Independent Connection Providers (ICPs) are accredited contractors that compete against DNOs and IDNOs to design and build electricity connections onto new developments, plugging them into the grid.
This guide explains what ICPs do, how they differ from regular contractors and DNOs, when businesses use them, how much their work costs, and what they are responsible for.
What is an Independent Connection Provider (ICP)?
An Independent Connection Provider (ICP) is a company that is accredited to design and build new or upgraded electricity connections and plug them into the grid.
They offer businesses and developers an alternative to using the DNO’s own building arm, directly competing for this work.
An ICP carries out the physical construction, cabling, substations, and testing needed to deliver a connection.
Once built, the completed infrastructure is adopted by the local DNO or an Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO), who then take on responsibility for its ongoing operation and maintenance.
To carry out this work, ICPs must be accredited under the National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS), which certifies they meet the technical and safety standards required to work on the network.
What are contestable and non-contestable connection works?
Ofgem’s Competition in Connections framework (2015), splits the workload of new connections and upgrades into two parts, contestable work (allows competition) and non-contestable work (only carried about by relevant DNO):
- Contestable work: Anything that doesn’t touch the DNO’s live, existing network, such as connection design, civil works, cable laying, and substation installation. This can be carried out by either the DNO or an accredited ICP.
- Non-contestable work: Anything involving the existing network itself, mainly the final connection to live network apparatus, energisation, and any reinforcement needed to support the new load. This must always be carried out by the responsible DNO, regardless of who completed the contestable work.
All new business electricity connections require an element of contestable and non-contestable work, so ICPs coordinate their work with the network operator they are connecting to.
What does an Independent Connection Provider do?
An ICP can manage the entire design and build phase of a connection project, from initial feasibility through to a completed, tested connection, as follows:
- Feasibility assessment and connection design: Determining the best point of connection and producing detailed electrical designs that meet technical specifications and regulatory requirements.
- Civil works: Carrying out excavation, trenching, and ducting to safely integrate cables and equipment into the site.
- Cable laying and jointing: Installing and connecting the cables that link the site to the network.
- Substation and switchgear installation: Constructing and fitting the equipment needed to manage the connection’s voltage and capacity.
- Testing and commissioning: Verifying the completed infrastructure is safe, functional, and compliant before handover.
- Project management: Coordinating the programme, subcontractors, and communication with the DNO throughout, typically through a single point of contact.
Is an ICP the same as an electrical contractor?
Yes, but an ICP (Independent Connection Provider) is a special type of electrical contractor because it holds NERS accreditation, which authorises it to carry out connection work on the distribution network and coordinate directly with DNOs and IDNOs.
Most electrical contractors are registered with schemes such as NICEIC or NAPIT which let them design and install electrical systems within premises, such as wiring, distribution boards and building services. However these accreditations don’t allow them to work on assets that will be adopted onto the public network.
What is the difference between an ICP and a DNO?
An ICP and a DNO are fundamentally different types of organisation. A DNO owns and operates the electricity network for a specific region, and holds the sole right to carry out non-contestable work on it.
An ICP owns no network at all, it’s a contractor accredited to build the contestable portion of a new connection, competing with the DNO for that bit of work.
When might a business use an ICP?
ICPs now complete over half of all new electricity connections in Great Britain. Whether one makes sense mainly comes down to the size and complexity of the connection.
For small, straightforward connections, sticking with the DNO is often simpler, one point of accountability can outweigh any saving from bringing in an ICP. ICPs make more sense for larger projects, non-standard connections, or where speed and flexibility matter, including:
- Time-sensitive projects: DNOs manage a large pipeline of work and can’t prioritise a single business’s timeline, so a project with a fixed deadline benefits from an ICP’s ability to schedule and deliver faster.
- Large or complex connections: The more design and construction involved, the more an ICP’s dedicated project management and single point of contact reduces coordination risk, compared to working within a DNO’s standard process.
- Housing and multi-property developments: Multiple electricity connections across a site benefit from an ICP’s ability to plan and phase the whole development, rather than each plot competing separately for network priority.
- Capacity upgrades to an existing site: An ICP can design and deliver an upgrade specifically for the increased load, rather than the request competing for priority within the network operator’s broader queue.
- Bespoke or non-standard connections: Sites with unusual technical requirements, such as data centres, EV charging hubs, or high-voltage connections, benefit from an ICP’s ability to tailor the design, rather than being fitted into a standardised process.
- Cost sensitivity on a larger job: Since multiple ICPs compete for the work, a business can shop around for pricing, unlike a fixed network operator rate.
How does an ICP electricity connection work?
Getting an ICP to build or upgrade a business connection involves several stages and close coordination with the DNO that runs the local network.
Here is step by step how an ICP-led connection is delivered:
- The business requests quotes: It approaches several ICPs for quotes to deliver a new or upgraded connection, and usually asks the DNO for a quote to compare.
- The ICPs liaise with the DNO: To price the full job, each ICP gets a quote from the DNO for the non-contestable work only the DNO can carry out. It then adds its own price for the contestable work to give the business a single overall quote.
- The business accepts a quote: It chooses an ICP and signs a contract for the work. The DNO’s offer for the non-contestable work is also accepted, with the ICP handling this on the business’s behalf.
- The ICP designs the connection: The design covers cabling routes, substation location and capacity. The DNO usually reviews and approves it to confirm it’s compatible with the existing network.
- The ICP carries out construction: This includes excavation and trenching, cable laying and jointing, and installing substations or switchgear. The DNO inspects the work as it progresses, and if the local network lacks capacity for the new load, it carries out reinforcement, which can add time and cost.
- The ICP tests and commissions the new infrastructure: This confirms everything is safe, correctly installed and ready to connect.
- An MPAN is issued and a supplier appointed: The new supply point receives its own Meter Point Administration Number (MPAN). A supply contract and meter must be in place before energisation, so the business should compare business electricity quotes from business energy suppliers and choose the most suitable one.
- The supply is connected and energised: Once the DNO or IDNO signs off the new network, it’s joined to the live network and switched on.
- The network is adopted: The DNO or an IDNO takes ownership of the new assets and is responsible for operating and maintaining them. From then on, the supplier handles billing and customer service, while the network operator delivers the electricity.
Who owns the electricity infrastructure built by an ICP?
Once the ICP commissions its works, it hands over the completed infrastructure to the local DNO or IDNO, who take on ownership and responsibility for its ongoing operation and maintenance.
The ICP’s remit ends once construction, testing, and handover are complete.
What is NERS accreditation for ICPs?
The National Electricity Registration Scheme (NERS) is the accreditation that authorises a company to operate as an ICP.
The accreditation has various tiers, each distinguishing the capabilities of ICPs and constraining their scope of work by discipline, voltage boundaries and geographic regions.
The result is a wide number and range of ICPs (over 450), some which specialise in small, regionally focused specialist work in a single discipline, to large national providers accredited across every voltage band and discipline.
The three constraints are:
Voltage
NERS certifies a contractor for specific voltage bands:
- Low Voltage (LV): Under 1kV, typically domestic and small commercial connections.
- High Voltage (HV): Between 1kV and 20kV, for larger commercial and industrial sites.
- Extra High Voltage (EHV): Between 20kV and 132kV, for energy-intensive industrial sites and large-scale developments.
Discipline
Within each voltage band, a company is separately assessed and certified for specific types of work, such as:
- Electrical design of the network
- Civil works, including trenching and site restoration
- Cable laying
- Cable jointing
- Substation installation
- Project management
Region
NERS itself is recognised nationally, but each certificate separately specifies which DNO networks and geographic regions a company is approved to operate in. Some ICPs cover the whole of Great Britain, others only specific regions.
How to find an Independent Connection Provider (ICP)
Finding a suitable ICP depends on the size and complexity of the project, but generally involves the following options:
- Search the LRQA NERS register: LRQA manages the NERS accreditation and publishes a searchable list of accredited ICPs, showing their certified scopes and regions of operation. The search can filter by region, service and site type.
- Shortlist providers with relevant project experience: Many ICPs specialise by sector, such as renewables, battery storage, or high-voltage industrial work, so experience on similar projects is worth checking alongside accreditation.
- Get quotes from more than one: Since ICPs compete on price and programme, comparing quotes from a few accredited providers helps establish whether the pricing and timeline on offer are competitive.
- Use a broker or connection specialist: For larger or more complex projects, a broker or connections consultant can help identify and appoint a suitable ICP, and manage the DNO interface throughout.
How much does an ICP electricity connection cost?
The total cost of an ICP connection can vary widely depending on the scope of work involved. For example:
- A simple low-voltage connection for a small commercial unit can be as low as a few thousand pounds.
- A medium-sized project with more extensive cabling can run into the tens of thousands.
- A complex or high-voltage connection requiring substations or major civil works can run into six or seven figures.
The main components behind any quote are the design work, the civil works needed to lay cables underground, the materials themselves (cables, substations, switchgear), and the labour to install everything.
On top of the ICP’s competing quote, the DNO also charges a fixed, non-negotiable fee for its own non-contestable work, such as final energisation and reinforcement work, which stays the same regardless of which ICP is appointed.
Independent Connection Providers regulation
There are several frameworks that govern how ICPs operate, aside their NERS accreditation:
- Competition in Connections Code of Practice (CiCCoP): Sets out how DNOs and ICPs must work together, including quotations and how an ICP acts on the customer’s behalf.
- G81 technical framework: The national engineering standard ensures an ICP-built connection meets the same safety and quality standards as one built by the DNO.
- Health and safety regulations: ICPs follow the same rules as any electrical contractor, including the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989, the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
- Electricity (Connection Charges) Regulations 2017: Also called the “Second Comer” regulations, these let an earlier customer be reimbursed if a later business connects to and benefits from infrastructure they originally paid for.
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