Worksafe’s have recently detailed their thinking on pre-qualification. It’s important to note that organisations can consider options for an alternative path towards prequalification when assessing contractors. Their view is it’s not compulsory to use pre-qualification, but it can help give you confidence that a contractor can assess and manage the risks in the work they do. They rightly point out “rre-qualification can be done in various ways, either through a formally recognised provider or through a simple conversation – as long as you get the information you need”
Clients using established pre-qualification providers are increasingly expressing frustration at the time, complexity, and cost involved in a formal process. They want another method—a path that provides alternative prequalification—appropriate to their nature, their size and the reality of typically working in a small team on a narrow range of activities.
As we have previously discussed in our article on pre-qualification (https://winsland.co.nz/pre-qual/), prequalification has evolved into a complex and costly process, largely driven by the requirements of large organisations and commercial providers. While well intentioned, it often places a disproportionate burden on small and medium-sized businesses. In some cases, businesses may benefit from seeking an alternative path to prequalification to reduce this burden.
Rather than simply highlighting the problem, we decided to do something to help SME along an alternative path, a route to pre-qualification that already exists and which is appropriate to the nature of SME.
Industry platforms such as Tōtika recognise standardised contractor assessment. For SMEs audited by certified lead auditors against ISO 45001, the audit itself can provide an alternative route—a path to prequalification—of demonstrating compliance with the standard. It covers the same ground, with ISO 45001 providing a common framework. Winsland consultants are now qualified to carry out these assessments.
Combined with our Health and Safety App (https://winsland.co.nz/app/), which helps businesses create, manage, and store their health and safety records, we believe this provides a practical and cost-effective alternative pathway to pre-qualification processes that are traditional.
Contact us to discuss your health and safety needs. If you’re searching for a more tailored solution, we can talk about an alternative path for your prequalification requirements.