Background checks and BS7858 vetting for facilities management companies
Facilities management is one of the UK's most diverse employment sectors covering cleaners, security personnel, maintenance engineers, IT technicians, catering staff, project managers, and everything in between. What makes FM screening uniquely complex is that the checks your workers need are largely dictated not by your own standards, but by the requirements of the client sites they work on.
A cleaning team working in a government building needs to meet different screening requirements from one working in a retail park. Staff working in an NHS hospital or a school require a different level of vetting from those maintaining an office block. Eurocom CI understands this complexity and provides fully flexible, client-compliant screening for FM companies across the UK.
BS7858: the FM sector screening standard
BS7858 is the British Standard for security screening of individuals employed in a security environment. It is widely adopted across the FM sector — particularly for roles involving access to sensitive sites, client premises, or secure buildings — and is increasingly required by clients as a condition of contract.
BS7858 screening covers:
- Identity verification - confirming the individual's identity documents
- Confirmation of current and previous addresses - building a complete address history
- Employment history - verifying a minimum of 5 years, with gaps investigated and accounted for
- Right to Work - confirming legal eligibility to work in the UK
- Credit check - covering CCJs, bankruptcy, insolvency, and financial sanctions
- Criminal record check - Basic Disclosure as standard; Enhanced DBS where required by the client site
- Character references - obtained and verified as part of the standard
Eurocom CI delivers BS7858-compliant screening through our Xavier platform, with results available in real time and downloadable reports ready to present to your clients on request.
Client-site driven screening requirements
FM companies face a challenge that most other employers don't: your workers' screening requirements change depending on where they are deployed. Eurocom CI can configure multiple screening tiers within a single account, so the right checks are triggered automatically based on the client site or contract type.
Government and public sector sites Workers deployed on government contracts or to public sector buildings may require BPSS clearance or enhanced criminal record checks. Eurocom CI has experience processing BPSS-compliant screening at scale for clients with government contracts.
Schools and educational settings FM staff working in schools - including cleaners, catering staff, maintenance contractors, and building managers may require an Enhanced DBS check with children's barred list if they have unsupervised access to children. This is a requirement under Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSiE). Eurocom CI can advise on the correct level for each role type.
Hospitals and healthcare sites FM workers in NHS or private healthcare settings must meet the same pre-employment screening standards as clinical staff in many cases, including Enhanced DBS checks and Right to Work verification. Client contracts will typically specify the exact requirements.
Financial services and data-sensitive sites Workers with access to financial institutions or data centres may require credit checks and additional security screening as a condition of the client contract.
Eurocom CI screening for facilities management consists of the following checks:
Confirmation of identity: Verifying identity documents in line with BS7858 and DBS requirements
Confirmation of current address: Ensuring address history is accurate and complete
Credit check: Covering CCJs, bankruptcy, insolvency, and financial sanctions
Right to Work: Confirming legal eligibility to work in the UK
Employment history: Minimum 5 years, with references chased and gaps investigated
Basic, Standard, and Enhanced DBS checks: The correct level applied based on the client site and role
How Eurocom CI manages high volume requests
FM companies often need to onboard staff quickly and at volume whether scaling up for a new contract win, managing seasonal fluctuations, or replacing workers across multiple client sites simultaneously. Slow screening creates gaps in cover that can put contracts at risk.
Our Xavier platform is built for exactly this. You can manage multiple candidates simultaneously across different contract types and check profiles, with automated and human reference chasing to keep things moving. Bulk screening capabilities mean a large contract mobilisation doesn't become a compliance bottleneck.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is BS7858 and does it apply to all FM roles?
BS7858 is the British Standard for security screening of individuals employed in a security environment. It is commonly applied across the FM sector for roles involving access to client premises, sensitive sites, or secure buildings. Not all FM roles require full BS7858 compliance - the requirement is usually driven by the client contract. Eurocom CI can advise on whether BS7858 applies to specific roles and deliver compliant screening where it does.
Do cleaning and catering staff in schools need an Enhanced DBS check?
It depends on their level of unsupervised access to pupils. Under KCSiE, FM staff who work in schools and have regular unsupervised access to children are in regulated activity and require an Enhanced DBS check with children's barred list. Staff who are always supervised by a DBS-checked adult may not require this level. Eurocom CI can advise on the correct check level for each role type.
How does Eurocom CI handle screening for multiple client sites with different requirements?
Our Xavier platform allows FM companies to configure separate screening profiles for different client sites or contract types within a single account. When a new candidate is added, the correct check profile is applied based on their deployment site, removing the need for manual check selection and reducing the risk of under-screening.
Can Eurocom CI screen workers quickly enough to meet contract mobilisation deadlines?
Yes. Most checks are completed within approximately 48 hours, and our team actively chases outstanding references to keep the process moving. For large-scale mobilisations, speak to us about capacity we have processed over 500 screenings per month for a single client and can scale to meet your needs.
What happens if a worker has lived or worked overseas?
A UK DBS check only covers UK criminal records. For workers who have lived or worked outside the UK, Eurocom CI offers international criminal record checks covering over 200 countries. This is particularly relevant in the FM sector, where a significant proportion of the workforce may have international backgrounds.
Do FM companies need to rescreen existing workers?
There is no statutory requirement to rescreen existing workers in most FM roles, but many client contracts include a rescreening requirement - particularly when staff are redeployed to a new site with higher security requirements, or when a DBS certificate passes its renewal date. Eurocom CI can manage periodic rescreening programmes through Xavier, with notifications when certificates are due for renewal.
Why us?
No sign-up fees or ongoing costs: You only pay for the checks you need
~48-hour turnaround: Minimising delays to your recruitment process
References chased automatically and by real people: Our team follows up so you don't have to
Every screening reviewed by 3 separate team members: Reducing the risk of errors or missed flags
Free software demonstrations: See exactly how the platform works before you commit
Xavier, our proprietary screening platform: A user-friendly system built specifically for employers, with real-time candidate tracking
First-class customer service: a friendly, knowledgeable team available to answer your questions
Screening certificate and report available to download when completed
