Guide

SSIP accreditation: what it is and when tenders ask for it (2026)

Published 30 October 2026

If you've priced work for a council, a housing association or a main contractor, you've probably been asked for "SSIP accreditation", or for CHAS, Constructionline or SafeContractor. This guide explains what SSIP is, when you really need it, and how to avoid paying for the same check twice.

What is SSIP?

SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It isn't one certificate. It's an umbrella body for health and safety assessment schemes that assess contractors against shared core criteria. HSE says those core criteria are HSE-approved. SSIP said in July 2024 that it covered more than 52 health and safety schemes and certification bodies.

Each member scheme assesses your business against those core criteria, which HSE says describe what it means to comply with basic health and safety law. HSE also says a buyer doesn't need to ask for evidence of assessment against more than one SSIP member scheme. Check the tender documents to be sure.

Is SSIP a legal requirement?

No. HSE is clear that the law does not require conformity assessment such as SSIP. It's one way a buyer can check a contractor at prequalification, not the only one.

What the law does require, under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, is that anyone who appoints a contractor takes reasonable steps to check the contractor has the skills, knowledge, experience and organisational capability to do the job safely. An SSIP assessment is one common way buyers take that step.

Why buyers and main contractors ask for it

It saves them work. One certificate can stand in for a long health and safety questionnaire.
Main contractors may expect it. Some ask for a recognised certificate before adding you to their approved supplier list.
Public buyers use it at prequalification. Under the Procurement Act 2023, conditions of participation may only test legal and financial capacity or technical ability, and must be proportionate to the contract. A health and safety check for site work can fit that.

HSE also warns that, for construction work, being assessed against a scheme isn't proof that a business can manage the risks on a particular site. Buyers should still look at your skills and track record for the job in front of them.

You should only need one: Deem to Satisfy

HSE says suppliers should only need to be assessed against one SSIP member scheme. Under SSIP's Deem to Satisfy arrangement, if you hold one member scheme's certificate, other member schemes can recognise it, and SSIP says this is offered at reduced cost. If a buyer insists on a different scheme from the one you hold, ask whether they accept Deem to Satisfy before you pay for a second full assessment.

SSIP, CAS and ISO 45001: what's the difference?

SSIP covers health and safety only.
The Common Assessment Standard (CAS), from Build UK, is a wider prequalification standard for construction that goes beyond health and safety. Government guidance for works contracts (PPN 03/24, written for procurements under the 2015 regulations) tells buyers to use CAS, with equivalent standards permitted. PAS 91, the older standard questionnaire, was withdrawn by BSI in April 2023, according to SSIP. Our guide to PAS 91, PQQs and CAS has the detail.
ISO 45001 is an international standard for health and safety management systems, which you can get certified against. Check whether the notice accepts it.

What a small business can show instead

For low-risk work, HSE says a buyer can simply ask for:

your health and safety policy;
how you control the main risks of the job;
information on accidents or near misses;
any enforcement notices or convictions in the last 3 years.

If you employ fewer than 5 people, you don't have to write down your health and safety policy or the findings of your risk assessment, though having them written makes questions like these much easier to answer.

So before paying for a scheme, look at the tenders you actually want. If they're small, low-risk jobs and the buyer will accept your own documents, you may not need it yet. If you want to get onto main contractors' supply chains, or the notices you're targeting name SSIP or CAS, it's usually worth doing early, because assessments take time and certificates have to be kept in date.

Before you spend a week on a bid

An expired certificate can stop a construction bid at the first check. Our guides on why tender bids get rejected and finding construction tenders in the UK cover the rest.

Find out what to fix before you bid

UK Tender Desk, from Your Evenings Ltd (that's us), is a one-off £149 diagnostic for small businesses in construction trades, training, transport, care, cleaning and catering. It's done for you. We check how ready you are for public tenders, including accreditations, look at live tenders on Find a Tender and Contracts Finder, pick up to 5 that suit a business your size, and tell you what to fix before you bid. It arrives by email within 5 working days of your form, with no call. If it's late, you don't pay. If no live tender fits, we say so and why.

See what the diagnostic looks like · Get your readiness check and shortlist for £149

Sources

This guide summarises the official sources above. It isn't legal advice. Check the notice and tender documents for each contract.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 30 October 2026.