How to check a contractor is 12D registered on UKAS CertCheck

Where the register is

Since 16 June 2022 the public list of organisations certified to NHSS 12D has been UKAS CertCheck at certcheck.ukas.com. Before that date the list was held by Lantra on its Schedule of Suppliers pages, and older guidance still points there. The certification body uploads and maintains each entry. The certified organisation is expected to check that its entry has appeared, and to review it at least once a year.

CertCheck limits how many searches you can run in a day, so have the exact registered company name ready before you start. Searching by a trading name may return nothing even when the organisation is certified.

What the entry should say

A 12D certificate is an ISO 9001 certificate with the scheme added to it, so the entry should show both ISO 9001 and NHSS 12D. The certification body that issued it should be accredited by UKAS for 12D as well as for ISO 9001. Check the scope wording against the work you are buying. The scheme document sets out standard scope wording and five categories of work: mobile and short-duration works, static layouts, dual carriageways with a limit of 40 mph or less, convoy working, and multi-phase temporary signals. You can only rely on a contractor for the categories its scope names. If you're buying convoy working and the scope stops at static layouts, the registration doesn't cover the job.

Check the site count too. An organisation with more than one depot must tell its certification body about each location and the scope at each. If a contractor is working out of a depot that isn't on the certificate, ask about it.

Motorways and high-speed roads

12D covers rural and urban roads. Work on motorways and on high-speed dual carriageways needs an organisation registered to 12A/B or 12C, and a 12D entry on CertCheck doesn't cover it.

Subcontractors

National Highways states that any subcontractor used must hold its own registration to the relevant sector scheme, and that a certified main contractor cannot act as an umbrella for an unregistered supplier. The scheme's client guidance says the same from the buyer's side. You're expected to make sure everyone on site is trained and every subcontractor is registered, whether or not they are directly employed. So if the crew that turns up is from a different company, look that company up too.

Checking operatives' cards

A registered company can still send an operative whose card has lapsed. The scheme document names two platforms that show a card holder's skills and their expiry dates: CSCS Smart Check and the Lantra card checker at lantra.co.uk/certificate-checker/. Each skill on a card has its own five-year expiry. Lantra withdrew the grace period after expiry from 1 April 2026, so a skill that expired last week is no longer valid. The scheme expects supervisors to spot-check cards on site, and the client's own supervisory staff are told to do the same.

The questions a client is told to ask

The scheme document's guidance for clients ends with a checklist. We've summarised it in our own words and grouped it the way most buyers work through it.

• Certification. Is the organisation on CertCheck, does it hold ISO 9001, has that certificate been extended to 12D, and is the certification body accredited for both?
• Scope. Does the certified scope cover the works, including the road type and the categories of work you're buying?
• Surveillance history. Can the contractor show its latest surveillance report, or say when the next visit is due, and have any action points been closed within six months?
• Operatives. Do the named people hold the training and competence evidence the scheme requires? Are their cards valid and in date, and are they qualified for the work they'll be doing?
• Subcontractors. If any of it is subcontracted, ask the same questions of the subcontractor.

The client guidance also warns that after a serious incident the police may ask for the contractor's policies, procedures, works records and the quality records for the traffic management system. Keep copies of what you were shown.

If the entry is missing

A missing entry doesn't always mean the contractor is uncertified. Newly certified organisations can take a short time to appear, and the scheme asks them to check for their own entry within two weeks. Ask to see the certificate and then ask the certification body named on it to confirm. Certification bodies have to report ceased or reduced scopes promptly. If an entry has been removed and nobody has told you why, ask about it.

If you're the contractor, SchemeReady's self-assessment includes questions on the CertCheck entry, scope wording and card checks, as well as the rest of the scheme. See how it works.