The government’s bpss checks (Baseline Personnel Security Standard) are designed to protect national security by assuring the trustworthiness of new hires. They involve checking a candidate’s Right to Work in the UK, Identity, Criminal Record and Employment History as well as verifying any extended periods of time spent abroad (a minimum of 6 months within the past 3 years).

While the government recommends that all organisations carry out a full suite of bpss checks for their permanent employees, it doesn’t always happen for contractors and agency workers. Often it’s because the process of carrying out this complex set of checks is time-consuming and can easily overwhelm HR teams.

BPSS Checks: A Fundamental Guide to Establishing Personnel Security Standards

But there’s also a growing recognition that it doesn’t make sense to ignore the fact that many agency and contract staff have access to the same information and assets as permanent staff and must be subject to the same background checks. That’s why an increasing number of companies are implementing the four essential components of the bpss check as part of their screening policies and are starting to put a greater emphasis on ongoing checks or ‘rescreening’.

VettingGateway, the leading online background checking platform makes it easy to manage all areas of a bpss check with one simple process. We can take care of your DBS and third party reference checking providers, and upload all certificates automatically once completed. It’s the fast, accurate and legally compliant way to ensure that you get the most from your BPSS checks. Get started today with our free starter licence.