Contractor PQQ health and safety checklist

Start with accurate company information

• Legal company name, company number, trading names and contact details
• Nature of the work, typical project values, workforce and geographic coverage
• Current employers’ liability insurance where required, plus any requested public or professional cover
• Named person responsible for health and safety and the competent assistance available
• Relevant accreditations, trade memberships or certification—only where current and genuinely held

Make sure names and dates agree across insurance, policies, certificates and the tender response. Small inconsistencies can delay verification and damage trust.

Policy and management arrangements

If the business has five or more employees, its health and safety policy must be written down. Whether or not the threshold applies, a PQQ commonly asks how responsibilities, consultation, training, risk control, monitoring and review work. Provide a current signed policy supported by proportionate arrangements, not a large generic manual that nobody uses.

• Organisation chart or clear responsibility structure
• Risk assessment, COSHH and method statement process
• Training, induction, toolbox talk and competence arrangements
• Plant, work equipment, inspection and maintenance controls
• Emergency, first aid, fire and welfare arrangements
• Monitoring, inspection, audit and management-review process
• Incident, near-miss, investigation and corrective-action process

Competence and experience evidence

Match evidence to the work being tendered. Provide representative qualifications and cards for key roles, examples of relevant projects, supervision arrangements and how competence is checked before allocation. A card alone does not prove every aspect of competence; practical experience, training, knowledge and organisational support also matter.

Performance and enforcement history

Clients may request accident statistics, RIDDOR data, enforcement history, prosecutions, civil claims or improvement actions over a defined period. Answer the question accurately and use the same measurement basis for each year. If an incident occurred, a clear explanation of the investigation and improvement can be more credible than a bare number with no context.

Project-control examples

• A project-specific RAMS example with confidential information removed
• A construction phase plan where your role requires one
• Inspection, briefing, permit or close-out records
• Evidence that change and non-conformance are controlled
• Examples of worker consultation and learning

Do not send live personal data, client-sensitive details or an uncontrolled document library. Select a small set of current examples that show the relevant process from planning through implementation and review.

Subcontractor and supply-chain control

If subcontractors are used, explain how they are selected, appointed, briefed, monitored and reviewed. The process should be proportionate to the risk and should check both organisational capability and the people proposed for the work. Clarify who reviews subcontractor RAMS and how site interfaces are coordinated.

Final submission check

• Every question is answered directly and in the requested format.
• Claims are supported by a current attachment or a concise explanation.
• Attachments have sensible filenames and revision dates.
• Confidential and personal information has been removed where appropriate.
• Any gap has an honest corrective action rather than invented evidence.

HSE explains contractor responsibilities under CDM in its contractor guidance. If a tender has exposed gaps, see our contractor compliance support and retained safety desk.