Companies are asked to apply for Associate Membership in writing. They may then be invited to become Associate Members by the Scheme’s Board.

The Scheme Director nominated as Associate liaison may visit potential members to assess their suitability for membership.

 

The criteria for acceptance are as follows:

• Apply for Membership at group level rather than as an individual, subsidiary company of a group.
• Have historically registered an acceptable percentage of their previous sites with the Scheme, normally at least 60%.
• Be able to demonstrate a level of compliance, at least 0.5 of a point above the national average on all registered sites at the time of request and during membership.
• Have a minimum of a 3 year history of registrations with the Scheme.

Once a company has been accepted as an Associate Member:

Associate Members will:

• Register all sites (in excess of six weeks’ duration), paying the appropriate fee. 
• Register sites with a duration of over 18 months/78 weeks in either annual or in natural phases.
• Maintain membership for a minimum of three years.
• Pay an additional annual fee of £3,000 plus VAT. 
• Achieve, at least, compliance with the Scheme's Site Code of Considerate Practice on all registered sites.
• Ensure all company employees are aware of the Associate Membership and what this means (it is recommended that key personnel attend either a Scheme Seminar or Workshop).
• Nominate a Board member to act as contact and to represent their company at all Associate meetings. 
• Promote the Scheme and its aims to their clients.
• Provide a link from their website to the Scheme’s website.
• Encourage membership of the Scheme’s ‘Company Registration’ initiative.

The Scheme will:

• Publicise the company’s Associate Membership. 
• Issue an Associate Membership logo for use on all marketing and other company material.
• Issue an Associate Membership certificate and plaque.
• Provide meetings/dinners to discuss Scheme issues and to meet other Associate Members. 
• Provide monthly benchmarking information and statistics comparing the Associate’s scores with the national averages.
• Assist the Associate Member company in meeting the aims of the Scheme.
• Use Associate Members’ sites for Scheme promotional activities.
• Provide a link from the Scheme's website to the Associate's website.

The Scheme's Director responsible for liaising with Associate Members over any concerns or issues they may wish to discuss is Nigel Marks. Any Associate Member wishing to make an appointment with Nigel should do so via the Scheme's administration office.