Data centers cannot trade safety for speed. Avetta is helping Ascent build a more consistent way to vet hundreds of suppliers, support reliable operations, and demonstrate contractor readiness to clients.
In data centers, speed cannot come at the expense of safety
Data center operations move quickly, but the consequences of getting contractor decisions wrong can be significant. Ascent operates mission critical facilities on behalf of owners and developers, managing maintenance, environmental, health, and safety, and other ongoing responsibilities associated with mission-critical facilities. The company also supports mission-critical engineering, construction, design, and IT activity inside data center white space.
Ascent’s mantra is “Safety 24/7.” Its facilities operate around the clock, with high visibility and a strong focus on risk. In this environment, contractor qualification is not simply an administrative requirement. It’s a critical aspect that supports the safety, reliability, and continuity of the sites Ascent operates.
The data center industry is also growing, increasing the need for a contractor-management approach that can expand without slowing operations or weakening oversight. Ascent’s goal is to retain the quality of its reviews while increasing the quantity of suppliers and contractors it can manage — without adding substantial headcount or resources.
The challenge: creating consistency at the speed of the business
Avetta has been a part of Ascent’s program for over a decade, as part of a strong EHS foundation. Ascent’s recently expanded opportunity with Avetta has focused on refreshing and expanding that program.
With a strong foundation already in place for contractor oversight, Ascent recognized an opportunity to elevate its approach by creating a more integrated, consistent, scalable, risk-based approach to contractor management. The enhanced framework helps standardize expectations, improve supply-chain visibility, and strengthen alignment with Ascent's values across vendors and subcontractors.
Keeping information current also created avoidable administrative work. Instead of repeatedly reaching out for updated safety and compliance information, Ascent wanted a process that placed more responsibility on contractors and allowed internal teams to focus on identifying and addressing risk.
Why Ascent chose to refresh its Avetta program
As part of its ongoing commitment to operational excellence, Ascent took the opportunity to build on its existing Avetta program. Under new EHS policy and governance leadership, the team enhanced its vendor management framework by formalizing vendor policies, aligning Avetta requirements, evaluating current processes, and expanding participation across its supplier base.
Avetta helps Ascent scale contractor oversight with confidence
Avetta gives Ascent a centralized foundation for consistent, risk-based contractor management. Through the platform, Ascent is supporting supplier onboarding, prequalification, annual updates, insurance verification, reporting, and ongoing compliance visibility — helping the team manage a large supplier network without losing sight of the risks that matter most.
The Avetta team helped Ascent identify suppliers already in the network and develop communications to connect them with Ascent. That support made it easier to expand the program without requiring Ascent to engage every supplier individually.
Avetta is also helping Ascent turn contractor information into client-ready proof. During an RFP, Ascent was able to quickly retrieve profiles for the top three or four vendors being considered and show that they had been vetted through the program. Rather than explaining the process only in narrative form, Ascent could present visual, third-party-backed evidence of its approach.
That capability matters in a standards-driven industry, where clients want confidence that the people working in their facilities are qualified, competent, and prepared. Ascent is using Avetta as a proof point for its commitment to health and safety — and as part of the assurance it provides to clients.
The relationship extends beyond software. Avetta consultants are helping Ascent think through policies, risk tiers, supplier pathways, and future integrations — giving the company a partner as it expands the program and prepares to manage more suppliers and sites. This support has been critical as Ascent continues to evolve its contractor management program, reinforcing a demonstrable, auditable, and integrated approach to supplier decision-making.
Ascent continues to expand its use of Avetta as part of the ongoing evolution of its contractor management program. The company is scaling onboarding and oversight across its supplier network while maintaining the rigorous review standards its mission-critical operations require.
