About BIMcert
About BIMcert
BIMcert came about by a combination of accident and design. In 2012, I was asked to join a Government initiative to help businesses achieve growth. I had recently established, grown and exited a business, so was seen to have ‘been there and done it’.
I worked for 3 years as a Growth Coach on the ‘GrowthAccelerator’ programme, helping establish and grow a range of businesses in a variety of sectors.
Two things happened during that period: Firstly, it became increasingly apparent that one of the biggest barriers to growth was a lack of systems in new / small organisations and a lack of good systems in more established / bigger businesses. I knew the potential value of the ISO frameworks, having developed and integrated systems in my own business.
Secondly, new requirements and developments in technology for the areas I was working highlighted the need for a new Standards to help organisations understand what good practice looked like and once there were Standards, certification schemes were needed to provide verification of achievements to buyers.
Businesses needed help with the first issue. Certification Bodies needed help with the second. Those findings were ‘accidents’ that drove me to ‘design’ a business in response, so BIMcert was established in 2014 to provide support on both issues and has worked closely with individual businesses and Certification Bodies ever since. BIMcert operates nationally and internationally from offices in Newcastle and Richmond, providing tailored services in the form of:
Our Best Tips & Hints
Be (a little bit) Selfish
I encourage all my clients to be ‘selfish’ when we work on their management systems.
If you’re going to invest some time and effort to create a system, make surer it delivers something valuable to you and your business. Aiming at mere compliance really is missing a trick.
There are two reasons for having a management system: compliance and improvement. Most people concentrate on compliance and see the process as a cost. My experience in doing this in my own business taught me that that is a big mistake.
By going beyond compliance and using management systems to deliver real improvements in the most important aspects of your business, the process becomes an investment, and one that will reap multiple returns if done well.
So be a little ‘selfish’ and use the process to focus on what’s really important, to deliver real benefits, improved performance and tangible returns on your investment.
Don’t Be Excluded
It’s easy to dismissed or excluded. Don’t let it happen to you or your organisation.
Management systems and certification provide a ‘passport’ to doing business. Whole sectors, groups of customers, and specific project opportunities are often closed to businesses without the right credentials. So implementing systems compliant with ISO requirements is essential.
Acquiring credible, independent third-party certification of compliance is equally vital. Without these, you will be unable to prequalify, unable to achieve approval and be excluded from taking part.
Use the Toolkit
I don’t approach these systems from the point of view of an auditor, or quality / health and safety / environmental manager. I approach them from the pragmatic perspective of a Business Owner / Director / Senior Manager. They are a toolkit to help manage and develop your business.
Every business has systems, some good, some bad. Every business can benefit from improvement. Creating and working on your systems is an investment in your effectiveness, your efficiency and your people. I always try to keep this mantra in mind:
Good systems help. Bad systems hinder. People make things happen.
The ISO Standards provide a fantastic framework for creating, controlling and improving your business. They distil the best practices of successful organisations around the world, in every sector, large and small, into a structured approach that will help you develop, implement, assess and improve your business. The key is to interpret how the guidance relates to your business and to find practical, effective ways to implement the framework in a way that works for you. That is the challenge I love to solve and the opportunity that I love to deliver.
