Engain is an environmental and climate adaptation consultancy who are based near Bath, the team at Engain help clients to overcome the complexity of environmental projects and planning applications by providing biodiversity services. These surveys include species surveys in the field, assessment and reporting which are driven by the needs of the client and the new legislation for Biodiversity Net Gain which requires a net improvement to the environment from a development.  

HKW RM was introduced to Engain through a member of the Compliance Group and we started working together in June 2022 on the quality management system (QMS) implementation project. The Directors at Engain were keen to implement a QMS and gain certification to ISO 9001 to:

• Help the company grow and ‘scale up’
• Change the culture
• Help internal communications
• Deliver services to clients efficiently and effectively
• Provide a ‘set of rules’ for the company to operate consistently

The project started with a Gap Analysis to review what Engain already had in place and decide on the actions for the rest of the implementation project, then continued with compiling a manual and supporting processes for the business, carrying out two internal audits and a full management review meeting.

Since the initial implementation project, we have continued to work with Engain and now provide 3 days of consultancy per financial year which includes two internal audits, a management review meeting and a QMS review and update session.

I really enjoy working with Engain, the Directors and Managers are totally committed to providing the best services possible to their clients and are equally committed to the QMS as a key part of their business. I think my favourite bit of working with Engain is finding out about the operational details of the ecological surveys during the internal audit process, I’ve been shown bird species diagrams and badger set locations on site maps, but my favourites have been camera trap images and videos of very cute water voles and dormice going about their daily business!

We were really pleased to receive the following testimonial from Engain:

We have been working with HKW RM for several years and we are really pleased with our QMS, it is built as an integral part of our daily business operations so we use it all the time. The QMS is flexible enough that we can change, update and improve it as our business grows but it gives us a robust structure and framework. Helen makes us feel like we are her only client and we are really grateful for her support!

Project Details:

Project Type – Quality Management System Implementation

Project Timeframe:

Implementation Project June 22 – Nov 22:

• 1.5 days for initial Gap Analysis
• 5 days for implementation project
• 2 days for certification body Stage 1 and Stage 2 audits

Ongoing support – 3 days per financial year:

• 2 audit days
• 1 management review and QMS update

Project Team – Helen Waddington and David Trevelyan