Government-backed proof your defences are in place

Why Cyber Essentials matters

Cyber Essentials is the UK government's flagship scheme for demonstrating baseline cyber security. It's mandatory for many public sector contracts and government contracts, increasingly requested by private sector procurement teams, and often a condition of cyber insurance. It's also the fastest, most cost-effective way to show customers and partners that you take security seriously — without the overhead of a full ISO 27001 implementation.

The scheme covers five technical controls: firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection, and patch management. Getting certified sounds simple on paper — in practice, most businesses fail their first submission because of gaps they didn't know existed in their existing setup.

Cyber Essentials for government contracts

If you're bidding on UK government contracts, Cyber Essentials is often a mandatory requirement. Many central government, local authority and NHS procurement frameworks now require certification before you can even tender. Without it, your bid may be automatically disqualified.

The requirement applies to contracts involving the handling of personal or sensitive data, and to any contract where the government needs assurance that its suppliers have baseline cyber security in place. Some frameworks require Cyber Essentials (self-assessment), while others require Cyber Essentials Plus (independently verified).

For government contracts, we recommend starting the certification process at least six weeks before your tender deadline. This gives you time for scoping, remediation, pre-assessment review and the actual assessment without rushing.

If you've already failed a Cyber Essentials assessment and have a government contract deadline approaching, we can build a targeted remediation plan to close the specific gaps that were flagged.

Cyber Essentials remediation plan

Most businesses fail their first Cyber Essentials submission. That's not a problem — it's expected. The issue is not having a structured plan to close the gaps before you resubmit.

A Cyber Essentials remediation plan maps your current environment against the five technical controls, identifies exactly what needs fixing, and gives you a prioritised list with owners and deadlines. No vague recommendations — specific actions tied to specific controls.

Our remediation plan covers:

• Gap analysis — what's failing and why, mapped to firewalls, secure configuration, user access control, malware protection and patch management
• Prioritised fixes — critical issues first, so you don't waste time on things that won't cause a failure
• Evidence requirements — what the assessor will ask for and how to document it
• Pre-assessment review — we check everything before you resubmit so there are no surprises

Typical remediation takes two to four weeks. If you're working to a government contract deadline, we can expedite the process.

Read the full guide: Cyber Essentials remediation plan — how to fix failures and pass first time.

How we get you certified

• Scoping & readiness assessment — we map your environment against the five Cyber Essentials controls before you submit anything
• Gap analysis & remediation plan - a clear, prioritised list of what needs fixing, with owners and timelines
• Pre-assessment review — we check your self-assessment answers before submission so nothing gets flagged
• Cyber Essentials Plus support — technical verification and audit preparation if your contracts require the higher tier
• Government contract support — expedited certification for procurement deadlines
• Available white-label — MSPs and IT providers can offer this under their own brand

Start with your domain

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UK government scheme  ·  Cyber Essentials & CE Plus  ·  UK-registered security specialists