotechnical work.

ECA said the EAS sets out the minimum technical, competence and safety requirements a business must meet to gain and keep recognition as competent for electrotechnical work. According to the association, it also defines requirements for qualified supervisors, electrical inspectors and individuals carrying out specified categories of work.

The current edition

The new site states that the current edition of the EAS is dated June 2026 and replaces the October 2024 version. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), on its own EAS page, also says the current specification replaces the edition published in October 2024.

The site's EAS Qualifications Guide gives detailed information on acceptable qualifications for qualified supervisors and others. The IET says that from October 2026 the guide covers people installing electric vehicle (EV) charging equipment, solar photovoltaic (PV) and other low-carbon systems.

The launch follows a deadline ECA had flagged to members a year earlier. In October 2025 the association said those affected by the EAS changes had until 1 October 2026 to achieve the relevant qualifications.

ECA said at the time that the update added four new low-carbon installation work categories: EV charging, solar PV, electrical energy storage systems and micro wind turbines. It also said the EAS now sets requirements for qualified supervisors and employed persons who carry out periodic inspection and testing.

In its 21 October item, ECA said growth in solar PV, electrical energy storage and EV charging points is broadening the range of work in the sector, making the requirements more important to understand.

Who is behind the specification

According to the new site, the EAS is developed and maintained by a cross-industry Management Committee, which has existed for more than 20 years to assure competence standards in the electrotechnical sector.

The site says the committee includes government bodies, including devolved administrations, alongside competent person scheme providers, trade associations and education and industry stakeholders. Contributors listed include Certsure LLP (trading as NICEIC), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Building Safety Regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, the IET and UKAS.

The site is hosted by The Electrotechnical Skills Partnership (TESP), which describes itself as a not-for-profit industry partnership. The IET, for its part, says it provides administrative support to the EAS Management Committee.

Archive

Alongside the current edition, the site holds an archive of earlier specifications dating back to October 2012, with further editions from 2015, 2020, 2021 and 2024. It also holds earlier Qualifications Guides, from December 2020 to October 2024.

ECA said the site is intended to help members understand the competence requirements relevant to their business, identify acceptable qualifications and keep up with changes to the specification, and that it also supports certification bodies, registration bodies and other industry stakeholders.