Construction Rant

The pressure on principal contractors to vet those they engage with, and on sub-contractors to prove their credentials to buyers, has boosted the popularity of independent accreditation schemes.

But with so many schemes available, the challenge lies in accreditation bodies reaching an understanding to persuade more firms to adopt this approach. Some pre-qualification service providers are currently working with the Health & Safety Executive to this end.

If it isn't achieved, frustration over unnecessary duplication could lead to a loss of credibility for pre-qualification providers, which would be bad news for the industry.

In addition to mutual recognition, it is important that an independent awarding body is established to certify the quality of accreditation service providers. This would enable the HSE to endorse those schemes which meet the required level of competence, quality management and service delivery.

While large numbers of contractors and users of their services benefit from third party accreditation, many in industry still doubt the value of such schemes.

Leading accreditation providers must do more to demonstrate the real benefits of these schemes to the client and contractor market. Apart from the role accreditation plays in preventing accidents, it can save clients and contractors a lot of time that would otherwise be spent in multiple vetting processes. Mutually recognised standards would save both time and money for industry.

Darran Hughes
Operations director
SAFEContractor