Third-party prequalification assessment
Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP)
Health and Safety capacities is an integral part of the project prequalification assessment in the UK. Construction project bidding often involves dozens or even hundreds of potential bidders to bid. Construction businesses also face many requests for prequalification questionnaires, often asking similar questions. This creates a burden of paperwork for them. The prequalification process reduces the evaluation work and reduces the bidding cost. Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) was founded in May 2009. Supported by the HSE, SSIP aims to streamline prequalification and encourage straightforward mutual recognition between health and safety assessment schemes between its Member Schemes, particularly within the construction industry. Publication of assessed suppliers on the internet through the SSIP Web Portal.
SSIP Adopts the Core Criteria – SSIP assessments are all judged on core criteria approved by HSE. These core criteria describe what it means for a construction business to comply with basic health and safety law. The Core Criteria were published by HSE in Appendix 4 of the CDM 2007 Approved Code of Practice and was updated per CDM 2015. The core criteria are also aligned to the Government-backed construction pre-qualification document PAS 91, ensuring consistency within supply chain management.
Message for Clients – HSE’s message for Clients, those who are procuring the services of suppliers to do construction work, is simple. HSE encourages Clients to accept a valid certification, based on an assessment by any of the SSIP Forum Member Schemes as having met the Core Criteria, and Clients should not then require any further evidence at the prequalification stage. This means that:
- as a buyer, you do not need to ask for evidence of accreditation to more than one of the SSIP member schemes
- as a supplier, you should only need to be accredited to one of the SSIP member schemes
If a buyer insists on a different SSIP scheme, you can apply to have the equivalence of your existing accreditation recognised through the SSIP mutual recognition provision to save you time and money.
Assurance by Annual Audit – HSE has a permanent non-voting role as a co-opted member on the SSIP Forum to ensure that an annual independent audit of the processes employed by each of the Member Schemes is carried out.
Significance of Mutual Recognition – The terms of membership of the SSIP Forum means that all the members of the SSIP Forum are committed to mutually recognise each other’s standards of assessment. Therefore, any client wishing to procure the services of a business which has achieved certification by an SSIP Member Scheme can be confident that a reasonable and robust judgement has been made that the standard for organisational capability in CDM 2015 has been met, for the prequalification stage of procurement. CDM 2015 requires anybody who is employing or engaging a supplier to carry out construction work to take reasonable steps to ensure that they have the necessary skills, knowledge and experience to fulfil that role, or if they are an organisation, the organisational capability
Our service
Horizon Risk Consultancy Ltd can help you prepare for the assessment and approval completed by SSIP Member Scheme.
Why choose us
- Extensive assessment and auditing experience
- Highly qualified: IRCA Approved ISO Auditors, BSI Associate Consultant
- Member of the professional body, eg IOSH