Failing a health and safety prequalification is frustrating — especially when you know you're running a safe business. In most cases, failure has nothing to do with unsafe work. It comes down to how evidence is captured, presented, and maintained over time.
This costs time, money, and contract opportunities — especially when the fix is often simpler than businesses realise.
Here are the most common reasons prequalifications fail in New Zealand — and what actually fixes them.
1. The Evidence Exists — But Isn't Documented
This is the number one failure point.
You might:
- Hold toolbox talks regularly
- Train staff on the job
- Manage hazards day to day
But if it's not recorded in a way an assessor can verify, it effectively doesn't exist.
Why assessors fail this:
Assessors can only score what they can see. Verbal processes, whiteboard discussions, or undocumented training don't count.
How to fix it:
Capture routine safety activity as simple, repeatable records — meetings, inspections, inductions, hazard reports — done as part of normal work, not as a one-off prequalification exercise.
2. Documents Don't Match What Happens on Site
Another common issue is inconsistency between what policies say and what actually happens.
Examples:
- Generic or consultant-written policies that don't reflect your business
- Procedures that look good on paper but aren't used
- Forms completed "just for prequal" and never again
Why assessors fail this:
Assessors look for alignment. When documents describe systems that aren't supported by real activity, it raises red flags.
How to fix it:
Use documentation that reflects how your business really operates — supported by live records that show those processes in action.
3. No Ongoing Activity or Follow-Up
Prequalification isn't a snapshot — it's about patterns over time.
Common gaps include:
- No regular site inspections
- Incidents reported but not followed up
- Actions raised but never closed
Why assessors fail this:
Assessors expect to see evidence of review, follow-up, and continuous improvement — not just isolated events.
How to fix it:
Show a clear trail:
- Activity occurs
- Issues are identified
- Actions are assigned
- Actions are closed
This doesn't need to be complex — it just needs to be consistent.
4. Treating Prequalification as a One-Off Task
Many businesses scramble once a year to "get prequal done", then ignore it until the next renewal.
That usually leads to:
- Rushed submissions
- Gaps in evidence
- Rebuilding everything from scratch
Why assessors fail this:
Inconsistent or last-minute evidence is easy to spot and usually scores poorly.
How to fix it:
Treat prequalification as a by-product of normal operations, not a separate annual project. When safety records are created as part of everyday work, renewal becomes straightforward.
The Consultant Dependency Trap
Many businesses hire consultants to "fix" prequalification — but this often creates a different problem:
- Documentation written in consultant language
- Internal teams don't understand the system
- Next year, you're dependent on the same consultant again
Sustainable fix:
Build internal capability so your team owns and operates the system year-round. Prequalification works best when it's embedded into daily operations — not outsourced once a year.
5. Misunderstanding How Assessors Actually Score
Assessors aren't looking for perfection. They're looking for:
- Consistency
- Credibility
- Evidence over time
Strong submissions usually show:
- The same systems used across different activities
- Records that build month by month
- Clear links between hazards, actions, and outcomes
Weak submissions rely heavily on policies alone.
Key point:
A smaller set of well-used records almost always scores better than a large bundle of unused documents.
6. How to Fix Prequalification Failures — Without Rewriting Everything Every Year
You don't need a new consultant or a full rewrite each renewal cycle.
What works is:
- One core set of practical systems
- Evidence captured once and reused across schemes
- Records that automatically build your prequalification profile over time
When your safety activity is structured this way, meeting different scheme requirements becomes far easier — because the underlying expectations are largely the same.
Final Thought
Most prequalification failures are process problems, not safety problems.
If your business:
- Is doing the work
- Is managing risks
- Is engaging workers
Then the fix is almost always about how evidence is captured and maintained, not about starting again.
If you're dealing with specific schemes like Tōtika, SiteWise, IMPAC PREQUAL, or SHE Pre-Qual, understanding what assessors expect makes all the difference.
Read more: How Health & Safety Prequalification Works in New Zealand
Build Evidence That Assessors Accept
ThinkSafe helps New Zealand contractors capture evidence through normal operations — so prequalification becomes a by-product of the work you're already doing, not a separate annual project.
