CHAS Accreditation Explained: A Subcontractor's Plain-English Guide

If a main contractor or housing client has just asked you for "CHAS", you probably don't need a 40-page brochure — you need to know which version of CHAS they actually mean, what it costs in time and money, and whether you can use what you've already got. This guide does that, neutrally, for small UK subcontractors.

TL;DR: What CHAS accreditation actually is

CHAS accreditation is a UK contractor pre-qualification scheme run by Veriforce CHAS that proves to clients you meet recognised health, safety and (at higher tiers) wider risk-management standards. There are three membership levels — CHAS Standard (health & safety / SSIP), CHAS Advanced (SSIP plus the former PAS 91 areas) and CHAS Elite (the full Common Assessment Standard). CHAS Standard is the cheapest way to satisfy an "SSIP-approved" request; CHAS Elite is what most public-sector and Tier 1 contractor work now expects, following Procurement Policy Note 03/24. You renew every 12 months, and certificates issued by other recognised bodies can often be transferred in.

What does CHAS stand for, and who runs it?

CHAS originally stood for the Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme. It was set up in 1997 by local-authority health and safety officers to stop every council asking the same builder the same H&S questions over and over. CHAS is now operated by Veriforce CHAS and is one of the co-founders of SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement), the umbrella body that recognises H&S pre-qualification schemes as broadly equivalent (CHAS health & safety assessment page; SSIP).

In practice that means two things for a subcontractor. First, CHAS Standard is an SSIP-recognised H&S assessment — so a client asking for "any SSIP" should accept it. Second, CHAS is also a Recognised Assessment Body for the Common Assessment Standard, the Build UK / CECA scheme that has effectively replaced PAS 91 for higher-tier prequalification (Build UK – Common Assessment Standard).

What are the three CHAS membership levels?

CHAS sells three core contractor tiers. The names are confusingly close to each other, so check the wording on any tender carefully.

For exact pricing by headcount, see the dedicated CHAS cost guide. For the documents each tier asks for, see the CHAS documents checklist.

Which CHAS tier does a subcontractor actually need?

The honest answer: whatever the client's tender wording demands — no more. Paying for CHAS Elite when the client only asks for "SSIP" is money out of your pocket. Paying for CHAS Standard when the client demands the Common Assessment Standard means a failed bid. If you're wondering whether you need more than one accreditation, the answer usually depends on how diverse your client base is.

How does CHAS accreditation work in practice?

For a small subcontractor, the journey is the same shape at every tier — what changes is how much evidence you have to upload.

1. 1
   Pick the tier the client wants. Read the tender wording carefully. "SSIP" ≠ "Common Assessment Standard". If in doubt, ask procurement before paying.
2. 2
   Register on the My CHAS / Veriforce CHAS portal. You'll set up a contractor profile with company details, trades, and employee numbers — the headcount drives the fee.
3. 3
   Complete the question set. Standard is purely health & safety. Advanced adds the PAS 91 areas. Elite is the full Common Assessment Standard question set across roughly 13 risk-management modules (CHAS – Common Assessment Standard).
4. 4
   Upload supporting evidence. Typical items include a written H&S policy, employers' & public liability insurance, risk assessments, training records, accident records and (at higher tiers) financial statements, equality, environmental and modern-slavery policies.
5. 5
   Wait for assessment. CHAS states standard H&S assessments are usually completed within around 10 working days, with a fast-tracked option (CHAS H&S assessment page).
6. 6
   Renew every 12 months. CHAS is a fixed annual cycle. Diary the renewal date — lapsed CHAS means you fall off client portals until you re-pass.

How does CHAS compare to SafeContractor, Constructionline and SMAS?

At the H&S layer they are broadly interchangeable: CHAS Standard, SafeContractor, SMAS Worksafe and Constructionline all sit under SSIP, so the SSIP mutual recognition ("Deem to Satisfy") mechanism means a client asking for any SSIP certificate should accept any of them. Where they differ is the non-H&S layers — and that's where the duplication pain starts.

For a side-by-side breakdown of fees, audit style and which clients tend to specify each one, see our pillar comparison: CHAS vs SafeContractor vs Constructionline. The short version: CHAS Elite and Constructionline Gold are the two most commonly demanded "top tier" badges, and a contractor who needs to win work across both private Tier 1 and public-sector frameworks can end up paying for both, plus their renewals.

What does CHAS accreditation cost?

Fees are tiered by employee headcount and by which CHAS level you choose, and they change each year, so we keep them in a single living guide rather than repeating them here: see How much does CHAS cost? for the latest figures, checked against chas.co.uk. As a rule of thumb, CHAS Standard is the cheapest entry point, CHAS Advanced is a meaningful step up, and CHAS Elite — because it's the full Common Assessment Standard assessment — is the most expensive and the most evidence-heavy.

What's the residual pain CHAS accreditation doesn't solve?

This is the bit the marketing brochures skip. Even once you hold CHAS:

• Annual renewal still bites. CHAS is a 12-month cycle. Miss it and you drop off the VeriforceONE client portal until you re-pass. If you also hold Constructionline, SafeContractor or SMAS, each has its own renewal date.
• The same evidence gets re-uploaded. SSIP mutual recognition only deems the H&S section across schemes. The finance, insurance, equality and environmental modules are not mutually recognised between, say, CHAS Elite and Constructionline Gold — even though they ask similar questions.
• Client-specific PQQs keep arriving. Tier 1 contractors and housing associations still send their own bespoke questionnaires that sit on top of CHAS.

TradeComply is being built (waitlist open) to track those renewal deadlines and the duplicated evidence in one place. The schemes themselves remain useful — the pain is in the joins between them. For more, see Accreditation renewal deadlines: how to keep on top of them and Do I need more than one accreditation?.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CHAS the same as SSIP?

No. SSIP is the umbrella body; CHAS is a member scheme within SSIP and was one of its co-founders in 2009. Holding CHAS Standard means you hold an SSIP-recognised health & safety certificate, which under SSIP mutual recognition ("Deem to Satisfy") should be accepted by clients asking for any SSIP scheme (SSIP).

Is CHAS mandatory in the UK?

No — CHAS is not a legal requirement. It's a commercial prequalification scheme. However, many main contractors, housing associations and public-sector buyers require some form of SSIP H&S certificate (which CHAS Standard satisfies) or the Common Assessment Standard (which CHAS Elite satisfies). After PPN 03/24, public-sector contracting authorities are expected to use the Common Assessment Standard for works prequalification.

How long does CHAS accreditation last?

CHAS certificates are valid for 12 months and must be renewed annually. Miss the renewal and your status drops off the CHAS / VeriforceONE client portal until you re-pass the assessment.

Can I transfer my Common Assessment Standard from another body to CHAS?

Yes. The recognised assessment bodies share data, so if you already hold the Common Assessment Standard through another body you can register it with CHAS rather than re-doing the questionnaire — you'll still pay a CHAS membership fee to appear on the CHAS client portal (CHAS – Common Assessment Standard).

What's the difference between CHAS Elite and CHAS Premium Plus?

CHAS has rebranded and restructured its tiers over time. As of 2026-06-15 the three current contractor membership levels on chas.co.uk are Standard, Advanced and Elite, with Elite being the Common Assessment Standard tier. If a tender references older names (Premium, Premium Plus, Plus), confirm with the client whether they mean today's CHAS Elite or a legacy equivalent before paying.