Pre-qualification is one of the most time-consuming parts of specialist subcontractor procurement — and one of the most important. For a developer or principal contractor appointing groundworks, scaffold, roofing, and fall protection contractors on a large residential scheme, the pre-qualification process is the first line of defence against the risks that come with engaging a subcontractor who can’t demonstrate the standards required.
But pre-qualification is only as useful as what it actually verifies. A subcontractor who can produce a CHAS certificate and a method statement template isn’t necessarily operating to the standard those documents imply. And the administrative burden of verifying four separate specialist subcontractors — each with their own accreditation portfolio, their own insurance documentation, and their own competency frameworks — is significant, particularly when it has to be repeated for every new project.
What Pre-Qualification Should Actually Cover
Genuine pre-qualification goes beyond checking that a certificate exists. It verifies that the accreditation is current, that the scope of the accreditation matches the work being tendered, and that the subcontractor’s operational approach — their method statements, their risk assessments, their site management structure — reflects the standard the accreditation implies.
For groundworks, that means confirming that the contractor’s plant operators hold CPCS or NPORS certification for the specific plant categories required on the project, not just a generic plant licence. For scaffolding, it means verifying CISRS card grades for the specific scaffold configurations required, not just confirming that some operatives hold CISRS cards. For roofing on NHBC-registered developments, it means confirming that the contractor holds NHBC accreditation and understands the documentation requirements at mid-build inspection stages. For fall protection, it means verifying FASET accreditation — the industry’s specific standard for safety netting contractors — rather than accepting a generic health and safety accreditation as equivalent.
The Accreditation Framework Across the Globe Group
Across the Globe Group’s four divisions, the accreditation framework is maintained at group level and covers the specific requirements of the housing developer and principal contractor market.
Globe Civil Engineering holds CHAS accreditation and CITB membership, with CPCS and NPORS certified plant operators across the relevant plant categories for East Anglian ground conditions. Globe Cambridge holds Constructionline Gold, CHAS Advanced, CISRS certification, and NASC membership — the scaffolding industry’s primary trade body, whose members are audited against the NASC’s own standards in addition to the wider accreditation framework. Globe Roofing holds NHBC, LABC, and Premier warranty body accreditation alongside CHAS certification. Red Safety Netting holds FASET accreditation — with 100% CSCS-certified operatives and IPAF certification for MEWPs — alongside CISRS certification.
That accreditation framework is consistent in format, current, and available as part of the Globe Group’s pre-qualification documentation — reducing the administrative burden on the procurement team and providing a clear, auditable basis for approving each division.
What Pre-Qualification Doesn’t Always Catch
Pre-qualification processes are good at verifying that a subcontractor meets a baseline standard. They are less good at verifying how a subcontractor performs when things get difficult — when the programme is under pressure, when the site conditions are more challenging than anticipated, when a key operative is unavailable and a replacement needs to be sourced quickly.
The Globe Group’s performance under those conditions is evidenced by its track record with the developers and principal contractors who have worked with its divisions across multiple schemes. Vistry, Taylor Wimpey, Barratt Homes, Persimmon, Bellway, Wates, Kier, and Skanska apply rigorous ongoing performance standards as well as pre-qualification requirements. The Globe Group’s 449,280 accident-free hours and 97% on-time project delivery record reflects performance across those conditions, not just at the point of pre-qualification.
Pre-Qualification Across Multiple Packages
For developers who appoint Globe Group divisions across more than one package on the same scheme, the pre-qualification process is significantly more efficient than verifying four separate, unrelated subcontractors. The group-level accreditation framework covers all four divisions. The documentation format is consistent. And the track record that underpins the pre-qualification — the named clients, the delivery statistics, the safety record — applies across all four divisions rather than having to be verified separately for each.
That efficiency compounds across a phased development, where pre-qualification documentation has to be reviewed for each phase. A developer who has pre-qualified Globe Group divisions on phase one has a significantly reduced verification burden for phases two, three, and beyond.
To request pre-qualification documentation for any Globe Group division, or to discuss your requirements across groundworks, scaffold, roofing, and fall protection, contact us today.
