What is SSIP?
SSIP — Safety Schemes in Procurement — is the umbrella organisation that provides mutual recognition between the major health and safety pre-qualification schemes operating in the UK. The primary schemes under the SSIP umbrella include CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme), SafeContractor, Constructionline, and several others.
While each scheme has its own processes and interface, they all assess against the same SSIP Core Criteria — which means that holding accreditation through one scheme is recognised by the others.
The SSIP Core Criteria are derived from the HSE's guidance on health and safety pre-qualification. They define the threshold standard of health and safety management competence that a contractor must demonstrate to be approved to work for clients operating under CDM 2015 and similar frameworks.
SSIP accreditation answers a specific question that your clients need answered before they appoint you: can you demonstrate that your health and safety management is systemised, documented, and actively maintained? A certificate is the evidence — the assessment process is the substance.
Why Contractors Need SSIP
The practical reality for the vast majority of UK contractors is that SSIP accreditation is no longer optional. Without it:
- You cannot be included on most Tier 1 contractor pre-approved supplier lists
- You cannot tender for the majority of public sector contracts
- You cannot bid for work with principal contractors who are legally required to verify the competence of their supply chain under CDM 2015
- You face repeated, time-consuming pre-qualification questionnaires from individual clients — each requiring the same information in a different format
SSIP solves the last of these problems directly. Once you hold SSIP accreditation, the mutual recognition agreement means that many clients and principal contractors will accept your existing certificate rather than requiring you to complete their bespoke PQQ. The commercial value of this alone — in time saved and opportunities accessed — typically far exceeds the cost of accreditation.
What SSIP Assessors Are Actually Looking For
As a qualified SSIP Assessor, I can tell you directly what separates a straightforward assessment from one that generates a Request for Further Information (RFI) or a failure. The SSIP Core Criteria cover eleven key areas:
| Core Criteria Area | What Assessors Examine |
|---|---|
| Health and Safety Policy | A signed, dated, current policy that reflects the actual organisation — not a downloaded template with the company name changed. |
| Arrangements for Managing H&S | Evidence that the policy is implemented in practice — through documented procedures, risk assessments, and training records. |
| Competence and Training | Records demonstrating that all workers have the competence required for their roles — including site-specific inductions and trade-specific qualifications. |
| Monitoring, Audit, and Review | Evidence that health and safety performance is actively monitored — through inspections, audits, and management reviews — not just documented at the start of the year. |
| Accident Reporting (RIDDOR) | Accurate RIDDOR records and evidence that accidents and near-misses are investigated and used to improve safety arrangements. |
| Sub-contractor Management | Documented processes for verifying the health and safety competence of any sub-contractors used. |
| Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) | Genuinely site-specific RAMS that reflect the actual hazards of the work — not generic documents that could apply to any job. |
| COSHH Assessments | Where hazardous substances are used, documented COSHH assessments and evidence that appropriate controls are in place. |
| Employers' Liability Insurance | A current certificate with adequate cover — typically a minimum of £5 million, though many clients require £10 million. |
| Consultation with Workers | Evidence that workers are consulted on health and safety matters — through toolbox talks, safety committees, or documented briefings. |
| Welfare Provisions | Evidence that appropriate welfare facilities are planned for and provided on sites. |
Expert Insight — Mahad, CCISO · CISSP · CMIOSH (Chartered) · Qualified SSIP Assessor "The most common reason contractors receive a Request for Further Information is not missing documents — it is documents that do not demonstrate active use. A risk assessment dated three years ago for work that changes seasonally tells an assessor that the system is not being maintained. Current evidence of active management is what SSIP accreditation requires."
How Cyphene Supports SSIP Accreditation
The principal challenge in any SSIP assessment is not knowing what is required — it is having the evidence organised and current when the assessor asks for it. This is precisely where the Cyphene GRC platform adds value: not as a health and safety tool in itself, but as the governance and document management engine that ensures your evidence is always audit-ready.
1. Pre-Assessment Gap Analysis
What we do: We evaluate your current health and safety documentation against the SSIP Core Criteria — identifying specifically what is missing, what is out of date, and what will not satisfy an assessor. This assessment is structured within the Cyphene platform, giving you a clear view of your readiness score and a prioritised list of actions required before submission.
What you get: An honest, expert assessment of your current position — with a specific remediation plan that focuses your effort where it matters most before the assessment clock starts.
2. Document Preparation and Evidence Organisation
What we do: We work with you to update, complete, or create the documentation required to satisfy each element of the Core Criteria. Critically, we ensure that documents are genuinely reflective of your actual operations — not generic templates that an experienced assessor will immediately identify as unfit for purpose. All documentation is organised within the Cyphene platform.
What you get: A complete, organised evidence package that is ready for submission — with confidence that each document will satisfy the assessor's scrutiny.
3. Risk Assessment and Method Statement Review
What we do: RAMS are consistently the area where contractors receive RFIs. We review your existing RAMS for specificity, currency, and completeness — and where generic or outdated assessments exist, we help you develop site and task-specific replacements. COSHH assessments are reviewed and updated in the same process.
What you get: RAMS and COSHH assessments that demonstrate genuine engagement with the actual hazards of your work — which is what differentiates a credible safety management system from a paper exercise.
4. Pre-Submission Expert Review
What we do: As a qualified SSIP Assessor, I conduct a pre-submission review of your complete evidence package — assessing it from the perspective of the assessor who will be reviewing your application. Any remaining gaps or weaknesses are identified and addressed before submission.
What you get: First-time pass confidence, backed by the assessment experience of a qualified SSIP Assessor who has reviewed hundreds of applications from both sides of the process.
Annual Renewal — Making It Manageable
SSIP accreditation requires annual renewal, which many contractors find burdensome because they manage their health and safety documentation reactively — updating it in the weeks before renewal rather than maintaining it throughout the year.
Cyphene's platform solves this problem by centralising your documentation and providing task management for ongoing maintenance — ensuring that when renewal time arrives, your evidence is already current rather than requiring a last-minute scramble. Clients who maintain their SSIP documentation within the Cyphene platform consistently find that renewal takes a fraction of the time required in their first year.
Contact Cyphene to discuss SSIP assessment support from a team that includes a qualified SSIP Assessor and Chartered Health and Safety Professional. We know what assessors look for — because we are assessors.