Increasingly, yes: main contractors, property developers and public-sector clients often require Cyber Essentials before they’ll award work. It’s a UK government-backed certification that proves your core security controls are in place. For a construction firm, it both protects the business and helps you qualify for and win contracts, and it’s straightforward to achieve with the right support.
As supply-chain security tightens, this comes up more and more in tenders and pre-qualification. Here’s what it involves and why it’s worth it.
1. What Cyber Essentials covers
It checks five core controls: a firewall, secure setup of devices and software, control over who can access what, protection against malware, and keeping everything patched. These are the basics that stop the most common attacks.
2. Why clients ask for it
Work on a client’s project and you become part of their supply chain and their risk. Cyber Essentials gives them independent assurance you’re secure, which is why it increasingly appears as a requirement in tenders.
3. It wins and keeps work
Holding the certification means you can answer the security question on a tender with a clear yes, and it can be the difference between qualifying and being ruled out. It’s a practical commercial advantage.
4. We help you get and keep it
As an NCSC Assured Service Provider, we help construction firms reach Cyber Essentials and keep the controls in place year after year, so the certification stays valid and your security stays strong.
A real example: security built to standard
We support construction and trades businesses with the kind of layered security Cyber Essentials looks for, from patching and malware protection to access control and MFA. Building to that standard is what lets a firm satisfy the security checks its clients now expect.
For a construction or trades business, this is part of managed IT and security that usually costs about £45 to £100 per user per month, scaling with headcount, how many staff work from site, and the project, finance and payroll software you rely on.
Why construction and trades firms choose First Stop IT
First Stop IT has supported businesses since 2002, including construction and trades businesses with office and site-based teams. We know how these firms run: people working from sites and on the move, finance and payroll software like QuickBooks, Sage and Xero, secure remote access, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, and the security that protects a firm handling projects, client sites and payments. We support construction and trades firms in Harlow, Bishop’s Stortford and across Essex, Hertfordshire and London. Our credentials include:
- Cyber Essentials Certified
- IASME Cyber Assurance (Gold)
- NCSC Assured Service Provider (Cyber Advisor for Cyber Essentials)
- Microsoft Partner
- Crown Commercial Service Supplier (G-Cloud)
- Quality Principles Certified
We look after more than 2,000 endpoints across 50 companies, we’ve been named a Top 50 UK MSP for three years running, and we support organisations with 10 to 100 employees across Essex, Hertfordshire and London, including Harlow and Bishop’s Stortford.
Book a free IT and cyber security review
Need Cyber Essentials to win work? Book a free IT and cyber security review with First Stop IT and we’ll guide you through it.