QA Outreach · Initial Planning

Reach Every Major UK
Accreditation Body

CMS Surveyors has the technical credibility to become the go-to independent QA inspection partner for the UK's renewable energy accreditation ecosystem. This is the plan to get there.

28
Target Organisations
12
High Priority Targets
4
Steps in Sequence
6w
To First Meetings

Why This Is Worth Chasing

Every major UK accreditation body that certifies renewable energy installers is legally required to audit their members regularly. Most struggle to do it properly. That's CMS's opening.

Mandatory Audit Burden

UKAS-accredited bodies must regularly inspect member installers against MCS/PAS 2030 standards. With thousands of members, the audit volume is enormous, and many bodies are under-resourced to deliver it.

CMS Is a Perfect Fit

CMS already performs technical QA work in the renewable energy space. The jump from client-facing inspections to white-label auditor for an accreditation body is a natural and credible extension.

B2B Contract Value

A single contract with NAPIT, NICEIC, or HETAS could mean hundreds of inspections per year. One relationship = compounding revenue. Fewer, larger, stickier deals than chasing individual installers.

How the Ecosystem Works

To install renewable energy systems and access government subsidy schemes (BUS, ECO4, RHI), installers must be certified by an MCS-approved Certification Body. Bodies like NAPIT, NICEIC, HETAS, OFTEC, and the IAA carry out that certification and ongoing surveillance.

Certification bodies are themselves accredited by UKAS (the UK's national accreditation body) and must demonstrate robust QA processes, including technical inspections of member installations. They typically either employ in-house inspectors or contract specialist third parties. CMS can be that third party.

28 Organisations, Fully Researched

Every major UK accreditation and certification body has been mapped, prioritised, and enriched with contact data. The full list is in the linked spreadsheet.

Open Target Spreadsheet (Google Sheets) →
12 High Priority 10 Medium Priority 6 Low Priority

High Priority: Directly Certify Renewable Installers

High
NAPIT Certification Ltd
MCS-approved. Certifies 30,000+ businesses across solar, heat pumps, battery storage. Core QA partner opportunity.
High
Certsure (NICEIC/ELECSA)
UK's largest CB with 38,000 certified businesses. MCS-approved for solar, heat pumps, battery. Huge inspection volume.
High
IAA (Installation Assurance Authority)
Specifically built around QA frameworks and installer surveillance. Extremely aligned with CMS's offer.
High
HETAS
National biomass/solid fuel certification body. MCS-approved. Technical audit of member installs is core requirement.
High
OFTEC
Oil & heat pump certification body. 20,000+ registered technicians. Regular surveillance inspections required.
High
Elmhurst Energy
Merged with Stroma Oct 2023. Major energy assessor accreditor. QA of EPC and retrofit works is core business.
High
Blue Flame Certification
UKAS-accredited. Gas, Oil, Electrical, Renewables, Energy Efficiency. Staffordshire-based. Good regional fit.
High
Simply Certification
Newer MCS CB (2020). Challenger brand; may be more open to innovative partnerships than legacy bodies.
High
RECC / REAL
Consumer code & certification body. Carries out installer surveillance inspections as a core scheme requirement.
High
MCS Service Company
THE umbrella quality mark for UK renewables. Doesn't inspect directly but relationship here opens every door below it.
High
APHC Certification
Plumbing & heating contractors certification. MCS-approved for heat pumps and solar heating.
High
HIES Consumer Code
Surveillance inspections of member installers are a core scheme requirement. Strong QA overlap.

+ 10 medium priority and 6 lower priority targets in the spreadsheet

What CMS Offers These Bodies

The pitch is simple: you're already doing mandatory audits. Let us do them better, faster, and at lower cost than building the capability in-house.

Technical Site Inspections

Independent, on-site inspection of renewable energy installations (solar PV, heat pumps, battery storage, biomass) against MCS and PAS 2030 standards. Includes photography, measurement, and evidence collection.

Audit Reporting

Detailed written reports to accreditation body standards. Evidence-based findings, pass/fail assessments, remediation recommendations. White-labelled to the CB if required.

Surveillance Programme Support

Ongoing scheduled inspection programme for CB member businesses, on annual or biannual cycles. Systematic coverage of a CB's installer base, with reporting dashboard and trend analysis.

Reactive & Complaint Inspections

Rapid-response inspections when a CB receives a complaint about a member installer. Independent third-party assessment provides defensible evidence for disciplinary or remediation decisions.

An Offer They Cannot Ignore

The core pitch, the risk-removal mechanism, and three tested email openers. Use these as the backbone of every touchpoint.

The Core Offer

Your members need auditing. Your UKAS accreditation requires independence. We solve both.

CMS Surveyors provides certification bodies with a fully independent technical inspection service for their installer networks. We handle the site visits, the audit reports, and the evidence trail. You get UKAS-defensible inspection records without the overhead of building and managing an in-house team.

What you get

  • Independent technical inspections against MCS and PAS 2030 standards
  • Audit reports written to your spec, under your brand if preferred
  • Reactive complaint inspections with independent findings that hold up
  • Scalable capacity: ten inspections a month or a thousand, no fixed headcount

Why not in-house

In-house inspectors investigating your own members creates the impartiality conflict UKAS specifically flags at re-accreditation. Independent third-party inspection removes that risk entirely. Inspection capacity also scales with demand, not with your hiring budget.

The entry point: de-risk the yes

Start with a five-inspection pilot. No contract, no commitment.

We inspect five member installations, deliver full audit reports, and you judge the quality yourself. If it works, we build a programme. If it does not, you have lost nothing. Twenty minutes with Stephen to see if there is a fit.

Cold Email Openers

Three options depending on tone. Option 1 is the sharpest: it looks like a compliance issue, not a sales email.

Recommended

The Compliance Grenade

Subject line

UKAS clause 4.1.4

Opening line

"Hi [Name], quick question: when UKAS audits your impartiality controls at re-accreditation, what evidence do you point to for your installer surveillance inspections?"

Why this works

The subject line looks like a compliance issue, not a sales email. It gets opened because the reader thinks UKAS flagged something. Then the question puts them on the back foot: they either know the answer and want to validate it with you, or they do not know and urgently need to. Either way, you get a reply. It treats them as a professional facing a real regulatory problem, not a prospect being pitched.

The Blunt Truth

Subject line

Your member inspections

Opening line

"Hi [Name], most CBs I speak to are running their installer surveillance in-house. Under ISO 17065, that is the one area UKAS will push hardest on. Worth 20 minutes to show you how we have solved it for others?"

Why this works

It opens with a truth they recognise instantly, which builds immediate credibility. "Most CBs I speak to" implies you are already embedded in their world and talking to their peers, not cold-calling from outside it. Naming the specific standard removes any doubt you know what you are talking about. The CTA is low-commitment: 20 minutes to see how others solved it. Curiosity does the rest.

The Number

Subject line

[X] certified members

Opening line

"Hi [Name], with that many certified businesses, the maths on surveillance inspections does not work with an in-house team. We handle the field work so you do not have to. Worth a quick call?"

Why this works

Using their actual member count signals you have done your homework, not sent a generic blast. It turns an abstract problem ("inspection is hard to scale") into a concrete maths problem they cannot argue with. Large member counts make the inspection burden feel real and immediate. Best used for the largest CBs where the scale gap is most obvious: NICEIC at 38,000 members is a very different conversation to a body with 500.

Two Assets to Build Before Outreach

Before a single message is sent, we need two things: a PDF one-pager to share on connection, and a short video from Stephen to anchor the follow-up.

Service One-Pager (PDF)

A clean, 2-page PDF that lands in LinkedIn messages. Recipients should be able to read it in under 90 seconds and know exactly what CMS offers and why they should talk to Stephen.

Recommended structure:

  1. Who CMS Surveyors are (3 lines max)
  2. The problem: audit burden is growing, in-house capacity is limited
  3. The solution: CMS as your independent inspection partner
  4. What you get: scope of services (4 bullet points)
  5. Why CMS: credentials, experience, geographic coverage
  6. Social proof: a number, a stat, a client quote (if available)
  7. Next step: 20-minute call with Stephen + Calendly link

Levity designs and writes this. CMS reviews before it goes out.

Founder Intro Video (2–3 mins)

A short, informal-but-professional video of Stephen speaking to the camera. This goes in the Day 7 follow-up message. Personal > polished. The goal is trust, not production value.

Recommended script structure:

  1. "Hi, I'm Stephen, founder of CMS Surveyors..."
  2. "We work with accreditation bodies to handle the part nobody likes, the inspections..."
  3. "Here's the problem we see a lot: [pain point specific to CBs]..."
  4. "What we do is [service summary in plain English]..."
  5. "We've [proof point / credentials]..."
  6. "I'd love 20 minutes to see if we're a fit, here's a link to book..."

Levity writes the full script. CMS shoots it on a phone, no production needed.

4-Touch Sequence from Stephen's Profile

Outreach runs from Stephen McCrum's personal LinkedIn. As a founder, his profile carries significantly more weight than a company page. The sequence is: connect → document → video → Calendly.

Stephen McCrum

Founder, CMS Surveyors

linkedin.com/in/stephen-mccrum-6a1100143 →

Automation tool

Expandi / Dripify

see tool comparison below

1
Day 1

Connection Request with Personalised Note

Send a connection request with a brief, non-salesy note referencing their specific role. Max 200 characters. The goal is acceptance, not a pitch.

Message Template

"Hi [First Name], I work with independent inspection teams supporting certification bodies in the renewable energy space. Thought it'd be worth connecting., Stephen"

Personalise the [First Name] and optionally add a line referencing their specific body (e.g. "saw your work with NAPIT").

2
Day 2, After Acceptance

Thank You + Share the Document

Within 24 hours of acceptance, send the one-pager PDF (or a link to it). Keep the message warm, not transactional. No call-to-action for a meeting yet.

Message Template

"Thanks for connecting, [First Name]. We work with accreditation bodies to handle technical inspection and surveillance work for their installer networks. Thought this brief overview might be useful. Happy to chat if timing's ever right. No rush at all."

Attach the PDF or link to a hosted version of the document.

3
Day 7, If No Reply

Video Follow-Up

Share the founder video. This is the highest-converting touchpoint. A real face and voice builds trust instantly and stands out from 99% of LinkedIn messages.

Message Template

"[First Name], I recorded a short 2-minute video explaining exactly what we do and why I think it might be relevant to [their org]. Worth 2 minutes if you have them: [video link]"

4
Day 14, Final Touch

Direct Calendly Ask

A short, direct final message. If they haven't responded by now, this is the last automated touch. After this, archive and revisit in 3 months.

Message Template

"Last one from me, [First Name], if independent technical inspections for your installer network is ever on your radar, I'd love 20 minutes. Here's a link to my calendar: [Calendly link]. If not, totally understood. Happy to connect again down the line."

LinkedIn Automation Tool Comparison

Dripify

~£50/month · dripify.io

Slightly cheaper than Expandi, similar feature set. Good for straightforward sequences. Less sophisticated safety controls but still widely used.

  • Multi-step LinkedIn sequences
  • Team features (if needed later)
  • Simple onboarding
  • A/B testing on messages
  • 7-day free trial
Note: Levity will set up the sequences, write all message templates, and monitor replies. Stephen just needs to connect the tool to his LinkedIn account (15-minute setup). You should expect connection acceptance rates of 25–45% and reply rates of 8–15% for a well-targeted B2B list like this.

6 Weeks to First Meetings

Realistic phased plan from kick-off to first booked meetings. All sequence setup and management is handled by Levity.

Week 1

Setup & Foundations

  • Kick-off call, service brief, credentials, proof points
  • Levity writes one-pager copy and message templates
  • Stephen sets up Calendly with Discovery Call slot
  • Sign up for Expandi and connect Stephen's LinkedIn
Week 2

Collateral & Tool Warm-Up

  • One-pager PDF finalised and hosted
  • Video recorded by CMS (Levity provides script)
  • LinkedIn automation tool warming up (gradual send limits)
  • Target contacts loaded for High Priority batch (12 orgs)
Week 3

First Batch, High Priority

  • Connection requests sent to 12 High Priority contacts
  • Day 2 follow-ups triggered on acceptance
  • Video edited and uploaded (if not done in W2)
  • First replies begin coming in, Levity monitors and flags
Week 4

Second Batch + Follow-Ups

  • Medium Priority batch launched (10 orgs)
  • High Priority Week 7 video follow-ups trigger
  • Any warm replies escalated to Stephen for personal response
  • First Discovery Calls potentially booked
Weeks 5–6

Final Touches + Reporting

  • Day 14 Calendly asks go out to non-responders
  • First meetings happening
  • Campaign performance report: connections, replies, meetings booked
  • Decision: extend to Low Priority targets or double down on converting warm leads

How We Launch This

The research is done, the sequence is designed, the targets are mapped. Here's the order of play to go live.

1

Kick-off call with Rees

Walk through the service brief, credentials, and proof points so Levity can write copy that's accurate and punchy. 30 minutes max.

Both
2

Stephen sets up Calendly

Free account at calendly.com. Create a "20-min Discovery Call" slot. Share the link with Rees.

CMS
3

Sign up for Expandi

expandi.io. Connect to Stephen's LinkedIn. Levity configures all sequences, sending limits, and personalisation.

CMS
4

Levity writes the one-pager

PDF document for sharing on LinkedIn connection. CMS reviews once, fast turnaround.

Levity
5

Film the intro video

Levity writes the script. Stephen films on a phone, 2–3 minutes, good light, no production needed. Upload to Loom or YouTube unlisted.

Both
6

Levity loads contacts and launches

High Priority batch (12 orgs) loaded into Expandi. Sequences go live. Levity monitors replies and flags anything warm for Stephen.

Levity

28 targets. Sequences built. Let's launch.

The research is done. Book a call with Rees to kick off and we can be in market within two weeks.

View Target Spreadsheet Email Rees