What is SSIP accreditation?

Been asked to join a SSIP scheme by a client?

Looking for ways to demonstrate your business’ health and safety compliance and credibility?

Here’s everything you need to know about SSIP accreditation:

What does SSIP mean?

SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement, a membership body for assessment schemes.

They aim to ease the process of replying to tenders, by providing contractors with a standard set of questions which are recognised by many health and safety schemes.

This means contractors aren’t required to complete the full assessment for each member scheme they join, or every tender they reply to that requires a SSIP accreditation.

To facilitate this, all SSIP member assessments look at what’s called “core criteria” or “core requirements”.
Approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), these criteria check a contractor comply with basic health and safety legislation. Making sure they have thee relevant health and safety procedures, policies, and documents in place to work safely.

What is a SSIP assessment?

A SSIP assessment is conducted by a member scheme (such as SafeContractor) to evaluate how your business manages health and safety.

This will include looking at your:

• Health and safety policy
• Risk assessments and method statements
• Competent advice
• Insurances
• Evidence of training
• Trade qualifications
• Any health and safety infringements

Once you become accredited with one membership scheme, you won’t need to repeat these questions when gaining accreditation with another.

Each membership scheme will use this as the core of their audit, but also look into your work categories and require further evidence for you to gain accreditation.

Want to find out what an accreditation process entails?

Our guide takes you through each step, so you’ll know what to expect.

Download Step by Step Guide

Benefits of joining a SSIP accreditation scheme

• Save time and money

SSIP aim to reduce the duplication of effort for contractors who want to submit tenders for client projects that require a health and safety accreditation, or for those that want to gain multiple certificates from different schemes. This saves you time and money as you don’t need to complete the assessments multiple times. If you’re already a member of another SSIP scheme you can benefit from discounts via Deem to Satisfy.

• Demonstrate you’re safe

Once you’ve completed a SSIP member’s audit, you’ll be awarded with a certificate showing you’re safe to work with. This certificate is a recognised national standard. In a time where safety and reputation are growing with importance, having this will help you stand out from the crowd.

• Continue working with a client

You may be asked by a client to get SSIP accreditation to continue working with them. They may request you to gain accreditation or specify a member scheme for you to join.

• Show you’re safe and win work

Use the accreditation to promote your health and safety commitment, not just with clients who ask for it.
Your certificate and approved badge show your commitment to health and safety, so show it off. Add it to your proposal when tendering for work, display it on your website or van and more. With SafeContractor once you’re accredited, you also appear on our client portal for 500 clients to find you as a potential contractor.

Is SafeContractor part of SSIP?

SafeContractor is a founding member of SSIP.

We’re part of the SSIP forum, committed to reducing the duplication of effort associated with pre-qualification, helping both contractors and their clients save time and money each year.

The SafeContractor health and safety assessment is tailored to you. We look at your number of employees, work activities, whether you subcontract and then adapt our questionnaire to your business.

SafeContractor goes one step further than health and safety, with PAS 91 aligned questions.

These PAS 91 questions address the growing emphasis for contractors to prove they’re ethical, financially stable and environmentally stable.

Therefore, having SafeContractor as your SSIP scheme will give clients confidence in you as a business to reduce risk in their supply chain.