A M Water Services Ltd — Integrated Management System

SOP 5.3 Evaluation and Approval of Suppliers & Subcontractors

Issue 3 | 1 May 2026
Document ReferenceSOP_5.3
Issue Number3
Issue Date01/05/2026
Next Review01/05/2027
Approved ByAaron Mason, Director
Controlled ByAaron / Leanne Mason · Sean Ashton

Evaluation and Approval of Suppliers & Subcontractors

ISO 9001:2015 Clause 8.4 · ISO 14001:2015 Clause 8.1 · ISO 45001:2018 Clauses 8.1.4.2 & 8.1.4.3 — Control of externally provided processes, products and services; contractor and outsourcing controls

Procedure overview
A M Water Services maintains an approved supplier and subcontractor list (APP_22) covering every external party providing materials, plant hire, services or labour to AMWS. New suppliers are evaluated through a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) covering both HSQE and commercial evidence; the HSQE Consultant and the Directors review the returned PQQ together; only fully-compliant suppliers are added to the approved list with their category(s) of approved work clearly recorded. Approved suppliers must provide annual business insurance evidence, and the approved-supplier list is monitored monthly for upcoming insurance and certification expiries. Purchase orders are only issued to parties on the approved list with current insurances on file. Records of evaluations, supporting evidence and PO history are retained per SOP 4.7.

Supplier & Subcontractor Evaluation — Process Flow

Director (MD)
Aaron Mason
Identify Need & Issue PQQ
Identify need for a new supplier or subcontractor (material, plant, service, labour)
Issue Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) to candidate contractor
PQQ template
Candidate Supplier / Subcontractor
External
Submit Evidence
Complete pre-qualification questionnaire
Submit completed PQQ along with required HSQE and commercial evidence (insurances, certifications, references, accident history, sample RAMS)
HSQE Consultant & Directors
Sean Ashton
Aaron Mason (MD)
Leanne Mason (Director)
Evaluate, Approve & Monitor
Review completed PQQ and supporting HSQE / commercial documentation
Returned documents fully compliant?
No
Request improvement actions; re-evaluate, or source alternative supplier
Yes
Establish category(s) of work the contractor is approved to undertake
Add new contractor to approved supplier / subcontractor list with approved work category(s)
APP_22 Supplier Register
Inform Director (Finance & Admin) that contractor meets HSQE and commercial requirements
File returned PQQ and supporting documents
Receive annual business insurance policies from each approved supplier
Monthly: monitor approved supplier list, flagging key documents (insurance, certifications) due to expire
Process / Activity
Decision Point
Document / Cross-reference
Approve / Continue
Reject / Improvement
Purchase order discipline — approved list, current insurance, no exceptions
A purchase order or work instruction may only be issued to a party that is: (a) on the current approved supplier / subcontractor list (APP_22); and (b) holds insurance evidence on file that is in date for the period the work will be performed. The Director (Finance & Admin) checks both gates before issuing each PO. Where a one-off urgent need arises that cannot be filled from the approved list, an emergency PQQ is run on a short-form basis (insurance + RAMS + reference check minimum) before any work is instructed; the Director (MD) signs off the deviation and the supplier is added to the list within 30 days of the urgent engagement starting. Suppliers whose insurance lapses are suspended from the list until current evidence is provided.