SSIP Accreditation Explained: What It Is, What It Costs, and What It Doesn't Cover

In short: SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is not a certificate — it's a deed of mutual recognition between around 30+ health-and-safety pre-qualification schemes. Pass the assessment of one member scheme (CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and others) and, under "Deem to Satisfy", most other member schemes will accept that certificate for their own health-and-safety question set — but not for extra modules, Constructionline Gold, or the Common Assessment Standard.

SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is a UK umbrella organisation that allows contractors to be assessed once against a common health and safety threshold and recognised by multiple buyer-approved schemes through mutual recognition. You don't apply to SSIP directly — you get a certificate from one of its member schemes (CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and others), and that certificate is recognised across the network.

If a main contractor or public buyer has asked you for "SSIP", you don't need a certificate called SSIP — you need a certificate from one of the assessment schemes that sit under the SSIP umbrella. This page explains what SSIP actually is, how mutual recognition works in practice, where the system still falls down for small subcontractors, and how to choose the cheapest route through the gate.

Direct answer: SSIP isn't a certificate you can apply for — it's an umbrella agreement between around 30+ health-and-safety pre-qualification schemes (CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and others). Pass the assessment of any one member scheme and, thanks to "Deem to Satisfy" mutual recognition, most other member schemes will accept that certificate for the health-and-safety part of their own PQQ — cutting out a full re-assessment, though not always the paperwork.

TL;DR: SSIP is an umbrella, not a scheme — here's what that means

SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) is a UK umbrella organisation, founded in 2009 with Health and Safety Executive support, that allows around 90,000+ contractors to be assessed once against a common health and safety threshold and recognised by all member schemes through a "Deem to Satisfy" agreement (SSIP). You get SSIP by passing the assessment of one member scheme — CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline/Once For All Health & Safety, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and others — not by joining SSIP directly. Pricing varies by scheme and headcount (typically low hundreds of pounds a year for a small subcontractor); all member schemes assess against the same HSE-approved Core Criteria. SSIP only covers the stage-1 health and safety question set: it does not replace Constructionline Gold, the Common Assessment Standard, client-specific PQQs, or project-level competence checks.

Do I need SSIP or CHAS?

This is the question that trips people up most. CHAS is a scheme — one of the founding SSIP member schemes. SSIP is the umbrella agreement that sits above CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and the rest. If a buyer says "you need SSIP", they mean "show us a certificate from any SSIP member scheme" — not a certificate literally called SSIP. If they specifically name CHAS, get CHAS; see CHAS cost for current pricing.

Which SSIP scheme should a small subcontractor pick?

If a buyer has named a scheme, get that one — there's no benefit to holding a different SSIP certificate and hoping they'll accept it via Deem to Satisfy, since that still means an extra application and fee. If nobody has named a scheme yet:

• No specific sector, just need something recognised broadly — CHAS or SafeContractor tend to have the widest buyer recognition in general construction and FM.
• Social housing, housing association or local-authority framework work — SMAS Worksafe is the scheme most often specified in that sector.
• Sole trader or very small subcontractor watching costs closely — Acclaim is usually one of the cheaper entry points with a fast turnaround.
• Rail or utilities — EXOR is the scheme that comes up most, often via a Deem to Satisfy route if you already hold another SSIP certificate.

All SSIP certificates carry equal weight at stage 1 — none is "more approved" than another. The decision is really about price, sector recognition and which scheme your likely future buyers already use. See the cheapest SSIP scheme for current like-for-like pricing.

SSIP member scheme cost and turnaround comparison

	CHAS	SafeContractor	Constructionline	SMAS Worksafe	Acclaim
Approx. 2026 entry costTODO(verify) — confirm current fee on each scheme's own pricing page before quoting a figure	see CHAS cost guide	see SafeContractor cost guide	see Constructionline cost guide	see SMAS guide	see Acclaim guide
Typical turnaroundSSIP members typically aim for 10 working days once evidence is complete	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days
Certificate validity	12 months	12 months	12 months	12 months	12 months
SSIP Deem to Satisfy accepted	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes

What is SSIP accreditation?

SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It is not itself an assessment scheme — it is an umbrella forum that sets a common health and safety threshold and signs its member schemes up to recognise each other's certificates. According to SSIP's own definition, it is "the mutual recognition scheme for occupational health and safety standards" whose purpose is to reduce duplication and cost for buyers and suppliers.

SSIP was founded in May 2009 with the support of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), following a UK Government report on streamlining procurement for SMEs (SSIP history). The HSE's own guidance on conformity assessment schemes confirms that SSIP enables mutual recognition between health and safety pre-qualification schemes, particularly in construction.

In practical terms, when a main contractor or a public-sector buyer asks you for "SSIP", they almost always mean: show us a current certificate from any SSIP member scheme. The SSIP logo on a CHAS or SafeContractor certificate is the bit they're checking for.

SSIP member schemes: the complete list

Below are the main SSIP member schemes small construction subcontractors are most likely to encounter, with one-line summaries and links to dedicated guides where available:

• CHAS — One of the founding SSIP members, widely recognised across construction and facilities management. Entry products include CHAS Foundation and Elementary.
• SafeContractor — Owned by Alcumus; another founding member with strong penetration in FM and utilities.
• Constructionline — Government-owned pre-qualification register. SSIP health and safety (via Once For All Health & Safety) is now bundled across Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers.
• SMAS Worksafe — Common in social housing, housing associations and local-authority frameworks.
• Acclaim — One of the cheaper SSIP entry points, with fast turnaround and competitive pricing for sole traders.
• EXOR — Prominent in rail and utilities; offers a Deem to Satisfy route for holders of other SSIP certificates.
• Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme (CHAS) — see above; included here as it's sometimes listed separately from its sister products.
• ISO 45001 (via SSIP Certification Body Members) — A stand-alone ISO 45001 certificate does not count. To be recognised on the SSIP Portal, your certification body must itself be an SSIP Certification Body Member, UKAS-accredited, and hold the SSIP Sector Scheme approval.

The authoritative, current list of all SSIP member schemes — including Registered Members, Certification Body Members and Supporter Members — is maintained on the SSIP members directory. For a like-for-like cost comparison of the main construction-facing schemes, see the cheapest SSIP scheme and CHAS vs SafeContractor vs Constructionline.

SSIP member scheme comparison

	CHAS	SafeContractor	Constructionline	SMAS Worksafe	Acclaim
2026 entry costTODO(verify) — confirm current fee on each scheme's own pricing page before quoting a figure	see CHAS cost guide	see SafeContractor cost guide	see Constructionline cost guide	see SMAS guide	see Acclaim guide
Assessment style	Document review	Document review	Document review (tiered)	Document review	Document review
Typical turnaroundSSIP members typically aim for 10 working days once evidence is complete	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days	~10 working days
SSIP Deem to Satisfy accepted	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes	✓ Yes

Which SSIP member scheme should I choose — CHAS, SMAS or Acclaim?

The scheme you need usually comes down to who's asking and which sector you work in.

• Do I need CHAS specifically? Only if the buyer's portal names CHAS. It's a founding SSIP member with broad recognition across construction and FM — see CHAS cost for current pricing.
• Do I need SMAS Worksafe? Mostly relevant if you work in social housing or on housing-association and local-authority frameworks, where SMAS is the scheme buyers tend to specify — see SMAS Worksafe explained.
• Is Acclaim a cheaper option? For sole traders and small subcontractors who don't have a named scheme requirement, Acclaim is often one of the lower-cost SSIP entry points with a fast turnaround — see Acclaim once-for-all SSIP.

If none of these has been named by a buyer, the honest answer is to compare pricing across all the main schemes rather than guess — see the cheapest SSIP scheme.

Who actually needs SSIP?

SSIP certification is a stage-1 health and safety pre-qualification. You typically need it if:

• A main contractor has asked you to register on their supply-chain portal and the form asks for an SSIP certificate.
• You're bidding for public-sector or large private-sector construction work where SSIP is listed as a minimum requirement.
• A framework agreement (housing association, local authority, NHS estates, rail, utilities) names SSIP as part of its pre-qualification.

The law itself does not require it. As the HSE points out in its guidance on accreditation schemes, conformity assessment is only one way of meeting pre-qualification standards, and a scheme certificate is not proof that an organisation can manage the risks of a specific job on a specific site. Buyers are still expected to check skills, track record and project-specific arrangements separately.

If you don't currently have a buyer asking for it, you almost certainly don't need to go and get it speculatively.

Can I use one SSIP certificate with every main contractor?

Often, yes — but not always, and not for everything. If a second buyer's preferred scheme is a Deem to Satisfy Registered Member, your existing SSIP certificate should cover the health-and-safety question set. If the second scheme adds extra modules (finance, insurance, environmental, equality) or if the buyer actually wants Constructionline Gold or the Common Assessment Standard, one SSIP certificate on its own won't be enough — see what SSIP mutual recognition doesn't cover.

How does SSIP mutual recognition (Deem to Satisfy) work?

The mechanic that makes SSIP useful is Deem to Satisfy (DtS), sometimes called mutual recognition. SSIP describes it plainly: "all registered members agree to accept a current, valid approval from any other registered member, as long as the details are correctly displayed on the SSIP Portal" (SSIP).

In practice that means: if you hold a current SafeContractor certificate and a buyer says "we work with CHAS", you can apply to CHAS via the DtS route rather than starting a fresh full assessment. The new scheme accepts the health and safety part of the existing assessment and issues a DtS certificate, usually at a reduced fee.

A few things to know up front:

• DtS covers the health and safety question set only. If the second scheme has extra modules (finance, insurance, environmental, equality, modern slavery), you'll still need to provide that evidence.
• DtS validity is usually tied to your original certificate's expiry date, not extended by 12 months from the day you apply.
• The HSE's own line to buyers is blunt: as a buyer, "you do not need to ask for evidence of assessment against more than one SSIP member scheme" (HSE). Whether buyers follow that in practice is a different question — many still insist on their preferred scheme.

For a deeper walk-through, see our guide to SSIP mutual recognition and Deem to Satisfy.

What are the SSIP Core Criteria?

Every SSIP member scheme assesses against the same threshold standard, called the SSIP Core Criteria, which is approved by the HSE and aligned with the (now-withdrawn but still influential) PAS 91 pre-qualification questionnaire (SSIP).

Per the SSIP Core Criteria, the stage-1 assessment covers 12 areas including:

• Health and safety policy and organisation
• Arrangements (the practical procedures behind the policy)
• Competent advice (corporate and construction-related)
• Training and information
• Individual qualifications and experience
• Monitoring, audit and review
• Workforce involvement
• Accident reporting and enforcement action
• Subcontracting and consulting procedures
• Risk assessment and safe systems of work
• Cooperating and coordinating with other contractors
• Welfare provision

For most small subcontractors, the evidence file looks roughly the same regardless of which member scheme you choose: a written H&S policy, a few risk assessments and method statements that reflect your actual trade, training certificates (CSCS, asbestos awareness, first aid, plant tickets as relevant), insurance schedules, and any accident records. The CHAS documents checklist is a reasonable proxy for what any SSIP member scheme will want to see.

Why there's no single SSIP fee

There is no single SSIP fee — each member scheme sets its own pricing. SSIP itself confirms this: "All of our members have different pricing structures based upon services provided and supplementary membership packages" (SSIP FAQs). For a sole trader or small subcontractor, the most relevant comparison is between the main construction-facing member schemes.

Member scheme	Typical entry product	Notes
CHAS	CHAS Foundation / Elementary	Founding member of SSIP. See CHAS cost.
SafeContractor	SafeContractor SSIP	Owned by Alcumus. See SafeContractor cost.
Constructionline	Bronze / Silver / Gold	SSIP H&S now bundled across paid tiers via Once For All Health & Safety. See Constructionline cost.
SMAS Worksafe	SMAS Worksafe	Common in housing, social housing and FM. See SMAS Worksafe explained.
Acclaim	Acclaim Accreditation	One of the cheaper SSIP entry points; see Acclaim once-for-all SSIP.

For what each scheme actually charges, side by side, see SSIP certificate cost — that guide carries the current figures and the per-headcount comparison.

Who are the SSIP member schemes?

The SSIP Forum is made up of three tiers of membership: Registered Members (the assessment schemes like CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS, Acclaim), Certification Body Members (UKAS-accredited certification bodies offering ISO 45001 alongside the UKAS SSIP Sector Scheme audit), and Supporter Members (buyers and trade bodies who specify SSIP, including the HSE itself) (SSIP Forum).

A few important nuances:

• A stand-alone ISO 45001 certificate does not meet SSIP requirements. To count, the certification body issuing your ISO 45001 must also hold the SSIP Sector Scheme approval (SSIP FAQs).
• Deem to Satisfy works both ways between Registered Members, but only one-way from Certification Body Members to Registered Members (SSIP Forum).
• The full, current list of members and their certified categories is on the SSIP members directory — worth checking before you choose, especially if you operate in a niche duty-holder role.

How long does SSIP last, and how long does certification take?

SSIP's own guidance says member schemes "typically try to complete their initial assessment within ten working days" once you've provided everything they need (SSIP FAQs). In reality, the slow bit is almost always your evidence — chasing training certificates, finalising risk assessments, or rewriting an out-of-date health and safety policy.

Certificates are valid for 12 months with all the main member schemes and need annual renewal. If you hold accreditations with more than one scheme, the renewal dates won't align by default, which is part of the residual paperwork pain we cover in accreditation renewal deadlines.

What SSIP mutual recognition does not cover

This is the bit buyers and contractors most often get wrong. SSIP is a stage-1 health and safety check. Mutual recognition (Deem to Satisfy) does not, on its own:

• Cover finance, insurance, environmental management, quality, equality or modern slavery questions. Those sit in stage-2 modules (Constructionline Silver/Gold, the Common Assessment Standard, or client-specific PQQs).
• Replace Constructionline Gold or the Common Assessment Standard, which are not mutually recognised under SSIP DtS. If a buyer specifies one of those, an SSIP certificate alone won't get you through. See Constructionline Gold vs Silver vs Bronze.
• Replace client-specific PQQs that still ask for project-level RAMS, financial checks or insurance schedules on top of your SSIP certificate.
• Replace project-specific competence checks. As the HSE puts it, scheme assessment "is not proof that an organisation can properly manage the risks presented by the work on site" (HSE).
• Eliminate duplicate evidence uploads. Even with DtS, each scheme has its own portal, its own renewal cycle, and its own document-formatting quirks — see accreditation renewal deadlines for keeping track.

For the full breakdown, see what SSIP mutual recognition doesn't cover.

That last point is the honest reason small subcontractors often end up paying for, and re-papering, more than one scheme. If you regularly get asked for different accreditations by different buyers, do you need more than one accreditation? walks through when it's genuinely worth it.

Does SSIP mean I never fill in a PQQ again?

No — and this is the gap that catches people out. Deem to Satisfy saves you a full re-assessment of the health-and-safety question set with a second scheme, but it does not save you from:

• Re-uploading the same evidence to a different portal, in a different format, on a different renewal date.
• Non-mutually-recognised tiers, such as Constructionline Gold or the Common Assessment Standard, which sit outside SSIP DtS entirely.
• Client-specific PQQs that ask for project-level RAMS, financial checks or insurance schedules alongside the SSIP certificate.
• Tracking multiple renewal dates, since a Deem to Satisfy certificate expires with your original certificate, not 12 months from when you applied.

For the full breakdown of exactly what mutual recognition does and doesn't cover, see what SSIP mutual recognition doesn't cover, and for keeping track of the renewal calendar itself, see accreditation renewal deadlines.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is SSIP a legal requirement in UK construction?

No. There is no statute requiring SSIP. The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 require clients to appoint competent contractors, but the HSE explicitly states that conformity assessment schemes are only one way of demonstrating that competence (HSE guidance). SSIP is effectively required by the market — main contractors and public buyers ask for it — but not by law.

Is SSIP the same as CHAS?

No. CHAS is one of the assessment schemes that sits under the SSIP umbrella — and one of SSIP's founding members in 2009 — but SSIP itself is not a scheme you can apply to. SSIP is the body that defines the common Core Criteria standard and runs the mutual recognition agreement between CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and other member schemes. When someone says "I'm CHAS-accredited" they usually also mean their CHAS certificate carries the SSIP mark and is recognised by other SSIP member schemes via Deem to Satisfy. See CHAS cost for CHAS-specific pricing.

What is the difference between SSIP and CHAS?

CHAS is one of the assessment schemes that sits under the SSIP umbrella, and was one of SSIP's founding members in 2009. SSIP itself is not a scheme you can apply to — it's the body that defines the common standard and runs the mutual recognition agreement. When someone says "I'm CHAS-accredited" they usually also mean their CHAS certificate carries the SSIP mark and is recognised by other SSIP member schemes via Deem to Satisfy.

How many SSIP member schemes are there?

The number changes year to year as schemes join or leave, but SSIP has historically described its forum as more than 30 member schemes across Registered Members and Certification Body Members. The authoritative current list is the SSIP members directory, which also shows which duty-holder roles each scheme is certified to assess.

How much does SSIP cost?

There's no single SSIP fee — each member scheme (CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe, Acclaim and others) sets its own pricing based on headcount, turnover and duty-holder role, typically in the low hundreds of pounds a year for a small subcontractor. See the comparison table above and the cheapest SSIP scheme for current figures side by side.

How long does SSIP last?

SSIP certificates from the main construction-facing member schemes are valid for 12 months and require annual renewal. A Deem to Satisfy certificate issued by a second scheme is typically valid only until your original certificate's expiry date — so it doesn't give you a fresh 12 months from the date you apply. Track multiple renewal dates using accreditation renewal deadlines.

Does ISO 45001 count as SSIP?

Not on its own. A stand-alone ISO 45001 certificate falls outside the SSIP scheme. To be recognised on the SSIP Portal, your certification body must itself be an SSIP Certification Body Member, UKAS-accredited, and hold the SSIP Sector Scheme approval — and you have to ask them to issue the SSIP element alongside the ISO 45001 audit (SSIP FAQs).

Can a buyer insist on a specific SSIP scheme?

They can ask, but SSIP and the HSE both push back on it. SSIP provides a Model Letter to Buyers that suppliers can use to request recognition of an existing SSIP certificate. If the buyer still insists, the Deem to Satisfy route lets you join their preferred scheme at a reduced fee and without a full re-assessment.

How long is an SSIP certificate valid?

With the major construction-facing member schemes, SSIP certificates are valid for 12 months and require annual re-assessment. A Deem to Satisfy certificate issued by a second scheme is typically valid only until your original certificate expires, so it doesn't reset your renewal clock.

Do I apply to SSIP directly?

No. SSIP is the umbrella body, not an assessment scheme in its own right — you can't submit an application to SSIP itself. You apply to one of its member schemes, such as CHAS, SafeContractor, Constructionline, SMAS Worksafe or Acclaim, and the certificate that scheme issues carries the SSIP mark.

Which SSIP scheme is cheapest?

It varies by headcount and duty-holder role, and pricing changes over time, so there's no single fixed answer. Acclaim is generally one of the lower-cost entry points for sole traders and small subcontractors, but always check current pricing directly — see the cheapest SSIP scheme for a like-for-like comparison.

Does SSIP expire?

Yes. SSIP certificates from the main construction-facing member schemes are valid for 12 months and require annual renewal. A Deem to Satisfy certificate issued by a second scheme is typically valid only until your original certificate's expiry date, not a fresh 12 months from the date you apply.

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Last reviewed: 01/09/2026. SSIP figures and member-scheme arrangements change — always confirm current details with the scheme directly before paying.