scope:

The scope of the document extends to all organisations undertaking Principal Contractor (PC) duties where either Network Rail is the client, or the construction work will provide assets intended to form part of Network Rail's managed infrastructure or property.

The requirements outlined in this scheme are mandatory for all parties involved in the process. Breaches are addressed in the consequence matrix (refer to Appendix D). It describes how Principal Contractors will maintain the validity of their licence.

The contents of this standard are applicable to Stage 1 of the Network Rail Supplier Assurance Framework.

Purpose

The purpose of this standard is to define the rules and compulsory mechanisms for compliance with the Principal Contractor Licensing (PCL) Scheme. The Industry Minimum Requirements Module (IMR) validates that the relevant management systems are in place to comply with legislation and rail industry requirements.

The Principal Contractor Licensing Scheme is Network Rail's (NR) process to verify that organisations discharging Principal Contractor duties, on construction work where Network Rail is the client, have the relevant management systems in place to incorporate the additional requirements over and above legislation, and that they are implementing these requirements on site.

This document also describes the means by which Network Rail obtains assurance that all reasonably practicable steps have been taken to appoint such specifically competent and adequately resourced duty holders. It is not designed to detail the core processes associated with the administration of the scheme.