Compliance Tools · Scheme Comparison
CHAS vs SMAS vs Constructionline vs SafeContractor — What's the Difference?
All four are UK contractor pre-qualification schemes used by buyers, councils, housing associations, and principal contractors. But they are not the same. Here's what you need to know.
Scheme Comparison
| Scheme | Type | H&S Focus | Wider Compliance | Who Accepts It | Approx Cost | SSIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHAS | H&S Pre-qual | Core | No | Widespread | ~£300–500/yr | Yes |
| SMAS Worksafe | H&S Pre-qual | Core | No | Widespread | ~£200–400/yr | Yes |
| Constructionline Silver | PQQ Database | Core | Partial | Major buyers | ~£300–600/yr | Yes |
| Constructionline Gold/CAS | PQQ Database | Full | Yes | Tier 1 / public sector | ~£500–900/yr | Yes |
| SafeContractor | H&S Pre-qual | Core+ | Partial | FM / widespread | ~£300–500/yr | Yes |
| NRTAUK NAS Basic | Independent Cert | Core | Partial | NRTAUK buyers | £749/yr | Independent |
| NRTAUK NAS Silver | Independent Cert | Full | Yes | NRTAUK buyers | £950/yr | Independent |
| NRTAUK NAS Gold | Independent Cert | Yes | Yes | NRTAUK buyers | £1,150/yr | Independent |
* Costs are approximate and may vary. Always check directly with the scheme for current pricing. NRTAUK NAS costs are illustrative.
Where Contractors Get Confused
SSIP Mutual Recognition
CHAS and SMAS are both SSIP members, meaning their H&S assessment is accepted in lieu of the other. For H&S pre-qualification, they are largely interchangeable with most principal contractors.
Constructionline Gold is significantly more
Constructionline Gold (Common Assessment Standard) requires environmental, quality, modern slavery, anti-bribery, and financial evidence — far beyond the SSIP core standard.
NRTAUK NAS is independent
NRTAUK NAS is not an SSIP member and is independently assessed. It includes legislative compliance requirements beyond the SSIP core, with three tiers reflecting increasing scope.
Why Checking Your Documents First Makes Sense
Every one of these schemes costs money to apply to — and most charge whether you pass or fail. Identifying gaps in your documentation before you apply avoids wasted application fees and rejection. Our £9.99 compliance scan checks your documents against all eight scheme variants in one go.
Ready to Check Your Documents?
Upload your compliance documents and get an instant gap analysis across CHAS, SMAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor and NRTAUK NAS.
One-off fee · No subscription · Plain-English report · Downloadable PDF
This tool provides an automated gap analysis based on uploaded evidence and rule-based checks. It is not legal advice, certification, approval, or a guarantee of acceptance by CHAS, SMAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor or any other organisation.