Lloyd's Register delivers PAS 55 asset management certificate to Envoy

Lloyd's Register Verification Ltd. has certified Envoy, a member of the Inexus Group, against the BSI Publicly Available Specification 55 (PAS 55-1), a stringent process of assessment which benchmarks best practice in asset management.

Peter Glaholm from Lloyd's Register EMEA presented the certificate to Mike Pearce from Envoy on September 4, 2008 at the Envoy offices in Cardiff, UK.

Mike Pearce, Managing Director of Envoy, said: "The achievement of PAS 55 accreditation is the result of 18 months of hard work by our project team, developing and implementing consistency throughout our asset management system. I am grateful to all the Envoy staff who have consistently demonstrated their commitment to delivering the best possible service and achieving the highest standards in every aspect of their work."

Mike Pearce continued: "The assessment process has proved invaluable to Envoy and the Inexus Group. It demonstrates our peerless ability to provide safe and reliable gas networks to our customers and stakeholders."

Presenting the certificate, Peter Glaholm, Managing Surveyor Utility Schemes said: "We are delighted to be able to present this certificate to Envoy in recognition of their commitment to asset management and we encourage other new companies in the utility sector to aspire to asset management best practice by adopting PAS 55".

Envoy chose Lloyd's Register as the auditor for certifying its asset management systems because of its robust approach to certification and its leading role in the development of the PAS 55 certification. The certification reinforces Lloyd's Register as the world leader in PAS 55 certification across several business sectors. It follows other certifications in the power, gas and rail industries in Europe, North America and Asia.

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Notes to editors

1. Lloyd's Register is an independent risk management organisation. The Lloyd's Register Group works to help improve its clients' quality, safety, environmental and business performance throughout the world, because life matters. Its expertise and activities cover shipping, railways, other asset-based industries and oil and gas. The Group comprises charities and non-charitable companies, with the latter supporting the charities in their main public benefit goal. The Lloyd's Register Group has an impressive track record in verification and related activities. The PAS 55-1 certificate was awarded to Envoy by Lloyd's Register Verification Ltd., a member of the Lloyd's Register Group.

2. The Lloyd's Register Group used its worldwide experience of management systems and asset management expertise in a variety of industries to support the Institute of Asset Management (IAM) in the development of PAS 55. Published by the British Standards Institution (BSI), PAS 55 is a leading management systems framework upon which effective asset management strategies can be based. It was developed as a quality benchmark for management practices in asset-intensive industries such as power, oil and gas and transportation. Many organisations are adopting the PAS 55-1 principles to increase the confidence of regulators and shareholders in their management activities. PAS 55 is strongly encouraged by regulatory bodies such as Ofgem (UK), Dte (Netherlands), ORR and OPPPA (UK) for its ability to provide assurance to wider stakeholders that risks associated with complex asset systems are being appropriately managed. The Lloyd's Register Group has seen considerable interest from organisations around the world seeking to develop their asset management systems to be compliant with PAS 55 and has carried out verification activities in many sectors, including rail, electricity and gas. It has also seen interest from regulators, and national and local governments.

3. Inexus was the first company to break the former British Gas monopoly in connecting new properties to the gas network in the early 1990s, delivering the benefits of competition to new housing developments across the UK. This was followed by the first operational independent electricity distribution licence and the first independent water inset application. Inexus currently owns and operates gas and electricity networks at over 9,000 locations across Great Britain and has connected more than 500,000 properties serving around one million customers, with contracts in place to connect a further 230,000 properties serving another half a million customers. Envoy is an Inexus Group company that provides comprehensive asset management services to utility infrastructure providers and asset owners.

4. To download an image of Mike Pearce, Managing Director of Envoy (left) receiving the certificate from Peter Glaholm, Lloyd's Register EMEA, Managing Surveyor Utility Schemes (right) click here. To download an image of Mike Pearce and the team from Envoy click here. To download an image of Mike Pearce, Peter Glaholm and the Envoy team click here.

5. For further information on asset management and PAS 55 related services from members of the Lloyd's Register Group contact Terry Mundy, Lloyd's Register EMEA - UK Asset Management, Hiramford, Middlemarch Office Village, Siskin Drive, Coventry CV3 4FJ
T +44 (0)2476 518630
E terry.mundy@lr.org

For more information contact:
Terry Mundy
Lloyd's Register EMEA
T +44 (0)24 7651 8630
E terry.mundy@lr.org

Lloyd's Register
71 Fenchurch Street
London EC3M 4BS, UK
T +44 (0)20 7709 9166
F +44 (0)20 7488 4796
E news@lr.org
www.lr.org

Services are provided by members of the Lloyd's Register Group. Lloyd's Register, Lloyd's Register EMEA and Lloyd's Register Asia are exempt charities under the UK Charities Act 1993.