The Common Assessment Standard Question Set, Section by Section

The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) is Build UK's industry-agreed pre-qualification covering health & safety, finance, environment, corporate social responsibility, data protection and building safety. It replaced PAS 91 in 2023 and goes far beyond SSIP mutual recognition's health & safety focus alone. You're certified at desktop or site-based levels through recognised bodies like CHAS, Constructionline Gold, Silver or Bronze, and Achilles. If you're wondering whether you need more than one accreditation, the answer often depends on whether clients ask for the Common Assessment Standard or a simpler SSIP scheme.

The Common Assessment Standard is a single, industry-agreed pre-qualification question set — broader than SSIP — administered by Build UK. It replaced the withdrawn PAS 91 and covers far more than health & safety: governance, finance, environmental, corporate social responsibility, information security and building safety all sit inside it. If a client names it, a plain SSIP scheme won't do. Where SSIP mutual recognition covers health & safety alone, the Common Assessment Standard asks for evidence across every category below.

What does the Common Assessment Standard cover?

The Common Assessment Standard rolls a pre-qualification into one recognised certificate, so you answer once and reuse it across buyers who accept it. Its question set spans, among others:

• Health & safety
• Environmental management
• Quality management
• Financial and corporate standing
• Corporate social responsibility (added beyond PAS 91)
• Information security & GDPR (added beyond PAS 91)
• Building safety (reflecting the Building Safety Act)

What is in each question section, and what evidence does it want?

The Common Assessment Standard question set is organised into the sections below. If you already hold CHAS or Constructionline, you've uploaded most of these documents before — the pain the standard does not solve is re-uploading the same evidence to each scheme at renewal.

	Question area	Evidence document	Already have from
Health & safety policy & management	H&S policy, risk assessments, method statements, accident records	CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor
Environmental management	Environmental policy, waste carriers licence (if applicable), ISO 14001 (if held)	Constructionline Gold/Platinum
Quality management	Quality policy, ISO 9001 or equivalent	Constructionline, CQMS
Financial standing	Latest accounts, bank reference, insurance certificates (EL, PL, PI where required)	All schemes
Corporate social responsibility	Modern Slavery statement, Equality & Diversity policy, apprenticeship/training records	Constructionline Gold/Platinum
Information security & GDPR	Data protection policy, GDPR compliance statement, Cyber Essentials (if held)	Higher-tier schemes
Building safety	Building Safety Act compliance statement, competence framework evidence	Constructionline Platinum, CHAS Elite Assured

Desktop or site-based: which level do you need?

You're certified at one of two levels, chosen by your size, trade and what your clients require:

	DesktopDocument-based★ Most subbies	Site-basedVerification audit
How it's assessed	Documents reviewed remotely	On-site verification audit
Typical at	Constructionline Gold / CHAS Elite	Constructionline Platinum / CHAS Elite Assured
Asked for when	General pre-qualification	Higher-risk or larger contracts
Renewal	Annual	Annual

Who can certify you against the Common Assessment Standard?

The Common Assessment Standard is certified by Recognised Assessment Bodies — not by Build UK directly. These include Veriforce CHAS, Constructionline, Achilles, CQMS, SCCS, SMAS Worksafe and Compliance Chain. You hold the standard through one of them, typically as the top tier of their product range — for example Constructionline Gold/Platinum or CHAS Elite (see CHAS cost).

What replaced PAS 91, and how does CAS differ from SSIP?

PAS 91 was the old standardised pre-qualification questionnaire; BSI withdrew it in April 2023, and the Common Assessment Standard is its broader successor. SSIP covers health & safety only and is recognised across schemes via Deem to Satisfy mutual recognition — but Deem to Satisfy does not extend to the Common Assessment Standard. Where SSIP mutual recognition does not cover the wider pre-qualification categories (finance, environment, CSR, building safety), the Common Assessment Standard fills that gap. Public bodies are pointed toward the Common Assessment Standard (or equivalent) under procurement policy note guidance. For the wider picture, start at SSIP accreditation explained; and note the SSIP scheme behind Constructionline was renamed — Acclaim is now Once For All Health & Safety.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Common Assessment Standard?

It's a single, industry-agreed pre-qualification standard for UK construction, administered by Build UK. It covers health & safety plus finance, environmental, quality, corporate social responsibility, information security and building safety — so one certificate satisfies many buyers' pre-qualification needs.

Is the Common Assessment Standard the same as SSIP?

No. SSIP covers health & safety only; the Common Assessment Standard is much broader and includes SSIP-level health & safety as just one part. Holding SSIP does not give you the Common Assessment Standard.

What replaced PAS 91?

The Common Assessment Standard. BSI withdrew PAS 91 in April 2023, and the Common Assessment Standard is its broader successor, adding corporate social responsibility, information security and building-safety sections.

What's the difference between desktop and site-based assessment?

The desktop level reviews your documents remotely; the site-based level adds an on-site verification audit. Most subcontractors start with desktop (e.g. Constructionline Gold or CHAS Elite) and only move to site-based when a client requires the verified level.

What evidence documents does the Common Assessment Standard require?

The Common Assessment Standard covers health & safety policy and records, environmental and quality management policies, financial accounts and insurance, corporate social responsibility statements (Modern Slavery, Equality & Diversity, training), information security and GDPR compliance, and building safety competence evidence. The checklist table above shows every question area and the documents required — most of which you've already uploaded to CHAS or Constructionline.

Does holding SSIP give me the Common Assessment Standard?

No. SSIP covers health & safety only; the Common Assessment Standard includes SSIP-level health & safety as one part, then adds finance, environment, quality, CSR, information security and building safety. Where SSIP mutual recognition does not extend, the Common Assessment Standard fills the gap.