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You must pass an assessment every 12 months to remain an approved contractor. You need to arrange the assessment and complete a self-assessment in time.

This guidance explains how to prepare for your annual assessments.

Arranging your assessment

You are responsible for arranging your assessment. We can apply sanctions to your business if your assessment is not completed in time.聽Find out more about the sanctions we can apply.

To arrange your assessment, you must:

• choose an assessing body
• arrange a date and time for the assessment
• pay for the assessment

You can choose to be assessed by your original assessing body or a new one. The assessing body you choose must be approved by us.

Your assessment must take place within 12 months of your previous assessment. We start counting from the date your previous assessment is completed. This is usually the date of the closing meeting.

You have until the end of that month in the following year. For example:

• if your previous assessment was on 12 January 2025, your next assessment is due by 31 January 2026
• if your previous assessment was on 21 March 2025, your next assessment is due by 30 March 2026

This applies even if there is a gap between your assessment and approval. For example, if you were assessed in January and we approved you in March, your next assessment is due the following January.

The cost of your assessment is handled directly between you and your chosen assessing body. The payment for your assessment is separate from your annual registration fee, which you pay directly to us.

Completing your self-assessment

You must complete a self-assessment before the assessor鈥檚 visit.

You will need the ACS self-assessment workbook on this page: Applying for ACS approval: guidance and forms. You should review and update your previous self-assessment, accounting for:

• any organisational changes
• comments from your previous assessment

What to expect from your assessment

The focus of your annual assessment will vary each year.

Every 3 years, all 78 indicators are assessed.

In the intervening years, your assessor will focus on service delivery. They will verify your scores for the indicators most relevant to that.

Your assessor is also likely to:

• check any scores that you have changed since your previous self-assessment
• check your scores for any indicators affected by changes in circumstance 鈥� for example, your company is now approved for more sectors, has grown substantially, or has undergone a merger or acquisition
• check your scores for any indicators that we have introduced or changed since your previous assessment
• review any areas the previous assessment identified as needing improvement

Your assessor will also look at anything else that we tell them to.

Changing the date of your assessment

You can move your assessment to an earlier date if you wish. You do not need our permission to do this.

Moving your assessment to an earlier date will mean that all future assessments will be due by that new date. For example, if your assessment for this year was due in June and you moved it to May, next year鈥檚 assessment will be due by 31 May.

In exceptional circumstances, you can move your assessment to a later date if we give you permission to do so. You must request this at least 30 days before your scheduled assessment date.

You must include the following information in your request:

• why you wish to delay your assessment
• why you cannot bring your assessment forward
• the new date you are proposing for your assessment

If we grant your request, your next assessment will be due by the originally scheduled date. For example, if your assessment for this year was due in June and we agreed you could delay it until August, next year鈥檚 assessment will still be due by 30 June.

If we refuse your request

We can refuse your request for a delayed assessment. If we do, then you must be assessed by the expected deadline. If you are not, we will withdraw your approval.

Some examples of when we might refuse your request are:

• you wish to delay your assessment to fit in with the availability of a consultant
• you wish to delay your assessment so that specific members of staff are available for interview

You can appeal against our decision to refuse your request. We will review the details of your request and our reasons for refusing it. We will tell you the outcome of your appeal within 5 working days.