SIA Approved Contractor Scheme: what the assessor actually checks

If you run a security company, sooner or later a buyer will ask whether you’re an SIA approved contractor. The Approved Contractor Scheme (ACS) is voluntary, but plenty of tenders treat it as the entry ticket. When I help security businesses prepare for ACS, the same question comes up every time: what does the assessor actually look at?

This guide covers how the scheme works, what the self-assessment workbook expects, how the annual cycle runs, and the evidence that makes or breaks an assessment. It also covers the Security Industry Authority’s (SIA’s) 2025 and 2026 changes, including the plan to replace ACS altogether.

How the ACS works

The ACS is run by the SIA. Approved businesses can use the ACS mark, appear on the SIA’s public register, and market themselves as approved contractors. To get there you have to satisfy two separate tests: the SIA’s “fit and proper” checks on the business and its controlling minds, and conformance with the ACS standard.

The SIA’s Get Approved guidance sets out the eligibility rules. In short, you must supply licensable individuals under contract in the UK, have at least two licensable operatives in each sector you apply for, and have been providing services for at least 12 months with at least one current contract. In-house security teams and businesses that only supply labour to other companies aren’t eligible. If labour supply is your model, my guide to BS 10119 for security labour providers is the better starting point.

There are two routes in, according to the SIA’s apply for ACS approval page:

• The standard route, where you complete the self-assessment, apply to the SIA, pass its checks, and then book an assessment with an SIA-approved assessing body.
• The passport route, where you hold certification from an SIA-recognised passport scheme (currently the NSI ACS Passport Scheme) and apply with proof of that certification.

On the standard route, the SIA lists three assessing bodies: British Assessment Bureau, NSI, and SSAIB. The SIA runs its fit and proper checks itself, which includes a pre-approval interview that may be done by phone or at your premises. You shouldn’t book the assessment until the SIA tells you to, and once the SIA has made its fit and proper decision, the assessment has to happen within six months.

The self-assessment workbook

Everything on the standard route starts with the ACS self-assessment workbook. You score your own business against every indicator, record your evidence, and send it to your assessor before the visit.

The ACS standard has seven criteria:

• Strategy
• Service delivery
• Commercial relationship management
• Financial management
• Resource management
• People
• Leadership

Each criterion breaks down into sub-criteria and indicators of good practice. The workbook says that to become an approved contractor you must reach the required achievement level for all 78 indicators, apart from any marked as not applicable. Each indicator has improvement levels, and you only reach a level once you meet every requirement at that level. The workbook’s summary page gives an overall score between 0 and 145.

One thing worth knowing: the SIA states that the ACS standard is unique and you aren’t required to hold ISO 9001. Having a working quality system certainly helps, because the workbook covers similar ground, but it isn’t a condition.

The SIA guidance on annual assessments is blunt about the quality of your submission: you need to evidence how you meet each indicator, and generic statements aren’t acceptable. It also asks you to send the completed self-assessment to your assessor at least six weeks before the visit. In my experience, a workbook full of “we have a policy for this” answers, with no document names, dates, or examples, is the quickest way to a long and uncomfortable assessment day.

The 2025 and 2026 workbook updates

The workbook itself dates from April 2022, but the SIA has issued two updates that supersede parts of it. Your self-assessment needs to reflect both.

The 2025 update focuses on licence dispensation notices. Assessors will want to see that dispensation notices stay within the 15% limit, that they’re issued correctly under the SIA’s published guidance (including the five-week time limit), and that you always have at least one competent person able to issue them, who refreshes their knowledge every year.

The 2026 update, published on 1 July 2026, tightens two areas:

• Subcontracting (indicator 2.4.1). Subcontractors delivering a security service must be approved contractors themselves (with some exceptions), and you must verify their operatives’ licences on the SIA register. Subcontracted individuals must be vetted and screened.
• Payroll (indicator 4.2.1). A new requirement bars operatives from delivering regulated work through personal service companies, whether directly or further down the supply chain. The update also covers the link between hours worked and pay, deductions, and timely payment.

What the assessor checks each year

ACS approval lasts three years, but you’re assessed every year. Under the SIA’s guidance on understanding annual ACS assessments, each assessment must take place within 12 months of the last one, counted from its closing meeting, with the deadline falling at the end of the matching month the following year. You arrange it, you pay the assessing body directly, and the SIA suggests contacting them at least eight weeks before the due date.

Over each three-year cycle, all 78 indicators are assessed. In years two and three the focus shifts to service delivery, so expect the assessor to spend more time observing how you deliver your services and less time reviewing documents in the office. They’ll also look at any scores you’ve changed, any indicators affected by changes in your circumstances, new or changed indicators, and areas flagged for improvement last time.

The report sets out your scores and may list improvement needs, which you must act on, plus improvement options and examples of good practice. A lot of improvement needs can lead to sanctions under the ACS sanctions framework, and so can missing your assessment date.

Practical evidence tips

Most of what goes wrong at ACS assessments is about evidence, not intent. These are the areas I’d check before any visit.

Screening to BS 7858

The workbook lists BS 7858:2019 as relevant to all SIA-regulated activities, and the people criteria expect vetting information on staff files, plus full screening or rescreening where earlier screening is incomplete. Assessors sample files, so a single gap in an employment history or a missing reference can turn into an improvement need. My BS 7858 screening guide covers what a complete file looks like.

Licence checks

The workbook expects licences to be regularly checked against the SIA’s public register, with a photographic record kept when you deploy agency or subcontracted licence holders. Directors and others with significant control must hold the right SIA licences too. A dated licence check log, rather than a one-off spreadsheet, is what usually satisfies the assessor.

Training records

The workbook covers an induction pack given on the day someone starts, assignment-specific training backed by documented assignment instructions, and tracking when training needs renewing, including certificate expiry dates. A training matrix that shows who has done what, and when it’s due again, saves a lot of time on the day.

Subcontractors and payroll

After the 2026 update, I’d expect closer scrutiny of any subcontracting. Keep evidence of each subcontractor’s ACS status, your licence checks on their staff, their screening, and how you’ve confirmed that nobody is working through a personal service company.

Changes ahead for the ACS

From 1 June 2026, the SIA raised the annual ACS registration fee from £15 to £25 for each licensable individual deployed, as confirmed in its fee changes announcement. Application fees still range from £400 to £2,400 depending on size, and assessing body fees are separate.

The bigger change is that the ACS is being replaced. The SIA’s strategic plan for 2026 to 2029 says it is designing a new business approval scheme to replace the ACS, which “has been in place unchanged since 2006”, and lists the closing down of ACS and a smooth transition for businesses as a planned deliverable. The SIA’s earlier consultation feedback said it intended to launch the new scheme in the 2026 to 2027 business year. The scheme will remain voluntary under the SIA’s current powers, although the strategic plan says the SIA hopes to see approval become mandatory, which would be a decision for government.

No transition date had been published when I wrote this. The good practice the ACS checks for (proper screening, licence control, training, and honest payroll) isn’t going away, so evidence it well now.

Related reading

• Martyn’s Law: what security companies and venue operators should be doing now
• NSI Silver or NSI Gold: which one your security business needs
• SIA licence qualifications are changing in 2027: what security employers should plan for now

FAQs

Is the SIA Approved Contractor Scheme mandatory?

No. The ACS is voluntary. Many buyers ask for it in tenders, though, and the SIA has said it hopes future changes will make business approval mandatory, which would be a government decision.

Who carries out ACS assessments?

On the standard route, an SIA-approved assessing body. The SIA currently lists British Assessment Bureau, NSI, and SSAIB. On the passport route, you hold certification from the NSI ACS Passport Scheme instead.

How often is an approved contractor assessed?

Every year. Each annual assessment must take place within 12 months of the previous one, and all 78 indicators are covered over each three-year cycle.

Do I need ISO 9001 to get ACS approval?

No. The SIA’s guidance says the ACS standard is unique and ISO 9001 isn’t required, although a working quality system makes much of the workbook easier to evidence.

How much does ACS cost?

The SIA application fee is between £400 and £2,400 depending on the number of licensable staff, and from 1 June 2026 the annual registration fee is £25 per licensable individual deployed. Assessing body fees are paid separately.

Is the ACS being replaced?

Yes. The SIA is designing a new business approval scheme to replace the ACS. Its consultation feedback said it intended to launch the new scheme in the 2026 to 2027 business year, but no transition date had been published when this article was written.

Get ready for your ACS assessment

CAW Consultancy supports security businesses with SIA ACS preparation, from completing the self-assessment workbook to pre-assessment reviews and evidence checks. We get you ready, and your chosen SIA-approved assessing body carries out the assessment. Our SIA ACS support starts from £999 + VAT. Call 01257 824481, email Craig@cawconsultancy.co.uk, or visit www.cawconsultancy.co.uk.

If screening is your weak spot, our sister company Screen My Staff carries out BS 7858 screening and compliance outsourcing for security employers. For more on what buyers expect to see, read the compliance evidence buyers want to see.

Sources

• SIA: Apply for ACS approval
• SIA: Get Approved
• SIA: ACS self-assessment workbook
• SIA: 2025 update to the ACS self-assessment workbook
• SIA: 2026 update to the ACS self-assessment workbook
• SIA: Understanding annual ACS assessments
• SIA: Fee changes for SIA licensing and approval services
• SIA strategic plan: 2026 to 2029
• SIA: Business approval scheme consultation feedback
• BSI: BS 7858:2019 Screening of individuals working in a secure environment