What Documents Should You Request From a New Contractor?

Document collection is the unglamorous half of contractor vetting — and the half that matters when something goes wrong. If an incident, dispute or audit ever asks 'what did you check before appointing this business?', the answer is your file. Here is what belongs in it.

Insurance documents

• Public liability insurance certificate — at a level appropriate to the property and work, with the insured name matching the entity you are contracting with
• Employer's liability insurance — where the contractor employs staff
• Professional indemnity — where the work involves design, specification or advice
• Diary the expiry dates — an expired certificate on file is a false comfort

Competence evidence

• Scheme memberships and third-party certifications relevant to the trade — verified against the issuing body where practical
• Qualifications of the individuals who will carry out and sign off the work
• Examples of comparable commercial work — building types, scope and dates
• Sample certification from recent jobs where the trade produces it — electrical work being the classic example

Health and safety documents

• Health and safety policy — proportionate to the size of the business
• Sample risk assessments and method statements for work similar to yours; job-specific RAMS before higher-risk works start
• Relevant training evidence for hazardous activities — working at height, hot works, asbestos awareness where applicable
• Accreditations from recognised H&S assessment schemes, where held — useful signals, though not substitutes for the documents themselves

Commercial and administrative

• Company details — registered name, number and address, so contracts name the right entity
• References from comparable clients — and actually call them
• Agreed rates, call-out terms and payment terms in writing before the first job
• Waste carrier registration where the work generates waste the contractor removes

Make the file a system, not a folder

Two habits separate useful files from dead ones. First, record expiry dates and chase renewals — insurance and time-limited certifications lapse silently. Second, standardise: request the same set from every contractor so gaps are visible. This is the operational core of an approved contractor list.

Contractor profiles on Regency Contractors Network are structured around exactly this information — services, credentials, insurance and coverage — reviewed before listing, with document expiry monitoring built into the platform. It gives client organisations a head start on the file every appointment needs.