Understanding ACS assessments
When taking the SIA's standard route to ACS approval, you must pass an assessment. This guidance explains the assessment to help you prepare.
In the standard route to ACS approval, if we confirm that you are eligible for approval, you arrange an assessment with one of the ACS assessing bodies. We will base our approval decision partly on the outcome of your assessment.
This guidance explains the assessment process in detail to help you prepare.
Why you should get assessed
You need to pass an assessment to become an SIA approved contractor. However, your ACS assessment is more than just a compliance check. It is a chance for you to strengthen your business’s performance, especially if you prepare for your assessment well.
How the assessment is done
Your assessor will begin your assessment by having a meeting with you. They will end the assessment by sending you your assessment report.
You are assessed against the ACS standard
Your assessor will assess your performance against the ACS standard.
The ACS standard is based on:
- 7 criteria
- 33 sub-criteria
- 78 indicators
You can see the full criteria in Get Approved and the ACS self-assessment workbook.
To be approved, you must meet the required achievement level (a score of zero) for each indicator. You can earn additional points if you exceed this.
However, your assessor will not go through the ACS indicators one by one. They will instead take a holistic view of your business. They will only focus on specific indicators if they identify concerns.
Learn more about how the scoring system works.
Before the assessment
Before your assessment, your assessor will review your:
- self-assessment workbook
- staff list
- contracts
- sector breakdown
During the assessment
During your assessment, your assessor will look at how your business works in practice. They will visit your head office, control room, and some of your operational sites. They will look at various company documents, such as your policies. They will also look at any online platforms or intranet services you have. They will check how you handle data, especially if your staff work from home.
Your assessor will ask to interview some of your members of staff. This could include sub-contractors and staff in roles that do not require an SIA licence. Your assessor will also speak to your customers.
Your assessment report
After your assessment, your assessor will send you a full assessment report. They will also send a copy of the report to us. We will review the report and make our approval decision.
Your report will:
- reflect the maturity of your business and your approach to risk
- highlight good practices and areas for improvement
- be tailored to your leadership team and management
- focus on what matters most to your business and your customers
Your report can give you useful insights into how your business is performing. It will help you identify areas for improvement, so you can deliver a higher quality service.
Your report may include improvement needs. Read our ACS Sanctions framework to understand more about improvement needs.
If we confirm you are eligible for approval, you will have 6 months to have your assessment and address any improvement needs in your assessment report.
Preparing for your assessment
To prepare for your assessment, you should:
- make sure you understand the ACS standard and how it applies to your business
- reflect on your business’s performance using the self-assessment workbook
You will need to show how your business meets the ACS standard. Be prepared to explain your approach and how you measure success. Show what you do, how you do it, and how you know it works. You can use your business’s processes and policies to demonstrate this, but make sure you focus on your outcomes and results.
To get the most out of your assessment, treat it as a learning opportunity and be open about your goals and challenges.
Preparing for assessment if you are a sole trader
If you are a sole trader, some ACS indicators might not apply to you. For example, you might not have employees or a commercial office. Your assessor will take this into account, but you should still demonstrate how you meet the intention behind the indicator and the relevant standard.
Your assessor will rely more on your own explanations and feedback from others than they would for other businesses. To prepare for your assessment, you should:
- keep notes of customer feedback and complaints, even if informal
- maintain basic financial and operational records
- maintain professional development – for example, through mentoring, business groups, training, or networks
- use a code of ethics to guide your work
- back up important documents and store them securely
Be ready to explain your approach clearly and confidently.
Preparing for assessment if you sub-contract all your services
If your business sub-contracts all licensable activity to other SIA approved contractors, your assessment will focus on how you manage those sub-contracted services.
Your assessor will check how you:
- choose and manage sub-contractors
- monitor service delivery and customer satisfaction
- handle complaints and incidents
To prepare for your assessment:
- keep records of sub-contractor approvals, contracts, and performance reviews
- be ready to explain how you manage service delivery through your sub-contractors
- make sure your customers and sub-contractors are available to speak to the assessor
- ensure your directors and staff understand their roles and responsibilities
Preparing for assessment if you share services as part of a group
If your company is part of a wider group and shares services (like HR, IT, or finance) your ACS assessment will include checks on how these services are managed and how they affect your business.
Your assessor will check:
- how you comply with tax rules (for example, transfer pricing)
- how you protect data and get employee consent when sharing information
- how you maintain the standards set by the group
To prepare for your assessment:
- keep clear documentation for all shared services
- make sure service level agreements or contracts are in place and up to date
- be ready to explain how you monitor performance and manage risks
- make sure your staff understand how shared services affect their work
- ensure you comply with data protection and tax rules
You should also audit everything and keep clear records. This will help mitigate against some of the common challenges that companies sharing services face, such as:
- complicated transactions between companies
- limited access to data
- overlapping responsibilities
Preparing for assessment if you use a virtual office
If you use a virtual office, your ACS assessor will check that you apply your policies and procedures consistently across all your business locations. You must demonstrate this in your assessment.
You should also:
- be clear about how and why you use the virtual office
- make sure the address of the virtual office does not mislead customers about the size or scope of your business
- be ready to tell the assessor how often you use the virtual office and for what purpose
How long the assessment takes
Your assessor calculates how long your assessment will take based on your number of effective personnel and some other factors, such as:
- the number of sites your company owns and staffs (for example, Head Office, regional offices, control rooms, home worker locations)
- the number of client sites you protect
- the number of sectors you are applying for approval in
- your organisational structure
Your assessor may split the assessment into more than one visit if:
- you operate nationally
- key staff are not available at the same time
- you deliver seasonal services, such as events
Your assessor will still start with an opening meeting and end with a final report.
What the assessment costs
You need to pay your assessing body for your assessment.
These are the maximum day rates of the assessing bodies we are partnered with:
- British Assessment Bureau
- full-day in-person assessment: £1,100
- half-day in-person assessment: £600
- half-day remote assessment: £600
- NSI
- full-day in-person assessment: £1,100
- half-day in-person assessment: £550
- half-day remote assessment: £550
- SSAIB
- full-day in-person assessment: £1,125
- half-day in-person assessment: £675
- half-day remote assessment: £500
How long documents from your assessment are kept
In their notes, your assessor will record the names, job titles, and any SIA licence numbers of staff they have interviewed.
Your assessor will retain any documents directly related to licensable activity, such as:
- staff lists
- payroll
- duty rotas
- client site lists
The assessing body will store the assessor’s notes and documents securely. They will keep them for at least 6 years. They may keep them for longer if you appeal our approval decision.
Getting assessed remotely
Your assessor may carry out parts of your assessment remotely, using methods such as video calls. The remote parts of your assessment count towards your total assessment time as much as the in-person parts.
If your assessor carries out parts of your assessment remotely, they will:
- agree this with you in writing before the assessment
- make sure all data is handled securely
- check that both sides have the infrastructure and skills in place for the remote assessment to work
Your assessor may want to look at your company documents remotely. They will identify which documents they want to see during your assessment. You should let your assessor view the documents live. Do not try to curate a set of files in advance to control what your assessor sees. You should confirm that any shared documents are deleted after the assessment is done.
Normally, no more than 25% of your assessment can be remote. If your assessor wants to carry out more than 25% of your assessment remotely, they must get approval from us.
Using consultants as part of your ACS assessment
You do not need a consultant to apply for ACS approval. The ACS standard and self-assessment workbook are designed to help you assess your own business.
Your consultant can help you prepare for your ACS assessment in an advisory role. They can attend the assessment as an observer. You must agree this with your assessor before your assessment.
Your consultant must not interfere with the assessment or attempt to influence its outcome, for example by answering questions on your behalf.
If your assessor believes your consultant is compromising the integrity of the assessment in any way, they may stop the assessment.
If you want us to speak to your consultant before your assessment, you must ask us in writing. Learn more about using consultants.
If someone from the SIA observes your assessment
Someone from the SIA might observe your assessment. We observe ACS assessors to make sure assessments are consistent, fair, and meet our standards. We are there to observe the assessor, not your company.
If we observe your assessment, we will:
- make sure your assessing body tells you in advance
- explain how we will handle any serious issues
- carry official ID
We may intervene if:
- the assessor is not properly checking licensing requirements
- we have concerns about criminal activity or public safety
- the assessor is not addressing required improvements
In these cases, we may:
- instruct the assessor on how to proceed
- take over the assessment if necessary
If you are already approved
If you are already approved, you will have an annual assessment. There are some differences between your first assessment and your subsequent annual assessments.
For example, you will only have 6 weeks to address any improvement needs from your assessment report, rather than 6 months.
Your assessor will check how you manage licensing, including Licence Dispensation Notices (LDNs).
During the first 4 years of approval, you will receive a full report after your assessments. After 4 years, you can choose to receive a short report.
Before your assessment, your assessor will review your previous assessment report and your use of the ACS mark.