Accreditation scheme comparison
Assured Contractors and SafeContractor compared
SafeContractor is an SSIP and PAS 91 certification scheme: contractors pay an annual membership to have their company assessed, and hiring clients see the result.
Assured Contractors is software a client uses to run its own contractor assurance, from prequalification to the site gate, with contractors connecting free.
Many clients use both: they ask for SafeContractor or another SSIP certificate, and keep it with its expiry date on the contractor's Assured Contractors record.
At a glance
How do Assured Contractors and SafeContractor differ?
| Question | Assured Contractors | SafeContractor |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Contractor assurance software that a client runs for its own supply chain and sites, from prequalification to the site gate. | An SSIP and PAS 91 accreditation scheme. Contractors pay an annual membership to be assessed; hiring clients view the results in a portal.[2] |
| Who pays | The client organisation, with one subscription. Contractors pay nothing on any plan, so there's no Assured Contractors fee for them to recover in their prices. A client sends its contractors its company code or invite link; they join free and are connected straight away, and one profile serves every client. | Contractors pay an annual membership, priced on headcount, plus a joining fee.[1] |
| Published price (checked November 2026) | Clients subscribe from £149 a month (excluding VAT) after a 14-day free trial. Contractors: free, with no joining, annual, per-client or per-worker fee. | Contractor plans from £419 (Standard), £499 (Assisted or Express) and £549 (Premier) a year, plus a joining fee; priced on headcount.[1] |
| What it covers | Company documents and insurance with expiry tracking, Companies House status, workers' cards, vehicle MOT and tax checks, permits to work, crane and delivery bookings, gate check-in, muster, visitors, incidents, inspections and COSHH. | SafeContractor certification (SSIP and PAS 91), SafeSupplier verification, SafeWorkforce health and safety consultancy, SafeHR and eLearning.[2] |
| Assessment turnaround | No external assessment queue: the client's own reviewers approve documents and cards in their workspace. | Standard: first contact within 7 working days and review within 20 working days; Express: 2 and 2 working days.[1] |
Capabilities
What does each one cover?
From SafeContractor's published pages and our own product, checked November 2026.
| Capability | Assured Contractors | SafeContractor[1][2] |
|---|---|---|
| Contractors connect at no cost | Yes | NoFrom £419/yr |
| Independent SSIP / CAS certificate | NoStores your contractors' SSIP certificates | Yes |
| Company documents and insurance with expiry tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Companies House status monitoring | Yes | —Not published |
| Worker competency cards (CSCS, CPCS, IPAF…) | YesCard details, photos and expiry | —Not published |
| Vehicle MOT and tax checks (DVSA / DVLA) | Yes | —Not published |
| Permits to work | Yes | —Not published |
| Crane, hoist and delivery bookings | Yes | —Not published |
| Gate check-in and live attendance | YesSoftware, no turnstiles | —Not published |
| Emergency muster roll call | Yes | —Not published |
| Visitor sign-in kiosk | Yes | —Not published |
| Incidents and inspections | Yes | —Not published |
| COSHH register | Yes | —Not published |
✓ published by the vendor · – partly · ✗ not offered · — not published by the vendor (it may still exist). See all providers
Which fits
Which one is right for you?
When SafeContractor is the right choice
- Your clients ask for SafeContractor or an SSIP certificateMany principal contractors and frameworks still require one. Assured Contractors doesn't issue certificates.
- You want an independent assessorSafeContractor's assessors review the company's health and safety documents, so the client doesn't have to.
- You want support alongside accreditationSafeContractor also offers health and safety consultancy (SafeWorkforce), HR support (SafeHR) and eLearning.
When Assured Contractors fits
- You set the standardRequirement sets say what each kind of work and risk tier needs, and your reviewers approve documents and cards in your own workspace, with your own audit trail.
- You see the people, not only the companyEach worker's CSCS, CPCS, NPORS, IPAF, ECS or CCNSG card is recorded with its number and expiry, with reminders at 90, 60 and 30 days, and checked against the site and job.
- The record carries on to siteThe same contractor record drives permits to work, crane and delivery bookings, gate check-in, visitors and emergency muster.
- Nothing for contractors to pass onContractors join free in a couple of minutes with your company code and keep one profile for every client. With no membership to buy, onboarding doesn't wait for a purchase, and there's no Assured Contractors fee for them to recover in their prices.
Using both
Can you use SafeContractor and Assured Contractors together?
They answer different questions. A SafeContractor certificate says the company met the scheme's standard when it was assessed. Assured Contractors tracks whether that company, and each of its people, is ready for your site today.
In practice, add the SSIP certificate to your requirement set for the work that needs it. The contractor uploads it once, Assured Contractors tracks its expiry and reminds them before it lapses, and the certificate sits next to their insurance, Companies House status and every worker's cards.
What Assured Contractors doesn't do
- No SSIP, PAS 91 or CAS certificateAssured Contractors isn't an assessment scheme and doesn't certify companies. Clients who require SSIP keep requiring it; contractors store the certificate on their profile with its expiry date.
- No turnstiles, biometrics or gate hardwareGate check-in is software on a phone, tablet or laptop: gate staff search the worker, see their readiness and record allow, refuse or refer with reasons.
- No live CSCS Smart Check connection yetCards are recorded with their number, expiry date and photos, and approved by the client's reviewers. Reviewers who want a live check use the CSCS Smart Check app.
Is Assured Contractors an alternative to SafeContractor?
Not for certification. Assured Contractors isn't an SSIP member scheme and doesn't issue SSIP or PAS 91 certificates. It replaces the spreadsheets, inboxes and separate site tools many clients use to manage contractors' documents, workers' cards and site access.
Can contractors keep their SafeContractor certificate in Assured Contractors?
Yes. They upload it as a document with its expiry date, it's shared with every client they connect to, and they're reminded before it expires.
Who pays for each?
SafeContractor is paid for by the contractor: Contractor plans from £419 (Standard), £499 (Assisted or Express) and £549 (Premier) a year, plus a joining fee; priced on headcount. Assured Contractors is paid for by the client with one subscription; contractors connect free, so there's no Assured Contractors fee for them to pass on.
Does SafeContractor check individual workers' cards?
SafeContractor's published solutions are company certification, supplier verification, consultancy, HR and eLearning. We found no worker card or site access product on its website (checked November 2026).
Do contractors have to leave SafeContractor to use Assured Contractors?
No. The two don't overlap: a contractor can hold SafeContractor accreditation and connect to clients on Assured Contractors at the same time.
- SafeContractor contractor pricing plans www.safecontractor.com/en-gb/contractor-pricing-plans/
- SafeContractor solutions www.safecontractor.com/en-gb/solutions/
The Assured Contractors column describes our own product. SafeContractor is a trade mark of its owner; this page isn't endorsed by its owner. If anything here has changed, tell us and we'll correct it.
See it on your own contractors.
Start a 14-day free trial with no card needed. Send your contractors your company code: they join free, on every plan, and keep one profile for every client.