GOING FOR SILVER
Silver accreditation confirms that you employ good practice and comply with the requirements laid out by the FORS Standard. By achieving FORS Silver accreditation your fleet will be compliant with the CLOCS Standard for Construction Logistics and with TfL’s WRRR (Work Related Road Risk).
Your route to Silver accreditation
Getting ready - FORS Standard version 5
Please check your scope of accreditation in the FORS evidencing system before submitting your application to make sure you include all operating centres in scope, but no more than that. Remember that there must be a minimum of 45 days left on your Bronze accreditation when submitting evidence for a Silver application for the first time. For re-approval of Silver, there must also be 45 days left on your Bronze and also on your Silver accreditation.
FORS has produced a number of templates to assist you with evidencing specific requirements, as listed below.
S6 Vehicle safety equipment
The FORS Standard version 5 requirement S6 Vehicle safety equipment stipulates that operators must evidence that HGVs are fitted with enhanced vulnerable road user safety equipment using the FORS vehicle safety equipment report. This report is in the form of a template which you will need to populate with the relevant information.
The spreadsheet based template is available to download from the relevant section of the evidencing system or you can click the button below to access the templates for S6.
You can check the FORS Vehicle Safety Equipment Guide here for details on how to meet all vehicle safety equipment requirements, including S6.
S7 Noise pollution
FORS has revised this template to help you meet requirement S7 Noise pollution. Whilst this template is not mandatory to use, you are encouraged to use it to ensure that you cover all aspects of the requirement. However if you have your own template which contains the same information, this will be accepted as evidence and should be uploaded in the usual way. The template will be available to download from the relevant section of the evidencing system or you can click the button below to access it.
Check the frequently asked questions to help you prepare for the audit, as well as the section below on how to avoid the most common audit failures
Top reasons for audit failures and how to avoid them
READ – the most common reasons for audit failures and tips on how to avoid them
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Tips and guidance Make sure you are able to demonstrate that you have… |
S5- Professional development | |
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S8 – Internal communications | |
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S4 – Road risk |
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S3 – Fuel, emissions and air quality | |
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Application
FORS operators applying for initial FORS Silver accreditation must have at least 45 calendar days left on their Bronze accreditation. To gain Silver accreditation, FORS operators must provide evidence for every OC in scope of FORS Silver accreditation, demonstrating that they meet the specific requirements for Silver. Where multiple OCs are in scope of the Silver accreditation, this may be evidenced in one upload. This must be carried out by accessing FORS online and submitting evidence via the evidencing system (please refer to section 4 of the FORS Standard for details of the Silver requirements).
Progression to Silver is not mandatory and there are two routes available to organisations – for more information, please check section 4 of the FORS Rules and Procedures. You can also check the special unified audit frequently asked questions page.
To apply for Silver, click here.
No physical audit takes place for FORS Silver.
Accreditation decision
You will be informed of the outcome within 15 working days of submission of your Silver application. If your application is not successful you will be asked to provide further evidence via a follow-up Silver submission within 30 calendar days of initial notification of your result. If you don’t achieve Silver within the 30 calendar day follow-up period, a new full submission is necessary.
Certification
The scheme administrator will email the primary contact with the application outcome, attaching a copy of the FORS Silver electronic certificate if successful. The certificate includes all locations in scope of accreditation. For organisations with Single Operating Centre Accreditation (SOCA), once Silver accreditation is achieved, one extra year will be added to the Bronze accreditation, meaning they will only need a Bronze re-approval audit every two years for as long as the Silver is valid. A new Bronze certificate will not be issued. However the organisation’s Bronze expiry date will be updated on FORS online. For organisations with Multi Operating Centre Accreditation (MOCA) and Internal Audit Fleet Accreditation (IAFA), no extra year will be added to the Bronze accreditation when Silver is achieved.
Documents you must read
You must comply with the requirements of the FORS Standard, which must be read in conjunction with the following documents:
- FORS Rules and Procedures
- FORS Terms and Conditions
- FORS Compliance and Enforcement guidance
Click here to access all documents.
How much does it cost?
Your FORS fee is made up of the annual subscription fee (based on fleet size) and an audit fee (based on the number of operating centres accredited). Use the Fees link to access more details.
Who can help?
There are many ways to get support and training through FORS and its Suppliers.
FORS has an extensive training programme, which provides a variety of opportunities for both managers and drivers.
Our Suppliers provide exclusive offers or discounts on products and services aligned to the requirements of the FORS Standard.