The association has undergone several name changes since it was initially founded in 1904. It was originally the National Association of Master Heating & Domestic Engineers and was intended to represent the commercial interests of engineering contractors rather than individual engineers, who, since 1897 had been able to join the Institution of Heating & Ventilating Engineers. Following a series of industrial disputes with employers, the contractors body was established in January 1904, and held its first official meeting in March, and its first council meeting on 14 June 1904. Fourteen founder members were joined by six further companies at that meeting. In 1927 it was renamed the National Association of Heating, Ventilating & Domestic Engineering Employers, which was instrumental in helping create the first industry training scheme for heating and ventilation engineers at Borough Polytechnic, now London South Bank University, in 1947. In 1963, the association became the Heating and Ventilating Contractors' Association. In 2012, it had almost 1400 company members throughout the UK. It changed its name to the Building and Engineering Services Association on 1 March 2012. In January 2016, it amended its name slightly to the Building Engineering Services Association, dropping the ampersand from both its name and acronym. In September 2017, BESA announced it was restructuring its organisation with an increased focus on training, legal and commercial support. As a result, up to 12 staff were being consulted about redundancy. Until November 2017, the BESA head office was in Hammersmith, West London. It moved to offices in an 'industry hub' in St Katharine Docks, near London's Tower Bridge on 6 November.
Function and activities
As an employers' association, it negotiates benefits and conditions for employees in the sector in a National Agreement with Unite the Union. The BESA provides quality assurance services, promotes excellence and seeks to shape the commercial environment in which its members operate through representation and leadership; it has submitted written evidence to the UK Parliament on matters including industry training and university skills provision, health and safety, and energy and climate change. It provides technical support services tailored to particular industry specialisms which include: standards for ductwork and ductwork cleaning, heating and plumbing services, refrigeration and air conditioning, and service and facilities. Its members are subject to regular, third-party inspection and assessment to ensure technical and commercial competence.
Industry role
The BESA is a member of the Specialist Engineering Contractors Group, which is represented on the Strategic Forum for Construction; it also represents the views of its members as a trade association member of Build UK. Internationally, the BESA is a member of GCP Europe, the European umbrella body for the HVACR and plumbing sectors, and of CEETB, which represents all engineering specialists across Europe's construction sector.
Subsidiary companies
The BESA has a number of subsidiary businesses that provide benefits and services to their members and businesses in their sector. These include Welplan Ltd, Engineering Services Skillcard Ltd, REFCOM Ltd, SFG20, and BESA Training formerly branded as BEST.
