Vistry Group Accounts

CQMS provide supply chain management services including new account set ups and renewal assessments for Subcontractors, Principal Contractors, Designers, Principal Designers, and some Consultants.

These companies are collectively known as ‘suppliers’, and they are all assessed to the CQMS ‘Enhanced’ standard/compliance level.

It is important to note that the assessment process is in place to determine IF the supplier meets the Vistry Group standards; there is no guarantee that the organisation does comply with the minimum standards however if they are willing to engage in the assessment process and act upon the feedback from the CQMS auditor they will be able to gain compliance.

Assessments include:

H&S module assessment (SSIP standard)

CSR modules assessment (covering enhanced H&S, insurances, quality, environmental, and anti-bribery etc)

Collation and review of information for COINS Account Set up and updates of relevant information for COINS maintenance

Trade module assessment if applicable to trade (for demolition, scaffold contractors and timber frame erectors only)

We then proactively monitor the CQMS Portal and request annual updates for the Vistry Group supply chain to their insurances and certifications, and, if applicable, self billing agreements.

CQMS provide a reduced assessment process (which removes the H&S module assessments and COINS Set up) for:

Contingent Agency Suppliers

Group Suppliers

Vistry Works Agency Suppliers

Vistry Catering Suppliers

Client buyers can log in to the CQMS Portal https://www.cqmssupplychainmanagement.com/ to view the current ‘live’ status of companies at any time.

The following suppliers fall outside the scope of CQMS' services to Vistry Group:

Suppliers who provide services other than site/development services (e.g. solicitor)

Utility companies

You should send these directly to the Group Accounts Payable Team.

All other suppliers are to be registered and certificated with CQMS including Group Material Only suppliers who undergo a reduced assessment process.

To clarify, any companies whose own trade falls outside of requiring an assessment but who appoint bona fide subcontractors to undertake works (e.g. archaeologists, who appoint subcontractors to undertake groundworks) will need to be assessed by CQMS.

Examples of companies who generally fall outside of the assessment process:

Sustainability consultant

Lawyer

Daylight/sunlight consultant

Travel planning consultant

Conveyancing plans

PR consultant

Examples of companies that are frequently queried but who do require assessment:

Fire Safety Consultant

Landscape Architect

Mechanical & Electrical Designer

Principal Designer

As the definition of ‘design’ under the CDM Regulations 2015 is very broad, it is always advisable to contact CQMS or the Vistry Group SHE department to discuss whether a specific company requires assessment where there is any doubt.

Where the company require CQMS assessment, the set up and maintenance of Purchase Ledger accounts will be managed by CQMS.

You can download a copy of the PL Account Set Up Form at the bottom of this page, which needs to be completed and sent to CQMS with the relevant supporting information (see #6). We will then onboard the company onto the CQMS Portal to begin the assessment process and, upon completion, send all relevant information to the Vistry Group Accounts Payable department to create their PL account on COINS.

Please inform them as soon as possible that CQMS will be making contact with them to obtain the information listed in #6, and that their prompt response is very important to avoid delays.

It is also recommended that you emphasise the importance of the supplier completing the full process with CQMS (H&S and CSR modules) in order to comply with the Vistry Group and standards and requirements for competency.

Please also advise them that there will be a payment to make directly to CQMS, which will need to be allocated to their account before any information is processed.

This will depend upon whether they hold existing H&S certifications with a member of SSIP and whether we need to obtain the COINS information; please see the CQMS website for details: https://cqms-ltd.co.uk/cqms-safety-scheme-fees/ .

(a) Account Set Up Form (SC or PL as appropriate), signed by Commercial/Finance Director
Copy available below.

(b) Relevant insurance documents
i.e. employers, public liability, professional indemnity etc.

(c) Letterhead (Note: SC accounts only)

(d) Evidence of supplier bank account e.g. bank paying in slip

(e) VAT Certificate
[FOR VAT REGISTERED SUPPLIERS ONLY]

(f) Self-Billing Agreement(s)
[FOR VAT REGISTERED SUPPLIERS ONLY]

(g) Employment Status Form
[FOR SOLE TRADERS ONLY]

(h) Factoring company:
> Letterhead
> Bank evidence

All new account set up requests should be emailed to support@cqms-ltd.com

If any of the information (b-h above) is missing, CQMS will contact the supplier directly to obtain.

If a supplier already has an active account on COINS and the CQMS database, they can be easily added to another KCO with a like-for-like account (e.g. SC to SC, or PL to PL).

Please send an email to support@cqms-ltd.com and copy in your Commercial Director, clearly stating the full name of the supplier, their COINS Subcontract Account Number and the KCO you want them adding to.

If you want to transfer a supplier with a PL account to an SC account, please complete the SC Account Set Up Form and send to CQMS with the supplier’s letterhead which must contain the information listed in #8 c).

If the supplier has current certification in place with CQMS, there will be no fees payable at the point of adding them to another KCO however if their certification has expired or has not been completed at the time of your transfer request we will contact the supplier to complete the necessary modules and make appropriate payment. Please note that the supplier must have achieved compliance with the Vistry Group standards in order for the transfer request to be sent to, and actioned by, Group Accounts Payable.

(a) Account Set Up Form
This must be fully completed, and must show authorisation via signature from the Commercial Director (or via separate supporting email from the Commercial Director).

(b) Relevant insurance documents, i.e. employers, public liability, professional indemnity etc.
CQMS and Group Accounts Payable are unable to accept schedules as these are only an invitation to pay. We require proof that the insurance is actually in place, such as a ‘To Whom it May Concern’ letter from the broker, Confirmation of Insurance or evidence that full payment has been made, or a Certificate of Insurance.
The insurance information must provide the following details:
> Type of insurance
> Name of insured company (correct legal company name)
> Name of insurer
> Dates insurance valid – from and to dates required
> Insured amount
> Policy number

For suppliers that are required to hold Professional Indemnity insurance they are also required to provide a schedule that details the scope of cover including all exclusions, breakdowns and separate levels. As well as provide details of any claims taken against the current Professional Indemnity insurance.

(c) Letterhead
This must detail:
> Bank account name
> Bank account number
> Bank sort code
> Name of bank e.g. Barclays Bank Plc
> Remittance email address
> VAT registration number
> Company information, dependent upon type of company, i.e.

(i) LIMITED COMPANY
> Company registration number
> UTR number

(ii) PARTNERSHIP
> Company registration number
> UTR number of lead partner
> First name of lead partner
> Last name of lead partner
> NI number of lead partner

(iii) SOLE TRADER
> UTR number of sole trader
> First name of sole trader
> Last name of sole trader
> NI number of sole trader

(d) Evidence of Supplier Bank Details
Such as a bank paying in slip, voided cheque, copy of bank statement

(e) VAT Certificate
[FOR VAT REGISTERED SUPPLIERS ONLY]
This must state show the correct legal company name, and be a valid VAT Certificate / Certificate of Registration for Value Added Tax.
If a Group VAT Certificate is provided, it must show the legal entity which is being set up

(f) Self-Billing Agreement(s)
[FOR VAT REGISTERED SUPPLIERS ONLY]
Please ensure the form is fully completed (all top and bottom sections) and detail the correct legal company name and corresponding correct VAT number.

The self billing agreement must contain a ‘real’ signature in the signature field; scanned signatures are also acceptable although please note that type written are not.

If a supplier chooses to opt out of self billing, the Commercial Director must provide authorisation via email to CQMS.

(g) Employment Status Form
[FOR SOLE TRADERS ONLY]
Must be fully completed and signed.

(h) Factoring Company
> Letterhead from factoring company confirming they are factoring for the supplier, and confirming their bank details
> Bank evidence from factoring company e.g. paying in slip, bank statement

The most common reasons are:

The supplier has not completed and submitted the modules

The supplier hasn’t made payment to CQMS

The supplier has not met the minimum standards for the compliance levels during the assessment process

The Commercial Director hasn’t given their authorisation

Missing information e.g. no VAT certificate, or the letterhead doesn’t contain all the information needed

Information doesn’t match across the suite of documents; generally inconsistencies in the company name, VAT number or company type (sole trader/partnership/ltd etc)

The supplier hasn’t registered for CIS (if applicable)

The online Portal https://www.cqmssupplychainmanagement.com/ shows the status of suppliers, and should be the first place to check. If you do not yet have a login, please email support@cqms-ltd.com with the following details:

First name

Last name

Email address

Business unit

Your default view will be companies assigned to just your business unit, but by changing/removing filters you can view other business units or the entire Vistry list. A clear colour coding system is automatically applied, as follows:

Red = expired, or module not started by the supplier,
Yellow = module not started by the supplier or not submitted, awaiting payment, or awaiting review by CQMS
Green = module deemed acceptable, and in date

Companies who have passed the assessment process are awarded a certificate containing a unique registration number for the validity of their certificate.

You can find the certificate by going to the individual company’s profile on the CQMS Portal, then clicking ‘certificates’ subtab. By clicking on the expiry date, you can download a copy of the certificate if needed.

When a supplier has completed the process, all the relevant modules will be showing as ‘green’. For the ‘Enhanced’ compliance level these modules will be:

H&S module (SSIP)

Vistry Supplementary H&S module

CSR: Environmental module

CSR: Quality module

CSR: Anti-Bribery module

CSR: Anti-Slavery module

CSR: Professional standing module

Employers liability insurance

Public liability insurance

Further modules will be required as standard subject to the supplier’s trade:

Vistry COINS module (for new account set ups)

Vistry self billing module (if the supplier is VAT registered and wishes to self bill)

Professional indemnity insurance (for suppliers providing a design and/or consultancy service)

Product liability insurance (for material suppliers)

Demolition module (for suppliers undertaking demolition works)

Scaffold module (for scaffolding contractors)

Timber frame erector module (for timber frame erectors only)

An account is made dormant by the Group Accounts Payable Team if payment hasn’t been made for 2 years. In these cases, a full account set up is required to reactivate it. Please see above for details of the information needed for an account set up.

Additionally, the Group Accounts Payable Team may make an account dormant if the company's CQMS compliance has lapsed i.e. if they have not completed the renewal process and obtained their new CQMS Safety-Scheme Enhanced certificate. In these cases, the company needs to work through the assessment requirements to demonstrate their compliance with the relevant standards in order to receive their CQMS Safety-Scheme Enhanced certificate.

There is no set amount of time as there are many factors to take into account which are outside of CQMS’ control, including:

• The quality, accuracy and completeness of information received from the Vistry business unit for the new account set up or transfer, and subsequent responses to CQMS requests for further information or clarification;
  
• The supplier’s response times to CQMS’ request for modules to be completed, and the quality of the information they submit in relation to the minimum standards to be met within each module;
  
• The time it takes for the supplier to make payment to CQMS for the assessment process;
  
• The supplier’s response times to requests for additional information or evidence within the modules if rejected by the CQMS audit team;
  
• The time it takes for any queries to be resolved with third parties such as the Supply Chain Sustainability School, other SSIP members, etc.
  
  It is important to note that the assessment process is there to determine IF the supplier meets the Vistry Group standards; there is no guarantee that the organisation does comply with the minimum standards however if they are willing to engage in the assessment process and act upon the feedback from the CQMS auditor they will be able to gain compliance.
  
  The areas within our control are our response times to emails and turnaround times on assessments which are ready to be reviewed by the auditing team. CQMS team aim to respond to emails within 2 working days of receipt, and review assessments within 7 working days of receipt of the module or payment (whichever is the latter). It is important to note that suppliers typically do not pass all modules on the first submission, so they are likely to have further information to provide following the review of modules by the CQMS audit team.
  
  There is a fast track service available for an additional fee where assessments are reviewed by the CQMS auditing team within 24 hours of receipt of the module or payment (whichever is the latter), and the same fast track turnaround times are applied to module resubmissions within the same payment period, e.g. if a supplier’s first submissions are rejected.
  

Suppliers will be required to complete the CQMS assessment modules and demonstrate that they meet the minimum standards for compliance with the Vistry standard.

During the assessment process they will be asked to provide written responses, provide copies of their policies, procedures and training documents, and confirm their acceptance of Vistry Group rules such as Alcohol & Drugs.

Each module contains a Guide for suppliers which explains the overarching requirements, provides further detail on each question, and lists the common evidence which is typically supplied in order to meet the standards. Copies of these are also available to Vistry Group personnel via the following link: https://cqms-ltd.co.uk/vistry-group-supplier-guidance/

CQMS have a suite of editable template documents freely available for suppliers to download, review, tailor/amend to be specific and bespoke to their organisation and implement.

In most instances where modules have not been reviewed by CQMS it is because the supplier has not paid the invoice issued out to them. Payment to CQMS is required before modules are placed under review with our auditors. Where payment has been made, CQMS advise a seven working day turnaround from payment (or resubmission) to receiving a response on the audit.

If the supplier has paid for the assessment and the modules have not been accepted, it is because the supplier has not met the minimum requirements. The auditor provides clear and concise feedback so the supplier can understand where the shortfall is, and what they need to supply.

It is important to note that the assessment process is in place to determine IF the supplier meets the Vistry Group standards; there is no guarantee that the organisation does comply with the minimum standards, however, if they are willing to engage in the assessment process and act upon the feedback from the CQMS auditor, they will be able to gain compliance. It is outside of CQMS’ control whether they choose to engage in the process and make improvements within their organisation in order to meet the Vistry Group standard.

When a supplier is listed for Demolition works and they do not hold NFDC membership, CQMS will contact the Regional Managing Director for approval of the Trade Demolition module; their response is required before this module can be approved and this can occasionally cause delays.

How do I contact CQMS?

Please call our offices on 01476 594410 or email us at support@cqms-ltd.com and we will be happy to assist you.

Suppliers can contact us by telephone or email safety-scheme@cqms-ltd.com and we offer support and guidance through the process within the fee they pay.

How do I contact the Group Accounts Payable Team?

Please contact 01277 260000 or email group.forms@vistrygroup.co.uk for queries or information regarding companies not requiring CQMS accreditation.

The Group Accounts Payable Team can also assist with any questions you may have relating to payments and supplier accounts on COINS. They also deal directly with changes to supplier bank details; if you receive changes to bank details from suppliers please follow the Vistry process found on DUG and contact the Group Accounts Payable Team if you have any queries.