Guidance

Understanding annual ACS assessments

Updated 23 June 2026

If you’re on the standard route to ACS approval, you must pass an annual assessment. This helps us confirm that you still meet the standards we expect from approved contractors.  

You must arrange the assessment and complete a self-assessment in time. 

Arranging your assessment 

You are responsible for arranging your assessment. We can apply sanctions to your business if your assessment is not completed in time. Find out more about the sanctions we can apply. 

To arrange your assessment, you must: 

• choose an assessing body 

• arrange a date and time for the assessment 

• pay for the assessment 

Contact your assessing body at least 8 weeks before your assessment is due to arrange a date and time. 

You can choose to be assessed by your original assessing body or a new one. The assessing body you choose must be approved by us. 

Your assessment must take place within 12 months of your previous assessment. We start counting from the date your previous assessment is completed. This is usually the date of the closing meeting. 

You have until the end of that month in the following year. For example: 

• if your previous assessment was on 12 January 2025, your next assessment is due by 31 January 2026 

• if your previous assessment was on 21 March 2025, your next assessment is due by 30 March 2026 

This applies even if there is a gap between your assessment and approval. For example, if you were assessed in January and we approved you in March, your next assessment is due the following January. 

Paying for your assessment 

The cost of your assessment is handled directly between you and your chosen assessing body. The payment for your assessment is separate from your annual registration fee, which you pay directly to us. 

See what the assessment costs.

Completing your self-assessment 

You must complete a self-assessment before the assessor’s visit.  

Use the ACS self-assessment workbook. Open the workbook in Adobe Acrobat. Do not open it in your web browser. The HTML attachment ‘How to open the ACS self-assessment workbook’ provides more instructions.  

You must send your completed self-assessment workbook to your assessor at least 6 weeks before your assessment. 

You should review and update your previous self-assessment, accounting for: 

• any organisational changes 

• comments from your previous assessment 

Give evidence of how you have met each indicator. Do not make generic statements or repeat the indicator wording.  

When you click ‘submit data’ after filling out the workbook, an email window will open. Type in your assessor’s email address to send them the workbook. You can test this process by typing in your own email address. 

What to expect from your assessment 

The focus of your annual assessment will vary depending on the year.  

Every 3 years, all 78 indicators are assessed. In the intervening years, your assessor will focus on service delivery.  

What to expect from years 2 and 3 of your accreditation cycle 

In the second and third years of your ACS accreditation cycle, your assessor will focus more on observing how you deliver your services. They will verify your scores for the indicators most relevant to service delivery. 

Your assessor will spend less time reviewing documents in the office. They will spend more time on your customer sites, speaking with your security operatives and customers. They will try to find out how well your team understands your goals, procedures, and customer needs. They will also try to understand how well your policies work in practice. 

Your assessor may speak to your security operatives about:  

• your company’s goals and how they contribute to these 

• how they deliver services and meet customer needs 

• how they handle complaints and incidents 

• their pay, employment status, and working conditions 

• their training, development, and wellbeing 

• how they are recognised and supported by leadership 

Your assessor may speak to your customers about: 

• their understanding of the service you provide 

• how you meet their expectations 

• how you use subcontractors (if applicable) 

Your assessor may meet with your directors and managers to understand your business strategy, results, and any changes since your last assessment. However, they will generally focus on staff who work on site and not speak to managers and directors unless they are site-based. 

As well as speaking to customers and staff to understand your service delivery, your assessor is likely to: 

• check any scores that you have changed since your previous self-assessment 

• check your scores for any indicators affected by changes in circumstance – for example, your company is now approved for more sectors, has grown substantially, or has undergone a merger or acquisition 

• check your scores for any indicators that we have introduced or changed since your previous assessment 

• review any areas the previous assessment identified as needing improvement

Preparing for assessments in years 2 and 3 of your accreditation cycle 

Before your assessment takes place, your assessor will ask you to provide lists of: 

• your customers 

• sites where you provide services 

• your staff and their availability, including staff from labour providers that help you deliver your services 

• any sub-contractors 

You should prepare for your assessment by making sure you have these lists ready. You should also inform your staff and customers that the assessor will be visiting.

Your assessment report 

You will receive an assessment report. 

Your report will include: 

• a summary of findings 

• your scores against the ACS Standard 

• detailed evidence from the assessment 

Your report may include: 

• improvement needs (you must act on these) 

• improvement options (where you can go further) 

• examples of good practice 

If you get many improvement needs, we may sanction you. You can read about this process in the ACS Sanctions framework. 

Your previous scores will stay the same unless the assessor finds evidence to change them. 

If you have updated your self-assessment scores and want them verified, your assessor may need more time. 

Changing the date of your assessment 

You can move your assessment to an earlier date if you wish. You do not need our permission to do this. 

Moving your assessment to an earlier date will mean that all future assessments will be due by that new date. For example, if your assessment for this year was due in June and you moved it to May, next year’s assessment will be due by 31 May. 

In exceptional circumstances, you can move your assessment to a later date if we give you permission to do so. You must request this at least 30 days before your scheduled assessment date. 

You must include the following information in your request: 

• why you wish to delay your assessment 

• why you cannot bring your assessment forward 

• the new date you are proposing for your assessment 

If we grant your request, your next assessment will be due by the originally scheduled date. For example, if your assessment for this year was due in June and we agreed you could delay it until August, next year’s assessment will still be due by 30 June. 

If we refuse your request 

We can refuse your request for a delayed assessment. If we do, then you must be assessed by the expected deadline. If you are not, we will withdraw your approval. 

Some examples of when we might refuse your request are: 

• you wish to delay your assessment to fit in with the availability of a consultant 

• you wish to delay your assessment so that specific members of staff are available for interview 

You can appeal against our decision to refuse your request. We will review the details of your request and our reasons for refusing it. We will tell you the outcome of your appeal within 5 working days.