It's one of the first questions we hear from WA business owners: "What's this going to cost?" It's a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on what you need. A small trades business wanting a solid legal-compliance foundation needs something very different from a multi-site contractor preparing for integrated ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certification.

Rather than quote a figure that won't fit your business, this article explains the factors that actually drive the cost of SHEQ consulting, and how our Managed Services program is structured so you only pay for the level of support you need.

How our Managed Services program is structured

Our Managed Services program embeds expert SHEQ oversight into your business without the cost of a full-time in-house team. It adapts to three objectives:

  • Basic Legal Compliance (indicatively up to 6 months): focused on your statutory obligations, core Safe Work Method Statements (SWMS) and risk registers.
  • Best Practice (indicatively up to 9 months): everything in Basic Legal Compliance, plus advanced contractor management, internal auditing schedules and proactive safety leadership.
  • ISO Certification (indicatively up to 12 months): everything in Best Practice, plus a tailored pathway towards third-party certification to ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and/or ISO 45001.

Each objective moves through four stages: Build, Implement, Maintain and Refine. The objective you choose is the biggest single influence on cost, but it's not the only one. Timeframes are indicative and can be shortened or extended to suit your requirements.

1. Scope: what are you trying to achieve?

Scope is the starting point. Are you looking to meet your obligations under the WA Work Health and Safety Act 2020, satisfy a principal contractor's prequalification requirements, or achieve ISO certification to win larger tenders?

A tightly defined scope, for example a legal and other requirements register, safety plans, inductions and risk assessments, takes less consultant time than a full management system covering quality, environment and safety. The clearer your goal, the more accurately we can scope the work and the fewer surprises there are along the way.

2. Number of standards

Working towards one ISO standard is a different job from working towards three. Each standard has its own requirements: ISO 9001 for quality, ISO 14001 for environmental management and ISO 45001 for occupational health and safety.

The good news is that the standards share a common high-level structure, so an integrated management system lets you share documentation, internal audits and management reviews across all three. Building them together is usually more efficient than building three separate systems one after another, and it can make ongoing maintenance simpler. Your certification body can also often schedule combined audits.

3. Number of sites and headcount

A single workshop in Cockburn Central with 15 staff is a very different proposition from a business running several sites across the Pilbara, Goldfields and Perth metro with a mobile workforce and subcontractors.

More sites and more people generally mean:

  • more site-specific risk assessments and safety plans
  • more inductions, training and toolbox talks to roll out
  • more inspections and internal audits
  • more effort to communicate objectives and keep everyone consistent

Remote or FIFO operations can also add travel and coordination time. Headcount and site count are among the clearest predictors of how much implementation effort is needed.

4. Existing system maturity

Where you're starting from matters as much as where you're going. Some businesses come to us with nothing documented. Others have a system that was built years ago and has drifted out of date, or one that works on paper but isn't followed on the ground.

If you already have good foundations, such as current risk registers, working document control and an induction process people actually use, our job is to fill gaps and refine what's there. If you're starting from scratch, the Build stage carries more of the load. A gap analysis early on gives both of us a clear picture of the real starting point, so the plan and the cost reflect your business, not a generic template.

5. Certification timeline

Timeframes are indicative only, and there's often room to shorten or extend them. If a major tender or a client prequalification deadline means you need to move faster, we can concentrate effort to suit. That usually means more consultant time in a shorter window.

A more relaxed timeline spreads the work out and gives your team more time to bed in new processes before a certification audit. Most businesses find the sweet spot is a timeline that is realistic for their people, not just their deadline.

6. Level of ongoing support

Building a system is one thing; keeping it alive is another. Once your system is implemented, the Maintain and Refine stages keep it working day to day. That can include monthly meetings covering inductions and onboarding, training, pre-start meetings, toolbox talks, risk assessments, workplace inspections, emergency drills and equipment inspections, incident investigations, injury management, legislative changes, regulatory notices, and corrective and preventive actions.

Some clients want light-touch check-ins. Others want an outsourced SHEQ resource who acts as an extension of their team on agreed days. The more hands-on the support, the greater the investment, but it's often far less than employing a full-time SHEQ manager.

Why we don't publish a one-size-fits-all price

Two businesses with the same headcount can need very different levels of support depending on their industry, risk profile, client requirements and starting point. A flat price would either overcharge one or under-deliver for the other. We'd rather understand your business and give you a clear, scoped proposal.

What we can tell you is that our team brings 50+ years of combined industry experience across mining and resources, construction, oil and gas, manufacturing and more. Our focus is practical, fit-for-purpose systems that reduce risks so far as is reasonably practicable (SFAIRP) and help you meet your obligations to WorkSafe WA and your clients, without unnecessary paperwork.

Book your free SHEQ strategy call

The quickest way to understand what SHEQ support would look like for your business is a conversation. In a free SHEQ strategy call, we'll talk through your goals, the standards you're targeting, your sites and workforce, and where your current system stands. Then we'll recommend the right Managed Services objective for you.

Book a free SHEQ strategy call

Prefer to talk now? Call us on (08) 9419 2005 or visit us at U4/16 Hammond Road, Cockburn Central WA 6164.

Whether your goal is legal compliance, best practice, or certification, we help you achieve certification and build a system that works for your business.