What is the The Common Assessment Standard?
The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) is now required as a pre-qualification (PQ) for construction and trade companies to join bodies and bid for contracts. The CAS has been introduced to increase productivity and efficiency by early-stage pre-qualification of companies standing.
This early-stage PQ will be used by CHAS and Achilles assessment bodies using data sharing to obtain the information. Therefore, Constructionline is also now asking for CAS information to obtain its certification.
What Policies are Required for CAS?
To pass the CAS, we have identified the following up to date policies and procedures that are required:
- Anti-Bribery and corruption policy.
- Anti-Bullying policy.
- Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking statement.
- BIM policy.
- Corporate Social Responsibility policy.
- Data protection policy.
- Drug and alcohol policy.
- Environmental management policy.
- Equality policy.
- Health and Safety policy.
- Quality Management policy.
- Risk Management policy.
- Sub-contractor selection policy.
- Whistleblowing policy.
How Can We Help?
If you would like assistance writing or reviewing your policies, procedures and statements for the Common Assessment Standard, please contact us below to run through your requirements.
More information on CAS: https://www.ioshmagazine.com/article/new-common-assessment-standard-for-construction-suppliers
What is the Common Assessment Standard?
The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) is a single industry-wide pre-qualification standard for the UK construction supply chain.
It was introduced by Build UK in 2019 to replace the patchwork of overlapping schemes that had grown up since 2010, and it is now the dominant pre-qualification mechanism on UK construction projects.
CAS is offered through six recognised assessment bodies, including Constructionline, Achilles, CHAS, FROS, Hellios and Wateroo. A single CAS submission can be reused across all six, removing the duplication of pre-qualification work that used to add weeks to every tender cycle.
What CAS Covers
- Identity, finance and insurance.
- Health and safety (with HSE prosecution and RIDDOR data).
- Environmental management and ISO 14001 readiness.
- Quality management and ISO 9001 readiness.
- Modern Slavery Act and Equality Act compliance.
- Anti-bribery, GDPR and information security.
- Training, competence and apprenticeship commitment.
CAS comes in two tiers. The Standard Question Set is suitable for most works; the Desktop Question Set adds documentary evidence review for higher-risk and higher-value contracts.
Common Submission Pitfalls
- Out-of-date insurance certificates uploaded after the renewal date.
- Health and safety policy that does not match the risk profile in the company's RIDDOR record.
- No documented procedure for contractor and subcontractor due diligence.
- Modern Slavery statement missing or sub-standard for the company's turnover.
- ISO 14001 and 9001 referenced but with no underlying management system documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CAS mandatory?
It is not statutory, but most Tier 1 main contractors and many local-authority frameworks now require CAS as a baseline. Other schemes such as Constructionline Gold and Achilles BuildingConfidence are still recognised in some procurement chains.
How long does CAS verification take?
Around four to six weeks for a first submission, less for renewals. Building the underlying policy library typically takes longer than the assessment itself.
What policies do we need to pass CAS?
At a minimum: Health and Safety, Environmental, Quality, Modern Slavery, Anti-Bribery, Equal Opportunities, Data Protection, Subcontractor Management, and an Apprenticeship/Skills statement.
Larger contractors typically also need ISO 27001-aligned Information Security and a documented Carbon Reduction Plan.
What Policy Pros Delivers
Our CAS-ready package includes the full policy library mapped to the Common Assessment Standard question set, plus the supporting procedures, statements and management-system documentation that assessment bodies expect.
We also support the assessment submission itself for clients who want a turnkey service.
