Prepare to learn the truth about SSIP verification. The question is not: why should you become certified? But rather—why wouldn’t you get SSIP verified?
There are a myriad of reasons why you should consider the SSIP certification, but one of the main benefits is that it helps your business stand out from the crowd. If you want to win more work and compete with industry leaders, you need to have the right verifications.
So, what are you waiting for?
What is SSIP?
Before delving into the importance of verification and the key benefits, we need to establish: what is SSIP?
According to the SSIP: “SSIP was founded in May 2009 following the Government report on Accelerating the SME economic engine: through transparent, simple and strategic procurement. Supported by the HSE SSIP aims to streamline prequalification and encourage straightforward mutual recognition between its Member Schemes.
All assessments completed by our Member Schemes are completed utilising the SSIP Core Criteria which is aligned to the Government-backed construction pre-qualification document PAS 91, ensuring consistency within supply chain management”
It’s important to note that SSIP is not an accreditation itself but rather a verification process that can lead to a certificate. After undergoing an evaluation by a member of the SSIP Forum, a business can then attain an SSIP certificate. With almost 82,000 suppliers registered with the SSIP Member Scheme, SSIP aims to improve occupational health and safety across the board.
Why is SSIP verification important?
SSIP demonstrates a genuine commitment to health and safety; it acts as concrete proof to external parties that you are qualified, trustworthy, and compliant. If you are willing to pay out on getting ISO qualified, like so many businesses, why wouldn’t you treat SSIP in the same way?
An SSIP Member Scheme certificate will be recognised by many of your clients. This is particularly true for those working in the construction industry, councils, and government bodies. The SSIP certificate will also be recognised by other SSIP Member Schemes offering two-way recognition. As a result, you would not need to fill out extensive health and safety assessment questionnaires for these schemes. The credibility of the certification is worth its weight in gold because it’s verified by qualified professionals.
How can you become SSIP verified and who is the SSIP certificate for?
The ultimate purpose of the SSIP certification is to help businesses demonstrate their commitment to health and safety. Often, it’s a verification attained by contractors or contractor businesses who can showcase their compliance with the SSIP Core Criteria, aligned with PAS 91.
Those working in construction are commonly affiliated with the SSIP certificate because the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations introduced part of what has become the SSIP Core Criteria.
But it’s important to understand that SSIP also extends its scope to encompass businesses outside construction too. According to the SSIP Portal, 15% of the 65,000 suppliers operate in industries such as:
- Outdoor contracting.
- Manufacturing.
- Engineering.
- Transport.
- Facilities management.
To achieve the SSIP certification, you need to read and understand the SSIP Core Criteria. Once you’ve done this, you must implement the recommended best health and safety practices across your business and request an assessment by an SSIP Forum Member.
How does certification benefit your business?
Expand and retain your client base.
As time goes by, you may need the SSIP certificate to retain your current clients. Requirements and standards are changing all the time, so companies will be looking to protect their own interests. Ultimately, this means if you’re not up to scratch, your clients will find another organisation that is.
By achieving the certification, you can attract clients, as you’ll have demonstrated that you can effectively mitigate risk and practice good health and safety in all areas of your work. From the client’s perspective, becoming verified means that you are devoted to continual improvement within your business.
Demonstrate a genuine commitment to health and safety.
Becoming SSIP verified demonstrates that your business is serious about health and safety, as well as providing tangible evidence for your partners. For clients, this certification ensures a standardised approach, ensuring all service providers meet consistent core criteria.
This prestigious verification increases the service provider’s chance of getting onto their preferred supplier list for tenders. Not to mention, you can also proudly display the SSIP verified logo on your letterheads, vehicles and website, showing your existing and potential clients that you are committed to health and safety.
Essentially, getting verified is an easy and cost-effective way to get a health and safety consultant to check your business and provide actionable feedback to get it up to the mark.
Grow and scale your business.
If you’re a business that wants to grow and expand, it will be difficult to do so without the right certifications. Becoming SSIP verified helps you jump ahead of your competitors, making you more likely to win tenders and beat other industry giants. Consider this: if you had to choose to work with a company who are SSIP verified or a business that isn’t, who would you pick?
Those who are fully certified will be able to attract and retain clients more easily than those who aren’t, so it’s a no-brainer. To take your business to the next level, getting verified isn’t a choice, it’s an imperative.
Impress internal stakeholders as well as external parties.
Not only will the SSIP verification help attract clients and impress external parties, but it will also instil confidence among internal stakeholders. Verification and certification shows a serious dedication to your professional standards—it’s proof that you are capable of carrying out work in a reliable, qualified, and compliant way.
Remove single points of failure.
Much of the time, when companies look to get certified, it’s because they want to mitigate risk within their business. It’s all about removing single points of failure and ensuring that you are doing everything according to the book. By identifying gaps in health and safety and pointing to possible failures within your business, the verification means you can rectify these issues. This ensures that you are truly compliant across all areas of your business.
Offer peace of mind.
For clients, it takes a standardised approach, offering peace of mind that all the service providers they work with adhere to the same core criteria. For service providers, they can be safe in the knowledge that they have the evidence to back up their capabilities. Since the assessments are validated by qualified professionals, the certification holds a high level of credibility.
Set your business apart from competitors.
It’s impossible to pass the SSIP verification without demonstrating that you’ve adhered to every aspect of the core criteria. It’s worth noting that the verification is not just about meeting the core criteria, but being able to prove you meet the core criteria to internal and external parties.
Getting certified is a real achievement that sets your business apart from competitors, positioning you as the most reliable and qualified option for clients. It’s all about staying ahead of the curve and standing out from the crowd.
So…why not?
So, the question is: why not?
Once you become SSIP verified, it’s also easier to obtain other certifications in the same vein. So, by achieving one certification, you’ll find it helps you achieve many others too.
Prosure360 can help you attain your SSIP certification, extending to include Republic of Ireland Duty Holder Categories, including:
- SSIP Approved IE.
- SSIP Approved IE Contractor.
- SSIP Approved IE Project Supervisor Construction Stage (PSCS).
This will allow clients who have operations in Ireland to have specific SSIP for that operational base, giving them clear visibility between UK and Ireland based service providers.
It also means that businesses who are solely based in Ireland can use Prosure360; this will support clients in building their relationships with service providers as they can choose which SSIP certification is best suited to their organisation.
With Prosure360, you can set bespoke questions with a pre-qualified assessment, set around the SSIP core criteria. It offers an efficient and cost-effective way to demonstrate your health and safety competence, as well as helping you gain a nationally recognised health and safety certificate from a SSIP Member Scheme.
Why not elevate your business by getting certified today? Get in touch with Prosure360 and book a demo at: https://prosure360.co.uk/contact-us/
