Build UK has announced that the new industry-wide pre-qualification (PQ) system is now fully up and running, simplifying a complex system for the benefit of everyone in the construction sector. With major contractors now adopting the Common Assessment Standard, this will significantly reduce the duplication of time, effort and resources that are costing the sector up to £1 billion a year.

The Common Assessment Standard is an industry-agreed question set with two levels of certification – desktop and site-based – and companies can apply to any Recognised Assessment Body to get the appropriate level dependent upon their trade, size and requirements of their clients.

Created by Build UK with the support of CECA, the Common Assessment Standard is endorsed by the Construction Leadership Council (CLC), which is actively seeking its adoption throughout Government construction procurement, including the Construction Playbook.

Graham Warren, ACAD Manager commented “This is a great step forward and one that will be welcomed by members as they look to focus on their business rather than wasting time on repetitive, time consuming pre-qualifications”.

Companies can apply to any one of three Recognised Assessment Bodies ‐ Achilles, CHAS or Constructionline ‐ to get the appropriate level dependent upon their trade, size and requirements of their clients.

Further information can be found in the latest Build UK PQ update.