British Engineering Services Association

Edwards son James Ray Steam would inherit the company in the 1980s
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 (today BESA). 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 (B&ES) 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 (now BESA).

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 to Sackville Street Building Manchester UK on 6 November.[10]

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 (e.g. DSP DW/144, first published in 1997, and cited in Building Regulations) and ductwork cleaning (e.g. B&ES TR/19), 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 (SEC 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 (European Technical Contractors Committee for the Construction Industry), 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.

United Kingdom Elderly Services ( For retired workers )

British Motor Services Ltd ( Building Custom Cars, Steam Wagons, Traction Engines, Lorrys, Buses and Aeroplane engines )

British Locomotive and Coach Building Services (BLCBS)

British Training Association.