What is SMAS Worksafe? Packages, cost and how SSIP recognition works

SMAS Worksafe is a UK supplier assessment scheme. Its core health and safety assessment is part of Safety Schemes in Procurement, usually shortened to SSIP. A supplier submits evidence of its arrangements for the work it does, and the scheme assesses it against the relevant criteria. The SSIP member register lists Safety Management Advisory Services as a Registered Member and describes the assessment as a desktop review.

Contractors often look up SMAS when a client asks for an SSIP certificate or a named prequalification scheme. The decision is not simply “Is SMAS good?” It is whether the assessment category and package meet the buyer's specific requirement, what the current quote includes, and whether an existing SSIP certificate can be recognised without repeating a full assessment.

SMAS currently markets three packages: Worksafe, Worksafe Plus and Worksafe Pro. The provider's live package page is the source for the current features and displayed starting prices. Do not use an older comparison article to budget or choose a tier.

What does the core SMAS assessment cover?

The core Worksafe package is SMAS's SSIP health and safety route. The SSIP listing shows assessment categories that include contractor, designer, principal contractor and principal designer. A supplier should select the category relevant to its actual work and check that the resulting certificate reflects the correct legal entity and scope.

An assessor reviewing documents is evaluating the supplier's health and safety management evidence. That does not mean it has inspected every site or approved every future method. The Health and Safety Executive's explanation of conformity schemes says a third-party scheme assessment is not proof that an organisation can manage the risks of a particular construction site. Buyers still need to check skills, track record and project-specific arrangements.

That distinction protects both sides. A contractor can use certification to avoid repeatedly assembling baseline evidence for buyers. A buyer can use it as one input to supplier selection. Neither should claim that the certificate alone makes a particular team safe for a particular job.

Worksafe, Plus and Pro: which package is which?

The current SMAS package overview positions Worksafe as its core SSIP assessment, Worksafe Plus as a wider prequalification offer, and Worksafe Pro as a route including the Common Assessment Standard. The exact modules and any optional endorsements should be confirmed on a current quote.

The Worksafe Plus explanation describes additional areas including financial and business standing, corporate and professional standing, and environmental and quality management. It also discusses optional endorsement modules. Do not assume that buying a package automatically completes every endorsement or proves suitability for a higher-risk building project. Confirm what is assessed, what is optional and what evidence you must submit.

If the buyer asks only for “SSIP approved”, the core package may be enough. If a framework asks for a broader question set, Plus or Pro may be relevant. If it names another standard or platform, ask the procurement team what assessment evidence it accepts before buying a more expensive tier.

How much does SMAS Worksafe cost?

At the 2 October 2026 check, SMAS's public package page displayed starting prices of £345 for Worksafe, £565 for Worksafe Plus and £725 for Worksafe Pro. These are “from” figures shown by the provider, not a fixed price or a quote for your business. Fees and package details can change, so recheck before publication and when renewing.

Ask for a written quote based on your business, required assessment category and any existing SSIP certificate. Confirm whether VAT, additional modules, endorsements, support or renewal terms alter the amount payable. A supplier comparing schemes should obtain quotes for the same scope. Comparing a core SSIP assessment against another provider's broader package produces a misleading “cheapest” conclusion.

The cost is commercial rather than a universal legal fee. A buyer may require a certificate for its own supply chain, but there is no general rule that every UK contractor must pay SMAS. Decide against actual contracts and tender requirements.

SMAS Worksafe vs CHAS

Both are used in the UK supplier prequalification market, and the health and safety part of each sits within the SSIP system. The choice depends on the buyer's stated requirement, the assessment category, what you already hold and the total quoted cost for the relevant scope. A blanket claim that one is always cheaper or more widely accepted cannot be justified from a single provider price page.

The SSIP Deem to Satisfy process allows an existing member-scheme health and safety assessment to be recognised by another member, subject to the scheme type, category and any additional information requested. That can reduce repeated assessment work. It is not an automatic substitute for every separate procurement, environmental, quality or Common Assessment Standard requirement.

Use this sequence before paying twice:

1. Ask the buyer whether it needs any SSIP certificate, a named scheme registration, a specific assessment category or a wider prequalification package. 2. Check the scheme and expiry of what you already hold. 3. Ask whether Deem to Satisfy is available for the requested health and safety category and what extra information or fee applies. 4. Compare current quotes for the remaining requirement, including any wider checks. 5. Keep project-specific evidence ready even after your supplier certificate is issued.

For the wider health and safety scheme framework, SSIP's explanation of mutual recognition is the primary source. This page owns SMAS's current package and application decision.

How to prepare an application

Read SMAS's current questions and supplier guidance before assembling evidence. Match the application to the legal entity, work activities and dutyholder category you will use in tenders. A company that undertakes both contracting and design work should not assume a single category describes every activity. The SSIP member page lists the categories available from SMAS; the assessment process will determine what evidence is needed.

Gather current insurance documents, descriptions of your health and safety arrangements, examples of risk management for the work you actually do, and evidence that people carrying out that work have appropriate skills and supervision. For a wider package, ask SMAS for the additional question set rather than using an old PAS 91 template as if it were the current application.

Review the submission before sending it. Is the named business the one your customer will contract with? Do documents agree on addresses, activities and responsible people? Are dates current? If a policy or procedure is generic, revise it to explain the actual work rather than trying to satisfy an assessor with boilerplate. Keep an internal record of what you submitted and any assessor follow-up.

The provider advertises a quick assessment process, but a marketing minimum is not a guaranteed turnaround for every application. If a tender closes soon, contact the scheme about timing and ask the buyer whether an application in progress is acceptable. Do not promise a certificate date you cannot control.

What should a buyer check on the certificate?

Read the certificate, not just the logo on a website. Confirm the issuing scheme, supplier identity, assessment category, expiry and relevant scope. Where the procurement requires a particular scheme, check the status through the scheme or SSIP process. If a business says it has a broader Plus or Pro assessment, request evidence of the specific element that matters to your tender.

Then examine the work. HSE advises that scheme assessment does not replace checking whether the contractor has the skills and record for the actual site. Ask who will attend, what similar work they have done, how they will control known hazards and how they will coordinate with others. The certificate helps with baseline prequalification; the project decision remains yours.

For repeat appointments, keep the evidence and review dates in a supplier record. If you evaluate software for that workflow, ask to see the current released evidence and renewal steps using a real supplier example. Complys is not SMAS or an SSIP assessment body, and this guide does not claim the product awards certification or guarantees a buyer's approval.

The practical answer

SMAS Worksafe can give a contractor an SSIP assessment, while Plus and Pro add wider prequalification routes. Choose the package from the buyer's actual requirement, not from the highest tier on a pricing table. Treat the displayed “from” price as a starting point, obtain a current written quote, and check whether an existing SSIP certificate can be recognised. After certification, keep the evidence current and still prepare for the specific work you are seeking.