What is SSIP and why does it matter?
SSIP, Safety Schemes in Procurement, is the umbrella body for health and safety pre-qualification schemes such as CHAS, Constructionline, SMAS and SafeContractor. Clients and principal contractors use SSIP membership to pre-qualify their contractors’ health and safety arrangements: without it, you are often filtered out before you ever see the tender.
Because the member schemes operate to a consistent standard, accreditation under one is generally recognised by clients who specify any of the others. For the full background, read our guide: What is SSIP accreditation and why does your business need it?
Schemes we support
We support applications and renewals across the main SSIP schemes:
- CHAS The Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme, the most widely recognised accreditation under the SSIP umbrella.
- Constructionline A pre-qualification register widely specified by public sector clients and principal contractors.
- SMAS Worksafe An SSIP member scheme commonly specified in construction and house-building supply chains.
- SafeContractor An SSIP member scheme used across the trades, facilities management and contracted services.
- ISO 45001 readiness Gap analysis and system building that prepare your management system for certification. We provide the readiness support; certification itself is carried out by an accredited certification body.
What the application actually needs
Whichever scheme you choose, the assessment is largely desk-based and the questions are broadly the same: a current health and safety policy, risk assessments and RAMS that match your activities, training and competence records, accident records and reporting arrangements, evidence of how you consult your employees, and insurance documentation.
That is exactly the documentation our policies and documentation service produces. Weak or out-of-date documentation is the usual reason applications stall: the business is not unsafe, its paperwork just does not show the assessor what they need to see.
How we support you
Gap review
We review your current arrangements against your target scheme's question set, so you know exactly what is missing before anything is submitted.
Evidence preparation
We produce or update the missing pieces: policies, risk assessments, RAMS, training records and the supporting evidence assessors ask for.
Application and submission
We complete the application with you and submit it, presenting your arrangements the way the scheme expects to see them.
Assessor queries
If the assessor comes back with questions or asks for further evidence, we handle the responses until the accreditation is granted.
Diarised renewals
Accreditation is usually granted for 12 months. We diarise the renewal and refresh the evidence in good time, so it never lapses.
Ongoing upkeep folds naturally into a retained package, where documentation reviews and renewals are handled for you year-round.
Start your application
Tell us which scheme you are applying to and when you need it by, and we will handle the paperwork and give you the best chance of passing first time.
Accreditation support FAQs
Will you help us pass audits or achieve accreditation?
Yes. We regularly help clients achieve and maintain:
- CHAS
- Constructionline
- SMAS
- SafeContractor
- ISO 45001 readiness
What is SSIP?
SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It is the umbrella body that brings together health and safety pre-qualification schemes such as CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor and SMAS, allowing them to operate to a consistent standard recognised across the UK. Our guide, What is SSIP accreditation and why does your business need it?, covers the background in full.
Which scheme should we choose?
Often the choice is made for you: the client or principal contractor asking for accreditation usually names the scheme they recognise. Where you do have a free choice, it matters less than it seems, because SSIP’s deem-to-satisfy arrangement means membership of one scheme is usually recognised by clients who specify another. We will advise based on who you work for and what they ask to see.
How long does accreditation take?
It depends almost entirely on the state of your documentation. A business with current policies, assessments and records can move quickly; one starting from scratch needs the evidence built first. The gap review at the start of our support gives you a realistic timeline for your situation before anything is submitted.
Do you handle renewals?
Yes. Most SSIP accreditations run for 12 months, and we diarise renewals so they are dealt with well before the deadline. For clients on a retained package, renewals are simply part of the ongoing support.