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Approved Contractor Handbook

Click here to download the handbook

The new and improved Approved Contractor Handbook is now available.

This new accreditation handbook has been created with the help of our assessors, existing ACs and other contractors, to bring together in one short document all the information you need to understand how the scheme operates.

As the Approved Contractor Scheme grows and develops, so too will the handbook. It should be read in conjunction with the Scheme Standards and can be downloaded from Become an ARB Approved Contractor.

Your support for the accreditation and all your efforts to maintain the highest standards are greatly appreciated.

We hope that the handbook is a useful resource and can answer most questions, but regardless of whether you are already an Approved Contractor (AC) or thinking of joining the Scheme, we are only an email or a phone call away: arbac@trees.org.uk, 01242 522152.

The Approved Contractor Handbook is divided into six sections:

  • an introduction to the scheme
  • the what, why, who and how of becoming an AC
  • an outline of the Standards
  • the AC application process
  • maintaining AC status
  • non-compliance

We are now working on an improved and interactive report system that will make assessments so much more straight-forward for contractors and assessors. In addition, the desktop audit system is being reworked to be more user-friendly and time-saving.

Please note: The new Approved Contractor handbook supersedes any guidance provided in the previous document, which was known as the ‘Information & Application’ pack.