Hi Learned Friends,

I was hoping just to canvass some opinion on a topic regarding company Pre-Quals preferably with people who have no connection to these accredited bodies.

I have always worked in companies where they have completed their own Pre-Quals on their sub-contractors. With a questionnaire in line with CDM guidance. I have also been of the ilk that as part of the WHOLE pre-qual competence check that you would gather relevant SSIP associated information and certificates and have also believed this to be a small part of the full pre-qual and have always thought this is just classed as phase 1 that they are certificated by an SSIP affiliated company ie CHAS, SAFECONTRACTOR and ALTIUS etc.

However, someone recently told me that they had a system where an SSIP affiliated company was doing their pre-quals and they were using any contractor that was accredited to the affiliated company WITHOUT doing any of their own checks. So as I previously stated I have always believed the company using the contractor has its own duty of care as the "PAYER" of a sub-contractor and cannot lay off all the liability to a third party company and in any event have always believed the safety accreditation is only part of (Phase 1) of a full pre-qual.

Thanks in advance and I am interested to hear all views regarding this topic

Alan

I suggest that commercial pre-qual. should satisfy entry to a long list.

This enables the client to focus on latter stages of assuring competency of appointment at tender stage (e.g. in a CDM context via his initial response to the Project brief and preconstruction information).

The responsible client should continue to monitor after appointment (the contractor is doing what he said he would do) closing out with a post-Project performance evaluation.

Stages 1 thru' 4. SSIP etc. take all the hard work out of pre-qual, allowing the Client to focus on Project Specifics. This is as things should be.

You miss my point Spud, and the point of commercial pre-qual. schemes.
Prequal. schemes take out the early spade work, you /the client should continue evaluation through tender stages and on-task evaluation etc. in a proportionate way.

You cannot and should not relay wholly on SSIP or similar for due diligence.

Just to look at this from another viewpoint.......

We annually go through a CHAS paperwork exercise (which is quite rigorous), a two day Achilles audit and our UKAS ISO/OHSAS audits (which last year was 10 man days) - and you still want us to do a PQQ for every tender????

(Still, why not, every other main contractor demands it too!)

Thanks again for all the feedback and constructive input.

So from what i can glean from peoples thoughts using an SSIP affiliated company for your pre-quals is ok but only up to a point and whatever that point is depends on your needs and circumstances.

One thing i will say is obviously since the CDM changes last year most task come under some form of CDM now anyway but obviously the pre-qual is always needed for anyone you procure but I am eluding to the general pre-qual not really for a massive notifiable multi million pound project altough yes i am aware that te same principles of competency apply.

Call me old fashioned but i just have a problem letting a third party be part of the pre-qual procedure because surely the people in these SSIP affiliated companies are not going to be full time health and safety professionals CMIOSH etc as they are being processed through an office system.

Another point must be surely when you use the SSIP companies they can take weeks as i know from helping other companies become accredited where if its done internally if tey information is sent correctly it can be completed in a day