Central Payment Schemes: A smarter way to support your engineers
A Central Payment Scheme (CPS) provides organisations with a simple and efficient way to fund IET membership and professional registration for their engineers.
Instead of individual employees paying and claiming expenses, the IET invoices your organisation directly. This creates one streamlined process that saves time for engineering teams, finance teams and HR.
More than 350 partners already use a Central Payment Scheme, including major engineering employers and universities. Many of the largest schemes support more than 1,000 engineers, demonstrating the scalability and value of the approach.
Why organisations choose a Central Payment Scheme
- Better visibility of your engineering workforce: A CPS gives improved oversight of who holds IET membership across your organisation. This helps identify potential mentors, understand development needs and support workforce planning.
- Stronger professional development culture: With central oversight, organisations can promote training, webinars, mentoring and professional registration more effectively. This supports long-term skills development and helps engineers progress in line with UK-SPEC standards.
- Improved financial and administrative efficiency: Expense claims are reduced, and financial processes become far simpler. A CPS replaces many individual transactions with one annual invoice, supported by a clear set-up checklist and shared data process.
- Better internal communication and engagement: The IET works with you on a communications plan that includes email content, intranet materials, webinars and on-site engagement. This ensures colleagues know how to join and how to access the benefits available to them.
How a Central Payment Scheme works
A typical scheme follows a structured process:
Scoping
Exploring suitability for your organisation and reviewing your current membership base.
Set up
Completing financial processes, purchase orders, data agreements and supplier details.
Present
Introducing the scheme to engineers through webinars, on site sessions and team briefings.
Join and renew
Engineers join the scheme and renew annually using the central process.
Book a call with your Account Manager
Contact your account manager today to set up a CPS scheme for your organisation.
"At Sellafield, we truly value the Central Payment Scheme offered by the IET.
Its seamless setup and efficient integration have significantly simplified our internal processes, particularly for our Engineering, Finance and HR teams.
Beyond the administrative benefits, the scheme will enable us to bring all our IET members together under one umbrella, fostering a stronger sense of community. This collective approach will open new opportunities for mentoring, knowledge sharing, and professional development across our teams - something we see as vital to nurturing the next generation of engineers."
Stephen Kitchen BEng CEng MIET MInstMC
Head of Maintenance, Sellafield Ltd
The commitment required
Both the IET and the partner organisation contribute to the success of a Central Payment Scheme.
The IET provides account management, launch support, promotional materials, webinars and ongoing membership services.
The organisation typically provides a purchase order, internal communication support and named contacts to help distribute information.
Why a Central Payment Scheme strengthens your organisation
A CPS is more than a funding mechanism. It is a partnership that improves visibility, supports career progression, enhances the engineering community and reduces administrative burden.
For organisations committed to developing skilled and professionally registered engineers, a CPS offers significant long-term value.