Want to know how to obtain Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) accreditation in East Anglia? Foley and Baugh are here to support your business.
What are Safety Schemes in Procurement?
Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) is a collaborative body whose aim is to make health and safety accreditation more straightforward and cost-effective for businesses. By streamlining the first stage of the assessment process – known as Stage One accreditation – SSIP helps reduce duplication, paperwork, and expense.
A number of recognised scheme providers are authorised to carry out and certify this Stage One accreditation. While each organisation has its own processes, they all follow a broadly similar audit trail to ensure consistency.
Depending on the industries you work in or the requirements of your different clients, you may need to be registered with several different schemes. The good news is that if you’ve already been approved by one SSIP member, joining another is often a much simpler process, generally involving just an application form and a small administrative fee.
Our role is to guide businesses through the process of joining these registers. We make sure you understand exactly what evidence is required, as applications will not be accepted without sufficient supporting documentation. For those on our retained advisory service, most businesses are ready to apply within three to six months, although timescales depend on your existing compliance history and commitment to the process.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recognises that an accreditation from any SSIP member scheme meets the requirements of the “Core Criteria,” that is the baseline standard for demonstrating organisational competence in health and safety. This means that if a business holds SSIP accreditation, potential clients can be confident that it has been independently assessed to a recognised national standard.
For organisations bidding for work under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2007 (CDM 2007), SSIP accreditation covers the first stage of procurement, demonstrating that you meet the competency requirements expected by clients. In practical terms, this can help you stand out in tendering processes and make it easier to work with larger contractors and public sector bodies.
By simplifying accreditation while maintaining robust safety standards, SSIP provides businesses with a credible, recognised route to demonstrate compliance, opening the door to new opportunities without unnecessary red tape. If you’re looking for SSIP accreditation for your East Anglia based business, talk to Foley and Baugh about how we can support you through the process.
Contact us today on 01493 659026 or email hello@foleyandbaugh.co.uk.
