The Idea Behind NEIS

The National Electrical Installation Standards started with a simple question: what exactly was “good workmanship?”

Electrical contractors and their employees, as well as general contractors, engineers and building owners, see “good workmanship” referenced throughout their plans and specs. But no one had ever taken on the challenge of defining “good workmanship" when it comes to electrical construction.

That was, until the early 1990s, when the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) decided to develop NEIS.

At that time, NECA saw benefits for both contractors and their customers by addressing the performance and quality issues that were, at best, subjective as provided in the National Electrical Code®. Electrical installations demand precision and careful craftsmanship. NECA was determined to find a way to clearly describe what those steps would be. The National Electrical Installation Standards (NEIS™) are the proud result of this ongoing effort.