What RISQS does

RISQS (Railway Industry Supplier Qualification Scheme) is the primary supplier pre-qualification service for the Great Britain rail industry. It is owned and operated by Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited (RSSB), a private limited company registered in England, and is sponsored by a committee of rail industry representatives that reports into the RSSB Board. The scheme operates a web-based portal (portal.risqs.org) and a registration storefront (shop.risqs.org) — both powered by the Altius Exigo platform with Once For All authentication — that connects 4,000+ supplier members with 80–90+ buyer members including Network Rail, Transport for London, HS2, Alstom, Siemens, Balfour Beatty, Babcock, Colas, Freightliner, and Amey. Suppliers register product and service codes via the Railway Industry Commodity Classification List (RICCL), a standardised taxonomy that determines whether each code requires verification or a full audit, and undergo a two-stage audit process introduced in 2024 (document submission followed by targeted spot checks). A modular set of audit protocols (Sentinel, CDM, On-Track Plant, Sustainable Rail, Road Risk, Cyber Security & Data Protection, RISAS, and others) addresses vertical-specific compliance regimes including fatigue management, ROGS regulations, and critical infrastructure protection.

RISQS monetises through tiered annual supplier membership subscriptions priced by RICCL code count (1 code, 2–24, 25–199, 200+), buyer memberships at £8,332 + VAT per year, a Supplier Patron add-on tier at £693 + standard subscription, and audit fees charged at a standard day rate. A 3.8% CPI-linked price increase took effect from 6 April 2026. Since the Procurement Act 2023 came into force on 28 October 2024, RISQS has operated as a Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM), giving contracting authorities a regulated direct-sourcing pathway. Buyer-side value capture includes API access to supplier qualification data, supplier list management with status alerts, a benchmarking tool for capability comparison, a Shortlisted Supplier Questions (SSQ) tool for PAS91 questionnaires, and custom supplier surveys. RISQS markets primarily through regional Marketplace Live events (hosted by Constructionline), quarterly Buyer and Supplier Consultation Group sessions, industry webinars, monthly newsletters, and LinkedIn. The scheme is not a standalone legal entity, has no external funding rounds, and operates as a non-profit industry body under RSSB governance.

Name

RISQS

Legal name

Rail Safety and Standards Board Limited

Website

https://risqs.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RISQS is the primary supplier pre-qualification scheme for the GB rail industry, operated by RSSB. It connects 4,000+ suppliers with 80+ buyers including Network Rail and Transport for London via a web portal, RICCL taxonomy, and modular audit protocols under QUDM regulatory status.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Rail Supplier Qualification Platform

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (541690), Testing Laboratories and Services (541380)

SIC

Services-Testing Laboratories (8734)

akta.pro primary industry

Supplier Qualification, Procurement QA & Supply Chain Oversight (EUAKAEAH)

Keywords

• Supplier qualification
• Rail pre-qualification
• Vendor verification
• Audit management
• Supplier compliance

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Supplier Membership Fees: RISQS generates revenue through supplier membership subscriptions based on the number of RICCL codes selected. Membership runs for a calendar year from the date of joining. Fees are tiered based on product/service code count (1 code, 2-24 codes, 25-199 codes, 200+ codes). A 'Prospect' subscription is available for new companies to become visible before gaining full compliance.
2. Buyer Membership Fees: RISQS charges buyer organisations an annual membership fee to access the platform for sourcing and managing suppliers. Buyer membership allows organisations to search verified suppliers, manage supply chain risk, create supplier lists with alerts, and use the benchmarking tool.
3. Audit Fees: RISQS charges for audit services using a standard day rate. The audit duration is calculated using guidance document RISQS-GD-004. Suppliers with auditable RICCL codes must undergo and pass RISQS audits before being qualified. Additional audit modules (Sentinel, CDM, OTP, etc.) may be triggered based on supplier profile responses.
4. Supplier Patron Subscription: An enhanced supplier subscription tier that adds sourcing functionality, allowing organisations to identify and source other RISQS-registered suppliers and manage risk within their own supply chain. Cost is £693 plus the standard RISQS subscription cost plus VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

RISQS is an industry-owned supplier pre-qualification and assurance scheme for the Great Britain rail industry. Suppliers register, complete verification and modular audits (with audit day-rate fees), and gain visibility to more than 80 rail buyers including Network Rail and Transport for London. Buyers access a searchable directory of verified suppliers, manage supply chain risk, run bespoke supplier surveys and PAS91 questionnaires, and use a benchmarking tool to compare suppliers. The scheme is operated as a Qualifying Utilities Dynamic Market (QUDM) under the Procurement Act 2023 and is referenced in Network Rail standard NR/L2/SCO/302.

Product overview

RISQS is a supplier qualification scheme for the GB rail industry, offering a unified platform plus modular audit services. The core RISQS Supplier Qualification Platform provides verification, audit management, benchmarking, and supplier visibility, powered by Altius Exigo. The Railway Industry Commodity Classification List (RICCL) underpins the system by categorising all rail products and services with associated risk levels. Suppliers subscribe to tiered membership based on RICCL code count, undergoing verification and/or audit depending on their selected codes. Buyers access the platform to source qualified suppliers, create custom surveys, and monitor compliance. Add-on modules include Sentinel, CDM, On-Track Plant, Sustainable Rail, Road Risk, and Cyber Security audit protocols. RISAS is a related but separate approval scheme for critical rolling stock suppliers. A two-stage audit process (document submission followed by on-site verification) streamlines supplier assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RICCL: Railway Industry Commodity Classification List - a standardised classification system for products, services, and materials used across the GB rail network.

Products and services

• RISQS Supplier Membership
• RISQS Buyer Membership
• Supplier Patron
• RISQS Audit Services
• RISAS (Railway Industry Supplier Approval Scheme)
• RISQS Cyber Security & Data Protection Audit Module

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,000+ supplier members visible to rail industry buyers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability6 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRISQS is owned and operated by RSSB. RSSB provides services to support operational delivery of the scheme. The scheme is sponsored by a committee of representatives from across the rail industry, which reports into the RSSB Board. RSSB also operates related schemes including RISAS (Railway Industry Supplier Approval Scheme) and CIRAS (Confidential Incident Reporting & Analysis Service).

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avetta: Global contractor and supplier qualification platform serving industrial, energy and infrastructure markets with insurance verification, safety compliance and benchmarking. Closely comparable multi-sided pre-qualification as a service.
• Alcumus Group: Multi-sector compliance and risk management provider owning SafeContractor and other pre-qualification brands. Directly comparable in delivering recurring supplier accreditation, audits and benchmarking for infrastructure and industrial buyers.
• Constructionline: UK provider of procurement and supply chain pre-qualification for the construction sector, running an accreditation model analogous to RISQS. Already overlaps with RISQS via co-hosted Marketplace Live events and addresses the same buyer-supplier qualification pain point.
• CHAS (Contractors Health and Safety Assessment Scheme): UK-based pre-qualification accreditation covering health, safety and quality for contractors. Frequently co-required with RISQS for rail works, addressing an overlapping supplier verification problem with comparable subscription and accreditation revenue model.
• Veriforce: Contractor compliance and qualification verification platform serving industrial, energy and infrastructure markets, including operator qualification and safety compliance — closely aligned with RISQS's audit and verification mission.
• CQIN (Construction Quality Index Network): UK construction supplier assessment and pre-qualification service focusing on quality management accreditation. Comparable subscription-based model for de-risking supplier selection in built-environment value chains.
• Achilles Information: Global supply-chain pre-qualification and risk management platform running community models for utilities, transport and infrastructure. Operates the same audit-and-benchmarking logic for matching qualified suppliers to industrial buyers.
• SafeContractor: UK contractor pre-qualification scheme for health and safety compliance under the Alcumus Group. Operates a similar annual-subscription, multi-protocol model for demonstrating compliance to buyers.

Broad incumbents

• Bureau Veritas: Global testing, inspection and certification (TIC) major offering supplier qualification, rail certification and supply chain assurance services within a broad services portfolio. Adjacent incumbent rather than a direct rail pre-qualification specialist.
• DNV (Business Assurance): Global certification body providing supply chain assurance, management system certification and supplier qualification services to rail and infrastructure operators. Operates as a broader compliance incumbent rather than a rail-specific pre-qualification scheme.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/risqs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/risqs

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about RISQS