Contractor prequalification in Canada: ISN, ComplyWorks and Avetta
In much of Canadian industry — oil and gas, mining, utilities, large facilities — winning work depends not just on holding COR but on being prequalified through a contractor management platform. ISNetworld, ComplyWorks and Avetta are the ones you'll meet most often.
What they check
These platforms collect and grade your health and safety program: written policies and procedures, training records, insurance certificates, WCB/WSIB clearance, and your safety statistics (incident and lost-time rates). Owners set the pass mark, and a poor grade can quietly cost you the bid before you ever quote.
Where contractors lose points
The usual gaps are out-of-date documents, missing procedures for hazards the owner cares about, and statistics that can't be substantiated. Because grading is periodic and continuous, a program that was compliant last year can slip below the line without anyone noticing.
Keep it current, not annual
The contractors who stay prequalified treat it as a living system: policies reviewed, certificates renewed on time, training tracked, and stats kept accurate — so when the platform re-grades or an owner checks, everything's already there.
Questions, answered
Is ISNetworld the same as COR?
No. COR is a certification of your safety management system audited to a provincial standard. ISNetworld, ComplyWorks and Avetta are contractor-management platforms owners use to collect, grade and monitor your documents and statistics — often in addition to COR.
Why did our grade drop without anything changing?
Usually because a document expired, an owner added a new requirement, or your safety statistics moved. Grading is continuous, so currency matters as much as having the documents in the first place.
Be prequalification-ready
Complys keeps the policies, certificates, insurance and stats these platforms ask for in one place, always current — free for 90 days.
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