Avetta® is a contractor and supplier management platform that companies use to prequalify the businesses they hire. If a customer asked you to join Avetta, they want your safety programs, insurance, injury statistics and other documentation submitted there so they can confirm you meet their requirements before you start work. Avetta reports more than 360,000 businesses across 120+ countries on its network.
Here’s what Avetta compliance involves, who uses it, and how to get approved.
What is Avetta used for?
Hiring companies, which Avetta calls clients, use it to screen and monitor their contractors and suppliers in one place. Each client decides what it wants verified: insurance, safety programs, injury statistics, training, audits or other documentation. Contractors submit that information through Avetta, and the client uses the results to decide who can bid on work or get on site.
For a contractor, that means Avetta is usually the step between winning a customer and starting the job. The platform itself doesn’t hand out work. Your client’s requirements decide what you need to complete.
Avetta offers two kinds of plans for suppliers. A Directory plan gives you a searchable company profile. Client-Connected plans are customized to a specific client’s requirements, and that’s what most contractors need when a customer sends them to Avetta. Avetta prices each contractor individually based on the type of work and the client’s requirements.
What is Avetta compliance?
Avetta compliance means you’ve met every requirement your specific client set up in Avetta. It isn’t one universal standard. If you work for three Avetta clients, you can be compliant for one and still have open items for another, because each client chooses its own requirements.
Clients see your status at a glance, and green means you’re clear to work. When something is missing, expired or rejected, your account shows a deficiency for that client until it’s fixed.
You’ll often hear contractors call this being “Avetta certified” or “Avetta approved.” Those are common shorthand, but the idea is the same: you’ve satisfied your client’s requirements in the system, and Avetta and your client, not a consultant, control that status.
Who uses Avetta?
Avetta is common in construction, utilities and energy, oil and gas, telecommunications, manufacturing, chemicals, transportation and logistics, and facilities management. Companies that use it include LafargeHolcim®, T-Mobile®, Crown Castle®, Duke Energy®, Amazon® and SSAB®. Client lists change, and companies add and switch platforms often, so always confirm with your customer which system it requires.
Some clients add their own requirements on top of the standard process. For examples, see what Amazon contractors need to know about Avetta. Cemex requires prime and general contractors to track their subcontractors in Avetta (see Cemex’s subcontractor requirement).
How do I get Avetta approved?
Most contractors follow the same basic path:
- Register through your client’s invitation or Avetta’s registration. You’ll set up your company profile and get a quote for the plan your client requires.
- Complete your client’s requirements. That usually means questionnaires about your safety program and operations.
- Upload your documents. Insurance certificates, OSHA logs, EMR information, written safety programs and anything else your client asks for.
- Wait for review, then fix what comes back. Rejected documents and incomplete answers are normal on a first submission. Each round adds time.
- Keep it current. Annual updates, insurance renewals and new client requirements keep coming after you’re approved.
Most contractors take two to six weeks from start to finish, depending on how complete their documentation is and how quickly they respond to requests. Well-prepared companies can move faster. More detail is in how long it takes to get Avetta approved.
What documents do you need for Avetta?
Requirements vary by client, but expect most of these:
- Certificate of insurance that meets your client’s coverage limits and wording
- OSHA 300 and 300A logs for recent years, if you’re a U.S. employer required to keep them
- EMR letter from your insurance agent or carrier (see EMR rating explained)
- Written safety programs or an HSE manual that address your client’s required elements
- Training records for the workers who’ll be on site
- Completed questionnaires about your safety practices and operations
Some clients also require a review of your safety manual (see the Avetta manual audit and annual update explained), worker-level tracking, or subcontractor management. Your client’s requirements list in Avetta is the final word.
Why do contractors get flagged or rejected in Avetta?
In our experience helping contractors manage Avetta accounts, the same problems come up again and again: safety programs that don’t address every required element, insurance certificates with the wrong limits or wording, expired documents, incomplete questionnaire answers, and statistics that don’t match the OSHA logs. None of these are hard to fix, but each one holds up your approval until it’s resolved. Our list of the top reasons contractors get rejected on Avetta covers how to fix each one.
How do you stay Avetta compliant?
Getting approved is the first step. Staying compliant means keeping up with annual updates, uploading new insurance certificates before the old ones expire, reporting safety statistics when they’re due, and responding when a client adds a requirement. OSHA citations and incidents can also trigger extra documentation. See OSHA citations and Avetta annual requirements.
Most accounts that fall out of compliance don’t fail on safety. They fail on a missed renewal date.
Is Avetta the same as ISNetworld or Veriforce?
No. Avetta, ISNetworld® and Veriforce® are separate platforms with different processes, and your client decides which one you need. Many contractors end up on more than one. The good news is that well-written safety programs can often support several platforms at once, which cuts down on duplicate work. See how Vero, ISNetworld and Veriforce compare.
Is Avetta similar to ISO 9001?
Not really. Avetta is a platform your clients use to verify that you meet their safety, insurance and documentation requirements. ISO 9001 is an international standard for quality management systems. A company can have both, and they don’t replace each other.
How Cascade QMS helps with Avetta
A lot of contractors come to us the same way: a customer required Avetta, and nobody in the office had time to learn the system. With an Avetta® Management Plan, a dedicated Cascade consultant sets up your account, writes or upgrades the safety programs your client requires, coordinates your insurance and EMR documents, works through deficiencies, and keeps your account current year-round. Our written safety programs are guaranteed to be accepted, and the same documentation can support ISNetworld®, Veriforce® and other platforms if another customer asks.
Get a quote for an Avetta® Management Plan →
Avetta FAQs
Is Avetta mandatory?
Only if a client requires it. Avetta isn’t a government requirement. Companies that use it make it a condition of working for them.
How long does it take to get Avetta approved?
Most contractors take two to six weeks, depending on how complete their documentation is and how fast they respond to requests. Your client and Avetta control the final status.
What’s the difference between Avetta certified and Avetta compliant?
In practice, contractors use them to mean the same thing: you’ve met your client’s requirements in Avetta. Compliance is tracked per client, so you can be compliant for one client and have open items for another.
Do I need Avetta if I already have ISNetworld?
If your client requires Avetta, yes. The platforms aren’t interchangeable, although good safety programs can often be reused across both.
Does Avetta cost money for contractors?
Yes. Avetta doesn’t publish its prices. It provides a personalized quote during registration based on the type of work you do and your client’s requirements.