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Guidance

Maintaining your ACS approval

An SIA approved contractor is assessed every year, must inform us of significant changes to the company, and must use the ACS mark correctly.

Updates to this page

From:
Security Industry Authority
Published:
28 September 2020
Last updated:
23 June 2026
Show all updates

  1. The files 'ACS approval: Guidance on business entities and business name changes' and 'ACS approval: Absence of designated security service contracts policy' have been deleted. They have been replaced with new HTML attachments: 'What to do if something in your SIA-approved business changes' and 'ACS approval: what to do if you lose your private security contracts'. The HTML attachment 'Preparing for standard route annual assessments' has been deleted and replaced with a new HTML attachment, 'Understanding annual ACS assessments'.

  2. The attachment 'How to use the ACS accreditation mark' has been updated. The page has been restructured, an image has been added, and additional information has been added.

  3. In the 'ACS approval: Preparing for standard route annual assessment', the link to the 'Applying for ACS approval: guidance and forms' has been replaced with the link to the new page 'ACS self-assessment workbook'.

  4. The PDF attachment 'ACS approval: Annual assessment guidance' and the HTML attachment 'ACS approval: Guidance on Standard route assessment dates' have both been deleted. Their contents has been combined and updated into a new HTML attachment called 'ACS approval: Preparing for standard route annual assessment'.

  5. The PDF 'ACS approval: Guidance on using the ACS accreditation mark' has been removed and replaced with an updated HTML file.

  6. Replaced the 'ACS approval: Explanation of assessment due date' PDF document with the updated HTML version 'ACS approval: Guidance on Standard route assessment dates'.

  7. Replaced the 'ACS approval: Guidance on transferring between ACS assessment schemes' PDF document with an updated HTML version.

  8. First published.

Documents

Understanding annual ACS assessments

HTML

How to use the ACS accreditation mark

HTML

What to do if something in your SIA-approved business changes

HTML

ACS approval: what to do if you lose your private security contracts

HTML

ACS approval: Guidance on transferring between ACS assessment schemes

HTML

ACS approval: Change of circumstances form

PDF, 581 KB, 15 pages

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Details

SIA approved contractors must undergo regular assessment and must keep us informed of any significant changes to the company.

Read ‘Understanding annual ACS assessments’ to understand what the standard route annual assessment involves, when you must complete it, and how to change the date of your assessment.

Read ‘How to use the ACS accreditation mark’ to understand what the conditions and rules of using the ACS accreditation mark.

Read ‘ACS approval: what to do if you lose your private security contracts’ to understand what we will do if you no longer provide security services in an activity for which you are approved.

Use the ‘Guidance on transferring between ACS Assessment Schemes’ to understand how and when you can transfer between the standard and passport routes to approval.

Use the ‘What to do if something in your SIA-approved business changes’ to understand how a change to your business may affect its ACS approval.

Use the ‘Change of circumstances form’ to tell us about significant changes to your business that are relevant to your ACS approval.

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