A pre-qualification questionnaire is the document a main contractor issues before adding a supplier to its approved list. For a labour supplier it is a compliance audit rather than a sales exercise.
The pack is usually assessed by the supply chain or procurement team, and a single missing certificate can hold up onboarding for weeks.
Company and legal information
The opening section establishes who the supplier is: registered name, company number, VAT number, registered office, trading history and details of directors.
Contractors also ask for the ICO registration number, since a labour supplier processes personal data, and for confirmation of any parent or associated companies.
Insurance
Certificates must be current and the limits must meet the contractor's stated minimums. Employers' liability is a legal requirement; the other covers are contractual.
- Employers' liability — commonly £10m.
- Public liability — commonly £5m, sometimes £10m on infrastructure.
- Professional indemnity — commonly £1m to £2m.
- Cyber liability — increasingly requested, typically £250k upwards.
Accreditation and health and safety
Most packs require a recognised SSIP accreditation such as CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor or Acclaim. The contractor will ask for the certificate number and expiry date.
Alongside accreditation, expect requests for the health and safety policy, the environmental policy, accident and RIDDOR statistics for the last three years, and evidence of competent health and safety advice.
Payroll, vetting and employment compliance
This is the section that separates labour suppliers from other trades. The contractor is checking that the labour arriving on its site is lawfully engaged and correctly paid.
Expect to evidence the process for right to work checks, how CSCS and plant tickets are verified, and how modern slavery risk is managed across the supply chain.
Agency Worker Regulations handling, working time records and pension auto-enrolment arrangements are also commonly requested.
- Right to work check procedure and record retention.
- Card and ticket verification process, including digital checks.
- Modern slavery statement and supply chain due diligence.
- GDPR and data retention policy.
Financial and commercial
Contractors ask for two or three years of accounts, a credit reference or Creditsafe score, bank details for verification, annual turnover and the value of the largest contract held. The aim is to confirm the supplier can carry payroll before invoices are settled.
Two or three client references covering similar work complete the pack, along with equal opportunities, anti-bribery and quality policies.