sia.homeoffice.gov.uk Approved Contractor Scheme United Kingdom : Security Industry Authority

Name of the Organization : Security Industry Authority
Type of Facility : Approved Contractor Scheme
State : Merseyside
Country : United Kingdom

Website : http://www.sia.homeoffice.gov.uk/Pages/acs-intro.aspx

Approved Contractor Scheme :

** The objective of the SIA’s Approved Contractor scheme is to raise performance standards and to assist the private security industry in developing new opportunities.

** The scheme is voluntary and was developed in consultation with representatives from across the industry; it only covers those parts of the industry that are regulated by the SIA and the Private Security Industry Act 2001 (as amended).
** There is a single scheme, with sector-specific approval based on a relevant set of qualifying criteria.
** It is an offence for a company to claim it is an approved contractor when it is not; this includes indirectly claiming to be an approved contractor by displaying the ACS accreditation mark.
** The penalty is a fine of up to £5,000.

Need more information :
If you have any enquiries regarding the ACS please send us an e-mail or write to us at –
Approved Contractor Scheme,
Security Industry Authority,
PO Box 49768,
London,
WC1V 6WY.

Approved Contractor Scheme Fees :
The fees charged by the SIA relate to :
Pre-approval :
** The application fee, payable for processing of the application including initial eligibility checks

Post-approval :
** The annual registration fee, payable on approval to cover the operational costs of the scheme.
** This fee is payable each year that approved status is maintained.

** This fee is subject to annual review and was reduced on 1 January 2012 from £17 to £15

Other fees payable that are relevant to approval but are not levied by the SIA are :
** Fees paid to assessing bodies to assess whether the applicant meets the requirements for approval
** Fees paid to independent assessing bodies for relevant accreditations used to support Passport applications
** Your application fee is non-refundable once the processing of the application has begun.
** If successful, you will be invited to pay the annual registration fee for your Approved Contractor status to be confirmed.

Benefits of Using an Approved Contractor :
** Choosing an ACS accredited supplier for the provision of your contract security services will help you to meet your security obligations to your staff, shareholders and other stakeholders.

Continuity of Service :
** Suppliers of security services who are not Approved Contractors are only able to deploy staff that physically hold a valid SIA licence; to do otherwise is a criminal offence.**

Best Practice and Continuity of Quality :
** You can be confident that the employment practices of the supplier have been extensively assessed in respect of quality and best practice.
** Should the Approved Contractor sub-contract, you can be assured that they will only do so to other SIA Approved Contractors, thereby maintaining the integrity of your security supply.

Clear Customer Focus and Increased Flexibility :
** You can expect effective customer-focused procedures in place to overcome any issues that arise in service delivery.
** The ACS Standard encourages service customisation, rather than ‘off-the-shelf’ packages.
** This will help ensure that the services delivered more closely reflect your precise requirements.

Leadership and Innovation :
** The ACS is a progressive quality initiative. It’s also a voluntary scheme.
** You can expect accredited providers to be highly responsive to change and swift to adopt new methods and best practices.

The Extended Police Family :
** The status of the ACS is recognised by the police and offers the potential for enhanced working relationships.
** The aim is to provide practical benefits through ‘joined-up’ police, business and community initiatives.