Free construction template
Subcontractor Pre-Qualification Questionnaire
A blank questionnaire to send a subcontractor before you appoint them. They fill it in and send it back to you, with their insurance certificates, training cards and an example of their RAMS.
Free, no sign-up. PDF to print, or Word to fill in on a computer.
Anyone who appoints a contractor must take reasonable steps to check that the contractor has the skills, knowledge and experience, and, for a firm, the organisational capability, to do the work safely (CDM 2015, regulation 8). A pre-qualification questionnaire is one way to ask.
HSE says the questions should be sensible and proportionate: ask only for what tells you about the risks of the job and the firm's capability, and avoid excessive or duplicated paperwork (L153, paragraph 60). Leave out any section you do not need for the job.
The subcontractor fills the form in and returns it to you. Keep their answers, and copies of their certificates, with your own record for that subcontractor.
Download a blank subcontractor pre-qualification questionnaire template
Free, no sign-up. Print the PDF and fill it in by hand, or fill in the Word file on a computer.
Includes a declaration and a box for the builder's decision.
What the questionnaire asks
- Company details
- Accreditation
- Insurance
- Construction Industry Scheme (CIS)
- Training and cards
- Health and safety policy
- Example of your RAMS
- Accidents and HSE action in the last three years
- References
- Declaration
- For the builder
Checking the answers
- Send it before you agree the job, so the answers can still change your decision.
- Check each certificate against the answers: the firm's name, the cover and the expiry date. Employers' liability cover must be at least £5 million (Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, regulation 3). Our guide to checking a subcontractor's insurance says what to record.
- Accreditation is not required by law, and HSE says a scheme assessment is not proof that a firm can manage the risks of the work on site (HSE). Read more in our SSIP accreditation guide.
- If you are a CIS contractor, verify a new subcontractor with HMRC before you pay them. HMRC tells you whether they are registered and what rate of deduction to use (HMRC).
- Check training cards with CSCS Smart Check. CSCS says looking at a card will not show that it is fake or has been revoked (CSCS). See our CSCS Smart Check guide.
- Their example RAMS shows how they plan work. You still need RAMS for your job before they start: see how to review subcontractor RAMS.
- For bigger contracts, HSE points to the standard health and safety questions in PAS 91 as a useful aid (L153, paragraph 60).
- Note every expiry date, and check again before each one runs out.
After the questionnaire
Our guide to managing subcontractors takes you from choosing a subcontractor to the end of their work, with a free record sheet.
In The Site Book Business, you keep a record for each firm on a project: the RAMS, insurance, training and certificates you checked, with the expiry date and your note on what you found. It is your own record. The Site Book does not contact your subcontractors or ask them to upload anything.
Related on The Site Book
Managing Subcontractors: A Builder's Guide
Choosing, appointing, before they start, on site and at the finish, with a free record sheet.
How to Review Subcontractor RAMS
Check their RAMS against the job, the site and the interfaces before work starts.
What Insurance Do Builders Need?
Employers' liability, public liability and contractor's all-risk, and checking a subcontractor's cover.
SSIP Accreditation for Small Builders
What SSIP is, what the schemes check, and what it does not prove.
Running jobs with regular subcontractors?
See how Business keeps each firm's checked paperwork with the job, alongside team logins and inspections, on a short walkthrough.
Sources
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 8 (general duties) — legislation.gov.uk · Accessed 5 November 2026
- The Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, regulation 15 (duties of contractors) — legislation.gov.uk · Accessed 5 November 2026
- Managing health and safety in construction (L153), paragraphs 58 to 65 — Health and Safety Executive · Accessed 5 November 2026
- Health and safety conformity assessment schemes — Health and Safety Executive · Accessed 5 November 2026
- The Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Regulations 1998, regulation 3 — legislation.gov.uk · Accessed 5 November 2026
- Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969: a brief guide for employers (HSE40) — Health and Safety Executive · Accessed 5 November 2026
- What you must do as a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) contractor: verify subcontractors — HM Revenue and Customs (GOV.UK) · Accessed 5 November 2026
- How can I check a CSCS card? — CSCS · Accessed 5 November 2026
- Prepare a health and safety policy — Health and Safety Executive · Accessed 5 November 2026
This template is general guidance, not legal advice. It covers Great Britain under CDM 2015; Northern Ireland has its own CDM 2016 Regulations. Adapt it to your own jobs.