Following the issue of PPN 03/23 earlier this year, which allows public sector bodies to use the Common Assessment Standard in place of PAS 91, Build UK will be publishing an updated version of the Common Assessment Standard on 1 July 2023.
Version 3.2 will include minor updates to the question set and associated guidance to reflect further legislative changes post‐Brexit and to provide additional clarity for companies being certified.
The Common Assessment Standard is reviewed every year to ensure that it continues to meet the needs of the industry. It is anticipated that further changes may be required following the introduction of the Building Safety Act, which will be confirmed once the secondary legislation has been published later this year, and members can suggest other changes for inclusion in Version 4 by completing this online form.
FIS has aligned its own ongoing vetting process to the CAS. Commenting on this, FIS Technical Manager James Parlour said:
Much of what we do in membership vetting depends on the existing accreditations of contractors, which is often already considered through various pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQ). FIS is very keen to see more widespread adoption of mutual recognition in this environment and is pleased to support the common assessment standard and respect the work of our members by aligning our vetting criteria with it.