What's the difference between Cyber Essentials and Cyber Essentials Plus?

Cyber Essentials is a verified self-assessment against five security controls. Cyber Essentials Plus tests the same controls with a hands-on technical audit by a licensed assessor. You must hold Cyber Essentials before doing Plus.

Do you do the work, or just assess us?

We do the work. Foresight runs the gap analysis, carries out hands-on remediation, prepares the evidence and liaises with the assessor, so you pass first time rather than paying to re-sit a failed audit.

How much does Cyber Essentials cost?

The IASME assessment fee is tiered by size from around £320 + VAT and includes £25,000 cyber liability insurance for eligible UK businesses. Cyber Essentials Plus is scoped to your estate, typically from around £1,380 + VAT.

Trades

AI for Trades & Contractors: where can trades & contractors use AI safely?

AI can save your team real hours — here’s where it genuinely helps trades & contractors, where to be careful, and how to use it safely.

Book an AI Readiness Audit Call 0161 738 1399

Why Foresight

Cyber Essentials Plus certified
Microsoft CSP & Copilot specialists
Greater Manchester, since 2006
Honest advice — not licence-selling

Quick answer

Trades and contractors — electricians, plumbers, builders and more — can use AI to handle the paperwork: drafting quotes and invoices, customer messages, job descriptions and reports, and answering common enquiries — often starting with free tools. Keep customer data in secure tools, and keep a human on pricing and safety-critical decisions.

Where AI helps

Practical uses for trades & contractors

Area	Where AI fits
Quotes & invoices	Drafting and tidying — Copilot
Customer comms	Messages and updates — Copilot
Enquiries	Common questions — an agent
Pricing & safety	Stay with you — a human decision

Doing it safely

Governance first

Keep customer data in secure tools, and keep a person on pricing and anything safety-critical. Before rolling anything out, tidy permissions, put a simple AI usage policy in place, keep sensitive data out of public tools, and keep a human in the loop — all part of our AI Adoption service. See also Industries we support.

Free downloads

Start today with our templates

The same free, ready-to-use templates we use in our audits:

“Day in the Life” AI template

Find exactly where AI will save your team time.

Download →

AI Usage Policy template

A short, practical AI policy to keep your data safe.

Download →

FAQs

Common questions

Can trades and contractors use AI?

Yes — for quotes, invoices, customer messages, job descriptions and common enquiries. It takes the paperwork off your plate.

Is AI affordable for a small trade business?

Yes — you can start with free tools and only pay where it clearly saves you time.

What can AI do for an electrician, plumber or builder?

Draft quotes and invoices, write customer messages and reports, and answer routine enquiries — so you spend less time on admin.

Will AI replace tradespeople?

No — the skilled work and judgement stay yours. AI just removes the paperwork.

Put AI to work — safely

Start with a fixed-fee AI Readiness Audit and get a clear, honest plan — and the licences you actually need.

See AI Adoption as a Service Call 0161 738 1399