Guide
What is SSIP?
Once you understand SSIP, the confusing world of CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS and Constructionline collapses into one simple picture, and you stop paying for the same assessment twice.
The umbrella
SSIP, Safety Schemes in Procurement, is not itself an assessment you apply for. It is the umbrella body that member schemes belong to. Each member scheme assesses contractors against a shared set of core health and safety criteria, aligned to the standards buyers expect under CDM 2015. CHAS, Alcumus SafeContractor, SMAS Worksafe and Acclaim (Constructionline's assessment) are all SSIP member schemes. Pass any one of them and you have demonstrated the same core competence.
Deem-to-satisfy: the money-saving part
Because member schemes assess the same core criteria, SSIP operates mutual recognition, usually called deem-to-satisfy. Hold a valid certificate with one scheme, and another member scheme should accept it as evidence of the core criteria, typically for a reduced fee rather than a full reassessment. So when one buyer asks for CHAS and another asks for SafeContractor, you do not need two full assessments. Get one, then use deem-to-satisfy for the other. The SSIP portal lets buyers verify any member certificate.
So which scheme should you get first?
The one your most important buyer names. If they accept "any SSIP", pick the scheme most recognised in your sector: our scheme comparison walks through the differences. For most construction trades, CHAS has the widest recognition among main contractors and public-sector buyers.
What SSIP does not cover
SSIP mutual recognition covers the core health and safety criteria. Wider assessments, such as the Common Assessment Standard's governance, financial and environmental areas, sit outside it, which is why a buyer can accept your SSIP certificate yet still ask for more on larger tenders. The documents are the constant: the same policy, RAMS and records set that passes one scheme is the foundation for all of them.
For electrical contractors
Electrician CHAS pack · £95
Policy, five electrical RAMS, COSHH assessments, training matrix and registers, each mapped to what the assessor checks.
Common questions
What does SSIP stand for?
SSIP stands for Safety Schemes in Procurement. It is the umbrella body whose member schemes, including CHAS, SafeContractor, SMAS Worksafe and Constructionline’s Acclaim, assess contractor health and safety to a shared core standard.
What does deem-to-satisfy mean?
If you hold a valid certificate from one SSIP member scheme, other member schemes should accept it as meeting the core health and safety criteria, so you should not need a full second assessment to satisfy a buyer who names a different scheme.