Through Qualify365, we have assessed businesses from almost every part of the economy.

That includes construction contractors, engineers, transport operators, commercial cleaners, traffic management providers, warehousing businesses and third party logistics providers.

It also includes entertainers, makeup artists, professional service providers, medical businesses, equipment suppliers and small specialist operators.

They may all look very different, but they have something in common. They provide goods or services to another organisation. That means the buyer may need confidence that the supplier understands its health and safety responsibilities and can manage the risks created by its work. That is what prequalification is supposed to achieve, not trying to turn a makeup artist into a civil contractor. It should not expect a medical supplier to produce a construction site safety plan when that document has no relevance to the work being undertaken. It should not require a small professional services business to produce the same volume of documentation as a national infrastructure contractor.

A good assessment considers context. The assessment should fit the business. Tōtika provides different assessment categories for different supplier profiles. There is an assessment pathway for sole traders and separate requirements for Category 1, Category 2 and Category 3 suppliers.

The level of detail and evidence increases as the size, risk and complexity of the business increases. This is exactly how a modern prequalification scheme should work. A sole trader may be able to explain and demonstrate their processes without maintaining a large formal health and safety management system. A small business may have straightforward procedures and registers that are entirely suitable for its operation. A larger or higher risk organisation will reasonably be expected to demonstrate more structured governance, monitoring, assurance and documented controls.

The standard itself recognises that smaller businesses should not automatically be expected to provide the same level of documentation as a larger and more complex organisation. The assessment still needs to verify that the required controls are in place, but the way a business demonstrates this can be proportionate to its circumstances.

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Construction requirements are clearly identified

Another reason for the confusion is that the Tōtika standard contains some construction specific requirements. For example, there are additional modules for principal contractors and designers operating within construction. There are also some individual questions where construction contractors are expected to provide evidence that would not apply to other industries.

That does not make the entire scheme construction specific.

It simply means that where a supplier performs construction work, the assessment needs to consider construction related responsibilities. Where the supplier does not perform construction work, those requirements should not be forced onto the business.

The same principle applies across the assessment.

A transport operator should be assessed against the risks arising from vehicles, fatigue, maintenance, driver competency and road activity. A medical provider may need to demonstrate controls for infection, biological exposure, worker competency, privacy, emergency response and occupational health. A commercial cleaner may need to demonstrate controls for chemicals, manual handling, lone work, slips and falls, equipment and work carried out at client premises.

An entertainer may have relatively limited health and safety risks, but may still need to demonstrate how those risks are identified and managed when working at different venues.

The assessment should follow the work. The work should not be forced into a construction template.

Recognition of other certifications and assessments

Tōtika also recognises that some suppliers have already completed credible external health and safety certifications or assessments. The framework provides pathways for recognising specified certifications and assessments where the required evidence is current and valid. This can include recognised certification such as ISO 45001 and, for relevant supplier categories, other approved assessments or certifications. This matters because the purpose of Tōtika is to reduce duplication.

A supplier should not need to repeatedly prove the same thing to multiple buyers through slightly different prequalification questionnaires. Where credible independent assurance already exists, the framework can recognise that assurance rather than automatically requiring the supplier to start again. That does not mean every certificate is automatically accepted. The certification or assessment still needs to meet the relevant requirements, remain current and be independently verified.

But the principle is important.

Tōtika was created to bring greater consistency and recognition into supplier prequalification, not to add another unnecessary layer of administration.

The real question for buyers

The question for a buyer should not be:

Is this supplier a construction company?

The question should be:

Does this supplier create health and safety risk through the goods or services it provides, and what level of assurance is proportionate to that risk?

For some suppliers, the answer may be a straightforward sole trader or Category 1 assessment.

For others, the work may require a more detailed Category 2 or Category 3 assessment.

Some suppliers may already hold a recognised external certification that can be credited through the framework.

What matters is that the assessment category and evidence requirements reflect the supplier’s actual work.

Not assumptions.

Not industry labels.

Not the size of the buyer.

A scheme for the entire supply chain

Tōtika is relevant wherever organisations engage suppliers and need a consistent way to evaluate health and safety capability.

That includes construction, but it extends well beyond it.

It applies to transport, logistics, cleaning, facilities management, engineering, manufacturing, maintenance, healthcare, professional services, entertainment and many other forms of contracted work.

The scheme is not about making every supplier look the same.

It is about creating a common and credible framework for understanding whether a supplier can manage its health and safety responsibilities.

That is the message we need to keep reinforcing.

Tōtika is not only for major contractors.

It is not only for construction.

It is a universal supplier prequalification framework that should be applied proportionately, based on the work being performed and the risks that work creates.

When it is applied properly, it gives buyers confidence, reduces duplication and gives suppliers a fairer and more consistent way to demonstrate their capability.

That is exactly what good prequalification should do.

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