Most small contractors know about CHAS and Constructionline. Fewer know about Achilles or Builders Profile until a buyer tells them they can’t be invited to tender without one. That usually happens when you start chasing work with a water, gas, or electricity company, or when a large main contractor wants to bring you into its supply chain.
This guide explains what each system is, who uses it, what the audits involve, and how they fit with SSIP and the Common Assessment Standard (CAS). I’ve stuck to what Achilles and Builders Profile say about themselves on their own sites, because there’s a lot of out-of-date information online about who owns what.
What Achilles UVDB is
Achilles runs several supplier communities. The one most UK contractors meet is UVDB, the Utilities Vendor Database. Achilles’ UVDB page describes it as “a community-driven compliant prequalification system designed for regulated utilities in the UK”, with an independent chair and equal utility representation.
The buyers named on that page include SSE, Northern Powergrid, Anglian Water, Northern Gas Networks, UK Power Networks, Wales and West, Cadent, Thames Water, United Utilities, Peel Ports, National Gas, Affinity Water, SP Electricity North West, and Scottish Water.
UVDB matters because of how utilities buy. Many utility companies are covered by procurement rules that let them use a qualification system to decide which suppliers to invite to tender. Achilles Information Limited published a call for competition notice on Find a Tender on 19 February 2025, setting out UVDB as a qualification system under regulation 77 of the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 (and the Scottish equivalent), with an indefinite duration. Achilles also says UVDB supports the new notice route under the Procurement Act 2023. In plain terms, if a utility uses UVDB to pick its tender lists and you’re not registered, you may simply not be seen.
How UVDB registration works
The Find a Tender notice explains the basic process. You register, pay an annual subscription, and complete a prequalification questionnaire. Some higher-risk suppliers also need an independent audit.
Achilles’ UVDB membership page sets out the subscription levels. There’s a Silver Small Supplier level for very small businesses, and Silver+ tiers that are set by how many commodity codes (the categories of work or supply you register for) you choose. The page also notes that Silver Small Supplier subscribers can’t be included where tenders are covered by procurement legislation, so check which level your target buyers need before you sign up.
UVDB Verify: the audit
UVDB Verify is the audit side of UVDB. Achilles’ UVDB Verify leaflet describes it as an independent audit of an organisation’s safety, health, environment, and quality (SHEQ) management systems and sustainability, carried out as an annual process. Achilles says high-risk suppliers providing works or services into the utilities sector will be required to complete a Verify audit on top of their subscription.
The audit category depends on what you do and how big you are:
- Category A is a desktop audit for high-risk small suppliers who usually work under supervision or a permit to work on a utility-controlled site.
- Category B1 is a one-day audit for medium-sized suppliers, split between a management systems review and a site assessment.
- Category B2 is a two-day audit for larger suppliers, with a full day on management systems and a full day on site.
- Category C is a one-day management systems audit for consultancy and design suppliers.
- Category D is a two-day audit for suppliers who manufacture, fabricate, or service products that go into utility assets.
Achilles sets turnover and headcount thresholds for each category, and they aren’t always obvious from the leaflet, so confirm your category with Achilles before you book.
What Verify auditors look for
Because Verify covers SHEQ systems and, for the B1 and B2 categories, includes a site assessment, it feels much closer to an ISO certification audit than a desktop prequalification check. In my experience, the businesses that find it straightforward already run a working management system covering quality, environment, and health and safety. If you hold or are working towards ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001, much of the evidence will already exist. My guide to integrated management systems explains how to run all three as one system.
A common gap I see with site-based audits is that the office paperwork is fine, but the site doesn’t match it. Risk assessments that don’t reflect the actual job, toolbox talks that weren’t recorded, and plant inspections missing from the van are all things an auditor can find in the first hour.
Achilles, SSIP, and the Common Assessment Standard
Achilles connects to the wider prequalification world in two ways.
First, SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) lists Achilles Information Ltd as a registered member, through its BuildingConfidence community for construction, which joined in March 2018. That means an SSIP certificate from Achilles can be used with other SSIP registered member schemes through deem to satisfy. Achilles’ own announcement says BuildingConfidence suppliers can upload an existing SSIP deem to satisfy certificate. SSIP’s listing refers to BuildingConfidence rather than UVDB, so if you’re only in UVDB, ask Achilles how your SSIP position is recorded.
Second, Build UK lists Achilles as one of the Recognised Assessment Bodies for the Common Assessment Standard, the industry-agreed construction prequalification standard. If a main contractor asks for CAS, Achilles is one of the bodies that can certify you.
What Builders Profile is
Builders Profile works differently. Its own site describes it as an “open-access Common Database service” that holds compliance and prequalification information for the construction industry. Subcontractors and suppliers keep one profile up to date and share it with the main contractors and clients they work for. Builders Profile sums this up as “complete once, share to many”.
The key difference from most schemes is who does the assessing. Builders Profile’s FAQs say “Main Contractors like to perform their own assessments and so use Builder’s Profile”, and that main contractors keep control of their own question and rule sets. So when a main contractor asks you to join Builders Profile, they’re usually asking you to put your information somewhere they can review it against their own criteria.
Who owns Builders Profile?
This is where I’d be careful with what you read elsewhere. Builders Profile’s FAQs say it “will now form part of the Once For All Group” and that it will “continue to operate separately alongside Constructionline and Altius VA for the foreseeable future”. The site’s copyright notice reads Builder’s Profile (UK) Ltd. I’d rely on those statements rather than older articles.
Builders Profile, SSIP, and CAS
Builders Profile’s SSIP page says members can buy SSIP certification through Once For All Health & Safety, and that once assessed, Premium Gold members meet PAS 91, SSIP (via Once For All Health & Safety or deem to satisfy), and the Common Assessment Standard, which is continuously assessed as critical details expire. Its FAQs also say Constructionline CAS assessments can be imported into a Builders Profile, and Builders Profile data can be used to apply for a CAS assessment.
How to decide whether you need them
The honest answer is that you need Achilles or Builders Profile when a buyer you want to work with uses them, and probably not otherwise. Here’s how I’d think about it:
- If you want direct work with a UK utility, check whether it uses UVDB to build tender lists. If it does, registration is likely to be essential, and a Verify audit may follow if your work is high risk.
- If a main contractor invites you to Builders Profile, join at the level they ask for, because they’re assessing you against their own rules.
- If a buyer asks for CAS, you need certification from one Recognised Assessment Body, which could be Achilles or another body on Build UK’s list.
- If a buyer only asks for SSIP, you may be able to use deem to satisfy rather than buying a new assessment.
Before paying for anything, ask each buyer exactly which system, level, and audit they need, and get the answer in writing. For a broader view of which accreditations matter for tenders, see the compliance stack that wins contracts and the accreditations security and construction firms can’t afford to skip.
FAQs
What is Achilles UVDB?
UVDB (the Utilities Vendor Database) is Achilles’ prequalification system for regulated utilities in the UK. Utility buyers use it to find and qualify suppliers. Achilles published it as a qualification system under the Utilities Contracts Regulations 2016 and says it also supports the new notice route under the Procurement Act 2023.
What is UVDB Verify?
UVDB Verify is Achilles’ independent annual audit of a supplier’s safety, health, environment, and quality management systems and sustainability. Achilles says high-risk suppliers working in the utilities sector need it in addition to their UVDB subscription.
What is the difference between UVDB Verify B1 and B2?
B1 is a one-day audit for medium-sized suppliers, split between management systems and a site assessment. B2 is a two-day audit for larger suppliers, with a full day on each.
Is Builders Profile the same as Constructionline?
No. Builders Profile says it forms part of the Once For All Group but continues to operate separately alongside Constructionline. Builders Profile is a shared database that main contractors use to run their own assessments.
Is Achilles part of SSIP?
Yes. SSIP lists Achilles Information Ltd as a registered member through its BuildingConfidence community, so its SSIP certificates can be used for deem to satisfy with other registered member schemes.
Can Achilles certify me to the Common Assessment Standard?
Yes. Build UK lists Achilles as a Recognised Assessment Body for the Common Assessment Standard.
Get ready for Achilles or Builders Profile
CAW Consultancy helps contractors prepare for Achilles UVDB, UVDB Verify, and Builders Profile, along with CHAS, SafeContractor, and Constructionline. We help you choose the right level, build the evidence, and prepare for audit. Our support starts from £399 + VAT, and a gap analysis is free. If a Verify audit means you need a proper management system first, our ISO packages start from £999 + VAT for a single standard. Call 01257 824481, email Craig@cawconsultancy.co.uk, or visit www.cawconsultancy.co.uk.
For businesses that want their system off paper, CAW Digital builds bespoke paperless management systems for a one-off £999, with no subscription.
Sources
- Achilles: UVDB community
- Achilles: UVDB membership and features
- Achilles: UVDB Verify leaflet (February 2024)
- Find a Tender: UVDB qualification system notice 2025/S 000-006005
- Achilles: Achilles joins SSIP
- SSIP: Achilles Information Ltd registered member listing
- Build UK: Prequalification and Recognised Assessment Bodies
- Builders Profile: What is Builder’s Profile?
- Builders Profile: FAQs
- Builders Profile: SSIP
Craig Willetts is the founder of CAW Consultancy Business Solutions Ltd and a UK lead auditor with over 20 years’ experience across ISO management systems and UK security industry schemes.
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