Smas Worksafe are proud to provide the Common Assessment Standard (CAS) in our Worksafe Pro package!

CAS is the gold-standard of Health & Safety certification – but what does that mean?

We’re here to introduce you to CAS, tell you a bit about its history, and shed some light on how it can help you and your business win top-tier tenders.

Let’s jump in.

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What is the Common Assessment Standard?

The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) was introduced by Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) in 2019 to standardise and streamline the pre-qualification process. This aimed to help reduce costs, save time and improve efficiency for contractors and clients alike.

In March 2024, the UK Government’s procurement office released Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 03/24 which replaced the former PPN 03/23. This emphasised CAS as the gold-standard of pre-qualification certification for public sector contracts, or contracts worth more than £5.337 million. It can also be adopted by private sector clients on high-value projects.

In short, CAS is an industry-agreed question set designed to help manage risk across the board.

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What does the Common Assessment Standard cover?

CAS is made up of ten key sections that cover every area of business management. Here’s how it’s all broken down:

Section 1: Identity

  • Confirming company’s registration details
  • Legal and corporate compliance
  • Helps verify your identity to build trust with your clients

Section 2: Financial

  • Stability and financial health of your business
  • Evaluating your company’s financial performance
  • Assessing financial risk for clients which can impact reputation

Section 3: Corporate and Professional Standing

  • Does your business meet professional standards?
  • Helps build and assess your integrity
  • Evaluates the credibility and legitimacy of your business

Section 4: Health & Safety

  • Examines your business’ Health & Safety policies and procedures
  • Assesses your risk assessments and method statements
  • Helps maintain a safe working environment and work to top-tier standards of safety and legality

Section 5: Environmental

  • Looks at a business’ environmental standards
  • Monitors waste management, pollution initiatives, and sustainability
  • Keeps you accountable and environmentally conscious

Section 6: Quality

  • Ability to deliver high-quality projects
  • Quality management systems
  • How your quality management builds confidence in clients

Section 7: Equality

  • Promoting inclusivity and diversity
  • Looks at your adherence to equality laws
  • How your workplace adopts fair practices

Section 8: Corporate Social Responsibility

  • Your company’s impact on society
  • Commitment to ethical operations
  • Relationships with employees, communities, and society

Section 9: Information Security

  • How your business protects sensitive data
  • Evaluates your security risks
  • Compliance with information security regulations

Section 10: Information Management (IM)

  • How your company manages project-related information
  • Storage of documents, data, protocols etc.
  • Accountability and transparency of data and project delivery

How do you complete the Common Assessment Standard?

With Smas Worksafe, our Worksafe Pro package offers the Common Assessment Standard – and it’s easy to get started:

  1. Organise all your documents and processes to provide evidence of the above sections and requirements
  2. Apply online and use the data you’ve collected as evidence to answer each of the questions
  3. Submit your application, and our team will review and assess it
  4. Receive your result – and, upon success, a certificate will follow shortly after!

We know it’s a bit of a daunting process, which is why you don’t have to do it alone! Our team of experts is on standby to help you through the process from start to finish. And, what’s more, we complete all of our assessments in-house, meaning we can provide support and advice whenever you need.

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Smas Worksafe: we’re here to help

Whilst CAS isn’t a legal requirement, it’s mandated under government procurement policy PPN 03/24 for public sector work and contracts above £5.337 million. Without it, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage compared to CAS certified competitors.

At Smas, we’re here to help you get certified and back in the running! We offer super-fast certification turnaround so you’re not left waiting, and dedicated support to help you through the process and answer any questions you might have.

For more information on how to achieve CAS certification with Worksafe Pro, don’t hesitate to get in touch! You can reach us on 01752 697370 or on email at info@smasltd.com.

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