Accreditations public buyers ask for, trade by trade

Last reviewed 19 October 2026. General guidance, not legal advice.

Tender documents are full of acronyms: Gas Safe, NICEIC, BAFE, NSI, CHAS, ISO 45001. Some of these are legal requirements: you cannot lawfully do the work without them, whoever the client is. Others are schemes buyers commonly ask for as evidence that you are competent. Knowing which is which tells you what to sort out first and what you can challenge or offer an equivalent for. This guide goes through it trade by trade.

Key points

• Some registrations are required by law for the work itself, such as Gas Safe registration for gas work, waste carrier registration, SIA licences for contract security staff and certificates for professional pesticide use.
• Most other schemes, such as NICEIC, BAFE, NSI, CHAS or ISO 9001, are not legal requirements, but buyers can make them, or an equivalent, a condition of a contract.
• Under the Procurement Act 2023, where a buyer requires a particular qualification, it must accept equivalents.
• Employer's liability insurance of at least £5 million is a legal requirement for most employers across the UK.
• Check the rules for the nation you work in: some requirements differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Legal requirement or buyer requirement?

A legal requirement comes from legislation. If it applies to your work, you need it to operate at all, and a buyer will expect to see it.

A buyer requirement is a condition the buyer sets for a particular contract. Under the Procurement Act 2023, these conditions of participation must be proportionate and relate to your legal and financial capacity or technical ability. The Cabinet Office guidance also says a buyer "cannot require particular qualifications without allowing for their equivalents". If you hold an equivalent scheme or qualification, say so and explain why it is equivalent.

For every trade

Building maintenance and roofing

Legal requirements

• Asbestos licence for licensable work. HSE says you need a licence to carry out licensable work with asbestos, such as removing sprayed coatings, work that may disturb pipe lagging, work on asbestos insulating board that will not be short in duration, or clearing significant quantities of asbestos debris. Work that does not need a licence must still comply with the Control of Asbestos Regulations. This is HSE's regime for Great Britain; check HSENI guidance if you work in Northern Ireland.
• Gas Safe registration if your maintenance work includes any gas work (see below).

Commonly requested

• An SSIP scheme or a higher Common Assessment Standard level (for example through CHAS or Constructionline Gold).
• Membership of a competent person scheme if you do work covered by building regulations in homes, such as electrical or heating work in housing stock. GOV.UK says registered installers can self-certify certain building work instead of getting building regulations approval. It is a route to compliance, not a licence to trade.

Heating, plumbing and electrical

Legal requirements

• Gas Safe registration. HSE says a gas engineering business must be on the Gas Safe Register to legally carry out gas work within its scope, under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. The register covers piped natural gas and LPG work in Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Guernsey. In Northern Ireland the equivalent law is the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2004.
• F gas certification. GOV.UK says a company, including a sole trader, must be certified to service stationary refrigeration, air conditioning or heat pump equipment containing F gas that is operated by others, and anyone handling F gas needs a personal qualification. Company certification is renewed every three years. The GOV.UK pages list certification bodies; if you work in Northern Ireland, check DAERA's guidance.

Commonly requested

• NICEIC or NAPIT for electrical work. There is no general legal requirement for an electrician to belong to either, but both run competent person schemes, and public buyers often ask for one of them or an equivalent.
• Other competent person schemes, such as OFTEC for oil heating.
• An SSIP scheme and, on larger contracts, ISO 9001 and ISO 45001.

Fire and security

Legal requirements

• SIA licences. The Security Industry Authority regulates the private security industry under the Private Security Industry Act 2001, which covers England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. GOV.UK says a licence is generally needed when you supply security services under a contract to another organisation. Licensable activities include security guarding, door supervision, public space surveillance (CCTV), close protection, cash and valuables in transit, and key holding; vehicle immobilisation is licensable in Northern Ireland only.
• F gas certification if you service fire protection systems containing F gas. GOV.UK lists the Fire Industry Association as the certification body for these systems.

Commonly requested

• The SIA Approved Contractor Scheme, a voluntary scheme for security businesses.
• BAFE registration for fire safety work, such as fire alarm or extinguisher servicing. BAFE describes itself as an independent register of fire safety organisations; certification is carried out by UKAS-accredited certification bodies that it licenses. It is not a legal requirement.
• NSI or SSAIB certification for security systems such as intruder alarms, CCTV and access control, and for some fire systems.

Cleaning

Legal requirements

• There is no general licence to run a cleaning business.
• Waste carrier registration if you transport waste as part of your business, for example taking waste away from client sites (see Waste, below).
• If you supply security staff alongside cleaning, for example on a combined FM contract, those staff need SIA licences.

Commonly requested

• An SSIP scheme such as CHAS or SafeContractor.
• ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 on larger contracts.
• Evidence of staff training, for example through schemes run by the British Institute of Cleaning Science.

Grounds maintenance

Legal requirements

• Certificate for professional pesticide use. You need a recognised certificate to use professional weedkillers and other plant protection products authorised for professional use. According to HSE, the only exception is a trainee working under the direct supervision of a certificate holder. Older "grandfather rights" ended on 26 November 2015. This comes from the Plant Protection Products (Sustainable Use) Regulations 2012.
• Waste carrier registration if you take green or other waste away from sites.

Commonly requested

• An SSIP scheme, and ISO 14001 for environmental management.
• Evidence of machinery and chainsaw training for the people doing the work.

Pest control

Legal requirements

• Rodenticide stewardship. HSE says professional use of anticoagulant rodenticides must follow one of the UK stewardship regimes. The regime developed by the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK includes certification and checking competence at the point of sale, so in practice you need to show proof of competence, such as a recognised qualification, to buy professional products.
• Certificate for professional pesticide use if you also apply plant protection products, such as weedkillers.

Commonly requested

• Membership of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA).
• An SSIP scheme such as CHAS or SafeContractor.

Waste

Legal requirements

• Waste carrier, broker or dealer registration. GOV.UK says you must register if your business transports waste, buys, sells or disposes of it, or arranges for others to do so. In England you register with the Environment Agency; Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own regulators (Natural Resources Wales, SEPA and DAERA). In England, a new upper tier registration costs £191.02 and must be renewed every three years; a lower tier registration does not need renewing, and registration is usually free if you only carry waste you produce yourself.
• Changes in England. The Environmental Permitting (Waste Controlling or Transporting) and Relevant Functions of Primary Authorities (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2026 were made on 22 July 2026. They move carriers, brokers and dealers in England into the environmental permitting system, with the main provisions in force at the end of 21 July 2027. Watch for Environment Agency guidance on how existing registrations move across.

Commonly requested

• ISO 14001 for environmental management.
• An SSIP scheme, especially where your staff work on client sites.

Before you buy any scheme

1. Separate the legal from the requested. Sort the legal requirements first; nothing else matters without them.
2. Check five recent tenders in your trade and area, and list what they ask for. Our open contracts by trade pages are a quick way to find them.
3. Look for overlap. One SSIP scheme often covers several buyers' health and safety questions.
4. Keep everything current. Note every renewal date. An expired certificate can sink a bid you have already written.

Frequently asked questions

Is NICEIC registration a legal requirement?

No. There is no general legal requirement for an electrical contractor to belong to NICEIC or NAPIT. Both run competent person schemes, which are one way of showing building regulations compliance for certain work in homes, and public buyers often ask for membership or an equivalent.

Do I need to be Gas Safe registered to bid for heating contracts?

If the contract involves gas work, yes. A business must be on the Gas Safe Register to legally carry out gas work within its scope. If you would subcontract all gas work, say so clearly and check the tender allows it.

Do cleaning companies need a licence?

There is no general licence for cleaning businesses. You may need waste carrier registration if you transport waste, and SIA licences for any security staff you supply.

Is CHAS compulsory for public contracts?

No. CHAS is one of several health and safety schemes buyers accept. SSIP member schemes accept each other's current assessments under a Deem to Satisfy agreement, but some buyers ask for a particular scheme or a higher level, so check each tender.

Do grounds maintenance staff need a spraying certificate?

Anyone applying a professional plant protection product, such as a professional weedkiller, must hold a recognised certificate, unless they are being trained under the direct supervision of a certificate holder.

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This guide is general information, not legal advice. Check the current requirements with the relevant regulator before you rely on them.

Sources

• GOV.UK: guidance on conditions of participation (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: employers' liability insurance (checked 19 October 2026)
• nibusinessinfo.co.uk: employers' liability insurance (checked 19 October 2026)
• HSE: licensable work with asbestos (checked 19 October 2026)
• HSE: Gas Safe Register scheme (checked 19 October 2026)
• Regulated professions register: registered gas engineer (Northern Ireland) (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: certification for companies working on equipment containing F gas (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: competent person schemes (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: find out if you need an SIA licence (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: Security Industry Authority, about us (checked 19 October 2026)
• BAFE: about BAFE (checked 19 October 2026)
• HSE: pesticides FAQ, agricultural, horticultural and amenity use (checked 19 October 2026)
• HSE: rodenticides (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: register or renew as a waste carrier, broker or dealer (England) (checked 19 October 2026)
• legislation.gov.uk: SI 2026/873, waste controlling or transporting regulations (England) (checked 19 October 2026)
• SSIP: about SSIP and Deem to Satisfy (checked 19 October 2026)
• GOV.UK: PPN 014, Cyber Essentials scheme (checked 19 October 2026)