Contractor PQQ health and safety checklist

What is a PQQ in construction?

A pre-qualification questionnaire is a set of questions a client or main contractor uses to assess a supplier before appointment or tendering. It may cover health and safety, capability, insurance and other business requirements. A good response connects each claim to evidence relevant to the work.

Start with the actual questionnaire and the client’s instructions. Check the deadline, the requested evidence period and whether the client requires a particular assessment or certification. Do not assume a previous approval automatically meets a new buyer’s requirements.

PAS 91 and the Common Assessment Standard

PAS 91 has been withdrawn. Build UK’s Common Assessment Standard provides an industry-agreed question set and assessment standards for construction pre-qualification. It has desktop and site-based certification routes through Recognised Assessment Bodies. Check the buyer’s current requirements and the current question set before preparing a submission.

For a legacy questionnaire mentioning PAS 91, ask the buyer which requirements and version it intends to use. Do not label an old evidence pack as current certification. See Build UK’s Common Assessment Standard information and BSI’s PAS 91 withdrawal record.

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.

Example: answer the question and show the process

If asked how RAMS are reviewed, a policy saying “all RAMS are reviewed” may not be enough. Explain who reviews them, what they check, how comments are resolved and how the approved method reaches the workers. Select a redacted example showing that sequence.

Use a simple evidence register with columns for the question, the document or record, its owner, the revision and any outstanding action. This makes a weak answer visible while there is still time to correct it. Our policy and procedure support can help where the questionnaire exposes a real management gap.

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.

General guidance only. Check the current official sources and your project conditions. Unless stated otherwise, legislation discussed is for Great Britain; Northern Ireland has separate rules. Remote advice supports, but does not replace, competent site management or specialist assessment.