What is SSIP?
Safety Schemes in Procurement (SSIP) is the mutual recognition scheme for occupational health and safety standards.
It operates as an umbrella organisation that encompasses assessment schemes with the common goal of reducing duplication and costs for both suppliers and buyers.
Looking to register with an SSIP Scheme?
Our mission is to reduce occupational health and safety assessment duplication.
To support this mission, SSIP holds nine core values:
- Encourage and maximise mutual recognition between SSIP member schemes where it is practicable to do so.
- Operate a robust and consistent Deemed to Satisfy (DtS) agreement between SSIP member schemes that is clear and transparent.
- Provide confidence in first stage safety capability assessments by developing the SSIP core criteria and ensuring a consistent, reliable and quality-controlled standard of assessment via qualified, competent, assessors.
- Help and encourage buyers to recognise SSIP and its aims and objectives, and to specify and recognise SSIP member schemes in general, rather than a specific scheme provider.
- Help buyers and suppliers to achieve value for money through avoiding unnecessary duplication or differing Health & Safety assessment requirements, wherever possible.
- Demonstrate savings made to buyers and suppliers as a result of SSIP activity.
- Promote appropriate core criteria in non-construction works.
- Promote the work and value of SSIP.
- Actively encourage the standardisation of pre-qualification criteria including PAS 91, and other common industry standards.
Mutual Recognition
SSIP utilises a "Deem to Satisfy" (DtS) agreement, which enables mutual recognition among all SSIP Members.
This means that 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.
In 2023 alone, over £10 million was saved through reducing the time and costs associated with duplicating assessments.
SSIP Core Criteria
SSIP streamlines the certification process by utilising the SSIP Core Criteria, which are aligned with the government-endorsed construction pre-qualification document, PAS 91. This alignment ensures consistency across supply chain management.
All SSIP assessments are conducted based on these Core Criteria, which serve as a threshold standard approved by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
SSIP Forum
The SSIP forum is made up of Registered Members, Certification Bodies, Affiliate Member and Supporter Members. In collaboration, forum members actively advise and influence clients on acceptable interpretation and appropriateness of health and safety capability standards in the UK.