Prequalification schemes

Increasingly, contractors need to show clients and others that they have basic health and safety capabilities. Successful pre-qualification can be a very effective “licence to do business” in your industry sector.

It can provide a competitive advantage in a tough commercial environment, and help to open up new areas of opportunity. It demonstrates that you have: specific experience in the type of work that you will be contracted to do; that you have trained staff; and that you have the resources to meet the client's needs.

Safety Schemes in Procurement

As a participant of Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP), B&ES members are ‘deemed to satisfy’ the health and safety requirements of all SSIP schemes, meeting the tendering requirements of an increasing number of clients.

Pre-qualification by a member of SSIP means that you are being assessed to a recognised Stage 1 standard. This standard is recognised by the HSE and accreditation schemes that have quality assurance processes. In short, main contractors and their  clients can have confidence in the credibility of pre-qualification assessment by an SSIP member.

But this is not all. A huge problem for contractors is the need to be assessed by numerous pre-qualification schemes. This is a wasteful and frustrating process and it puts significant costs onto businesses that are trying to improve health and safety.

So, a key aim of SSIP is to maximise, wherever possible, the Stage 1 mutual recognition of SSIP member pre-qualification schemes. Essentially, the SSIP will be working to ensure that you fill in far fewer health and safety assessments.