An independent pensions governance and administration consultancy, has warned of a train crash when larger numbers of underprepared employers without the necessary project management resources, are confronted by the complexities of complying with the auto enrolment regulations.

Mark Hodgkinson, Director at Muse Advisory, said: “Those employers who expect auto enrolment to involve nothing more than some additional straightforward administration are in for a rude awakening. They need to heed the lessons learnt by the largest employers, those who are already steeped in their preparations. The key learnings are: start early, at least 15 months before your Staging Date, and appoint effective project managers to drive the process. The potential financial sanctions for failure make noncompliance a distinctly unattractive option.

“We believe that amongst the glut of advice relating to auto enrolment in the pensions industry currently there is a worrying paucity when it comes to project management skills. Therefore, those employers who act responsibly and commence their review in good time may still be caught out as increased numbers of employers chase the limited supply of relevant expertise. “We hope the pensions industry as a whole can respond positively to the spike in demand for experienced project managers to minimise the scale of the problem. Certainly this dearth of project management expertise needs to be addressed sooner rather than later if we are to avoid an auto enrolment derailment.”