⚠️ Note: Fergus Certificates is a paid Add-On available for New Zealand, New South Wales and Queensland.
Overview
From 1 August 2026, Certificates of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) in New South Wales must be lodged electronically through Building Commission NSW (BCNSW). Handwritten and PDF CCEW forms are no longer accepted for new lodgments from that date.
Fergus now includes a built-in NSW eCert certificate that lets a licensed electrician complete a CCEW inside a job and lodge it directly with Building Commission NSW - no separate portal login and no paper form.
📝 Note: A CCEW must be submitted within 7 days of completing your testing. The NSW eCert can only be used for new work - not remedial or follow-up work.
In this article, we'll cover:
Setting up NSW eCert (one-time)
Submitting a CCEW from a job, step by step
Frequently asked questions
Before you start: setting up NSW eCert
A few one-time settings need to be in place before your team can lodge a CCEW. Most of this is done in Settings → Certificates.
Turn on the NSW eCert certificate
Go to Settings → Certificates and enable NSW eCert - Certificate of Compliance Electrical Work.
📝 Note: Certificates must be included in your Fergus plan. If you don't see the Certificates settings, contact the Fergus team.
2. Add your company ABN
In Settings → General, make sure the following are accurate:
Your company ABN (sent to BCNSW as part of every submission)
Your company address (used as the default billing address on the certificate)
Your company email (used as the default employer email if you choose to notify your employer at Step 5).
3. Record each electrician's license details
Still in Settings → Certificates, each electrician who will fill in or sign a CCEW needs their licence recorded against the NSW eCert certificate:
First, middle and last name - recorded exactly as they appear in the NSW eCert Portal
Licence number - this must be the electrician's individual licence number, not a company or contractor licence.
Licence state (NSW, ACT, VIC, etc.)
Licence expiry date
Certifier - tick this for any electrician who is authorised to sign and submit the CCEW
Email address
Phone number
⚠️ Important: Only a user marked as a certifier with a valid licence can submit a CCEW. Electricians without a licence number, or with an expired licence, risk having the certificate rejected by BCNSW. A user who isn't a certifier can still fill in the form, but only a certifier can submit it.
Note: The name used to submit must exactly match a licensed tradesperson registered in the NSW eCert Portal. Check that each electrician's name and individual licence in Settings → Certificates match the Portal before lodging, or BCNSW may reject the submission.
4. Check permissions
To fill in or submit a certificate, a user needs the Edit Certificates permission. Changing the certificate settings above additionally requires the Edit Settings permission.
Submitting a CCEW from Fergus, step by step
Open the job the work relates to, go to the Certificates tab, add a certificate, and choose NSW eCert. Fergus saves a draft and opens CCEW form.
The form is a 6-step wizard. You can Save as draft at any point and come back later, and move Back and Continue between steps. Each step must be complete before you can move on.
Step 1 - Start
An overview of the certificate and the key rules (submit within 7 days, new work only, non-editable once accepted). Select Get started.
Step 2 - Installation
Record the type of installation (residential, commercial, industrial, etc.), the type of work, any special conditions (e.g. over 100 amps, high voltage, hazardous area), and the work location.
Step 3 - Equipment
The fields here depend on the type of work you selected:
Metering work: meter type, meter service provider and metering system details.
Other work: whether the installation is connected to supply, plus a list of the equipment involved (type, rating, quantity and description). Add a row for each item.
Step 4 - Customer & site
Confirm the customer's contact details and the installation site address. Start typing the address to use autocomplete, or enter it manually (including Lot / Plan / DP and local government area where needed).
Step 5 - Tests
Record the testing you carried out on the work:
Test performed - select the relevant tests and checks (earthing system integrity, insulation resistance, polarity, RCD operation, and so on). At least one is required.
Test completed date - the date you finished the safety and compliance testing.
NMI (National Meter Identifier) - where relevant.
Network provider at the installation site - Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy, Essential Energy, Sydney Trains, or N/A.
Notify your employer (optional) - choose whether to email a copy of the completed CCEW to your employer. Your company name and ABN are taken from your company settings.
Supporting documents (optional) - attach any documents or images (maximum 20 MB per file; accepted formats: pdf, docx, png, jpeg, jpg, gif, bmp, mp4, mov).
Step 6 - Declaration & privacy
This final step has two parts:
Applicant details - a read-only summary of the person lodging the certificate (name, email, phone number, licence number and licence state), pre-filled from your Certification licence settings, plus a required billing address. The billing address is prefilled from your company contact settings; you can search for a different address or enter it manually.
Declarations - read and tick the three mandatory declarations confirming the work, your authorisation, and the privacy notice.
Finishing up
At the declaration step, select Submit (available to validated certifiers only). Fergus lodges the CCEW directly with Building Commission NSW.
Once submitted, BCNSW returns a certificate number which is stored on the job, and a PDF copy is available from your Manage certificates page.
📝 Note: Written Directions Notices (WDN) and the official BCNSW-generated CCEW PDF live in the NSW eCert Portal, not in Fergus. Building Commission NSW emails the relevant parties directly.
Frequently asked questions
Q - Do I still need to log in to the NSW eCert Portal?
For lodging new-work CCEWs, no - you can do everything from within Fergus. You'll still use the NSW eCert Portal to access Written Direction Notices and the official CCEW PDFs that BCNSW generates.
Q - Can I edit a certificate after it's submitted?
No, Once Building Commission NSW accepts your submission, the certificate can no longer be edited in Fergus.
Q - Can I use NSW eCert for remedial or follow-up work?
No. The NSW eCert in Fergus is for new work only. Other work types must be lodged through the NSW eCert Portal.
Q - Why is the Submit button greyed out for me?
Only a user set up as a certifier with a valid electrical licence can submit. Check your licence details and certifier status in Settings → Certificates, or ask a colleague who is a certifier to submit. You can still fill in the form.
Q - Can I complete a CCEW on the Fergus mobile app?
No. NSW eCert is only available on Fergus web.
Q - What happens to my existing PDF CCEWs?
CCEWs you've already generated and lodged remain valid records and stay on the job. From 1 August 2026, new lodgments must go through the electronic process.
Thank you for reading our article. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at support@fergus.com.