If you provide manned guarding, keyholding, or mobile patrols, you’ll have seen tenders that ask for “NSI Gold” or “NSI approved”. The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) runs two levels of approval for guarding companies, Silver and Gold, and the difference between them matters more than many owners realise.
In short, both levels hold you to the same technical British Standards for the services you deliver. Gold adds ISO 9001 quality management on top. This article explains what that means in practice, which standards apply to guarding (including two that changed in 2026), and how NSI approval connects to the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS).
What NSI Guarding Silver and Gold actually mean
NSI describes it plainly in its own FAQ on Gold and Silver: Gold schemes are for companies that meet the industry’s highest technical standards “and maintain a commitment to continual improvement with ISO 9001 Quality Management System”. Silver schemes are “designed as a stepping stone towards Gold” and require “the same high level of technical competence as the Gold scheme”.
So Silver isn’t a cut-down technical check. If you’re approved to Silver for static guarding, you’re assessed against the same guarding standards as a Gold company. What Silver doesn’t include is ISO 9001, the international standard for quality management systems.
NSI’s published approval criteria for guarding, cash, and specialist services (document MSF 571) make the same point in formal terms. At Gold level, the service certification is supported by requirements for a quality management system, and ISO 9001 is required for Gold only. The criteria don’t set any deadline for Silver companies to move up to Gold.
Where ISO 9001 fits
ISO 9001 is about how you run the business: planning, controlling your processes, handling complaints, auditing yourself, and improving. The guarding standards are about how you deliver the service: recruitment, screening, training, assignment instructions, supervision, and so on. Gold brings the two together.
It’s worth noting that ISO 9001 itself has just changed. ISO published ISO 9001:2026 (the sixth edition) on 16 September 2026, replacing ISO 9001:2015. If you’re planning a move to Gold over the next year or two, ask NSI which edition you’ll be assessed against and what its transition arrangements are. My ISO 9001 transition training article covers the changes in more detail.
In my audits, the security companies that move from Silver to Gold without much pain are the ones already doing the ISO 9001 basics informally: regular management meetings with minutes, a complaints log that’s actually used, and internal checks on sites. Gold asks you to formalise that and prove it works.
The British Standards behind guarding approval
NSI approval works on modules. You pick the services you deliver, and NSI assesses you against the standards for each one. NSI’s security services page lists these for the core guarding services:
| NSI module | Standards listed by NSI |
|---|---|
| Security services | BS 10800 |
| Static guarding | BS 10800 and BS 7499 |
| Keyholding and response | BS 7984-1 |
| Mobile security | BS 10800 and BS 7984-3 |
NSI lists further modules for services such as door supervision, event stewarding, close protection, CCTV, security dogs, retail security, and control room services, each with its own British Standard or NSI code of practice.
Here’s the part that catches people out. BSI lists BS 10800:2020 and BS 7499:2020 as withdrawn on 24 August 2026. BSI’s security systems page now refers to the latest editions, BS 10800:2026 and BS 7499:2026, and explains that BS 10800:2026 sits at the top of the security services hierarchy, with BS 7499:2026 applying its principles to static guarding. If your procedures, contracts, or tender answers still quote the 2020 editions, they need updating. Ask NSI how and when it will assess against the new editions.
Other guarding standards are unchanged for now. BSI lists BS 7984-1:2016 (keyholding and response) and BS 7984-3:2020 (mobile security services) as current, although BS 7984-1 is marked as under review.
Screening to BS 7858
Screening runs through every guarding module. NSI’s approval criteria require relevant employees to be security screened in accordance with BS 7858, and the annual audit checks it. The current edition, according to BSI, is BS 7858:2019. The criteria also require relevant staff to be licensed under the Private Security Industry Act 2001. My BS 7858 screening guide explains what a complete screening file needs.
How NSI approval is audited
NSI’s approval criteria say that every approved company has at least an annual audit, with a recertification audit every three years. For each regulated sector, the annual surveillance audit includes at least one customer site visit. That’s the same rhythm as most ISO certification, so if you go for Gold, NSI can look at your quality system and your service delivery in the same cycle. My guide to the ISO certification process explains how certification and surveillance audits normally work.
Site visits are where I see most findings. Assignment instructions that don’t match what the officer is actually doing, out-of-date site risk assessments, and missing patrol records are all common, and none of them can be fixed from the office on the morning of the audit.
How NSI connects to the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme
This is the link that makes NSI approval worth more than a certificate on the wall.
NSI is one of the SIA’s approved ACS assessing bodies. The SIA’s apply for ACS approval page lists British Assessment Bureau, NSI, and SSAIB as assessing bodies, and names the NSI ACS Passport Scheme as the passport route.
The passport route means you meet NSI’s Passport Specification (document MSF 575) on top of your NSI approval, and the SIA recognises that combined compliance as equivalent to the ACS standard. You can then apply to the SIA for approved contractor status without a further ACS assessment visit. You still apply to the SIA, pass its own checks, and pay its fees, because the passport doesn’t give you approved contractor status by itself.
Who can use the passport? NSI’s marketing page highlights Gold companies, saying NSI Guarding Gold companies can join the ACS without a further assessment. NSI’s Passport Specification (Issue 4.5, March 2025) goes further and says the passport is available to all NSI Gold and Silver approved companies providing the relevant licensable services. Back in 2017, NSI introduced Guarding Silver with its passport to ACS as “a new middle way” that didn’t require ISO 9001 at the same time.
What about security and fire systems?
NSI uses the same Gold and Silver idea for installers. Its security systems page says NACOSS Gold includes ISO 9001, while Systems Silver doesn’t mention it. If you install intruder alarms, CCTV, or access control, the same thinking applies: Silver proves technical competence, and Gold adds a certified quality system. NSI also runs separate fire safety schemes, which I haven’t covered here.
So which one do you need?
Start with what your buyers ask for. Read the tender documents and frameworks you want to win, and look at the exact wording. If they say “NSI Gold” or ask for ISO 9001, Silver won’t meet the requirement. If they ask for “NSI approval” or ACS, Silver may be enough.
Then think about where you’re heading:
- Silver suits a growing company that’s confident in its service delivery and wants recognised technical approval before taking on a full quality system.
- Gold suits companies bidding for larger contracts, public sector work, or frameworks where ISO 9001 is a scoring or pass/fail requirement.
- If you already run your business with good management meetings, complaint handling, and internal audits, the gap to Gold may be smaller than you think.
- If ACS is your main goal, check with NSI and the SIA which passport arrangements apply to your level of approval before you commit.
FAQs
What is the difference between NSI Guarding Silver and Gold?
Both require the same technical competence against the British Standards for your services. Gold also includes ISO 9001 quality management, while Silver is designed as a stepping stone towards Gold.
Does NSI Gold include ISO 9001?
Yes. NSI says Gold includes ISO 9001 for quality management and continuous improvement. Its approval criteria require ISO 9001 at Gold level only.
Which British Standards apply to static guarding?
NSI lists BS 10800 and BS 7499 for its static guarding module. BSI withdrew the 2020 editions on 24 August 2026, and the latest editions are BS 10800:2026 and BS 7499:2026.
Is NSI an SIA ACS assessing body?
Yes. The SIA lists NSI as one of its ACS assessing bodies, alongside British Assessment Bureau and SSAIB, and names the NSI ACS Passport Scheme as the passport route to approved contractor status.
Can an NSI Silver company use the ACS passport?
NSI’s Passport Specification (Issue 4.5, March 2025) says the passport is available to NSI Gold and Silver approved companies that provide the relevant licensable services. Confirm the current position with NSI before you apply.
How often does NSI audit approved guarding companies?
NSI’s approval criteria require at least an annual audit, a recertification audit every three years, and at least one customer site visit for each regulated sector at the annual surveillance audit.
Get help with NSI Silver or Gold
CAW Consultancy helps security companies prepare for NSI Guarding Silver and Gold, including ISO 9001 systems, procedures written to the current British Standards, and pre-audit checks. We prepare you, and NSI carries out the audit. Our NSI support starts from £999 + VAT, and a gap analysis is free. Call 01257 824481, email Craig@cawconsultancy.co.uk, or visit www.cawconsultancy.co.uk.
If you’d rather run your system without paper files, CAW Digital builds bespoke paperless management systems. For BS 7858 screening, our sister company Screen My Staff can take the work off your hands. And for the bigger picture on tenders, read the accreditations security and construction firms can’t afford to skip.
Sources
- NSI: What is the difference between Gold and Silver certification?
- NSI: Security and guarding services schemes
- NSI: Guarding, Cash and Specialist Services Approval Criteria (MSF 571, Issue 14)
- NSI: Passport Specification (MSF 575, Issue 4.5)
- NSI: Guarding services companies more choice for the SIA’s ACS (2017)
- NSI: NACOSS Gold and Systems Silver
- SIA: Apply for ACS approval
- BSI: Security systems standards
- BSI: BS 10800:2020
- BSI: BS 7499:2020
- BSI: BS 7984-1:2016
- BSI: BS 7984-3:2020
- BSI: BS 7858:2019
- ISO: ISO 9001:2026
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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