Demonstrating Organisational Capability
The latest version of the Common Assessment Standard, which has been streamlined following the withdrawal of PAS 91 and updated to include a new Building Safety section, is now available, and suppliers will complete the new questions when they next go through the certification process with a Recognised Assessment Body. Under the Building Safety Act, anyone appointing individuals or organisations to undertake design and construction work has a duty to ensure they are competent. For individuals this means having the appropriate skills, knowledge, experience and behaviours, whilst organisations must demonstrate ‘organisational capability’. Build UK members can demonstrate compliance with this duty by specifying that organisations in their supply chain are certified to the Common Assessment Standard, and Version 4 has been welcomed by Philip White, HSE Director of Building Safety, who said:
“The Building Safety Regulator is committed to encouraging industry to create a built environment where everyone is competent and takes responsibility to ensure buildings are of high quality and safe. This requires a change in culture across the industry and we are pleased that Build UK has worked with its members and stakeholders across the supply chain to update the Common Assessment Standard to include a specific section on building safety.”
There is a growing list of organisations across both the public and private sectors using the Common Assessment Standard, and in accordance with Procurement Policy Note 03/24 published earlier this year, central Government departments and wider public sector bodies should now use the Common Assessment Standard to pre‐qualify suppliers for construction works contracts. Any Contractor or Client members who are not yet specifying the Common Assessment Standard for their supply chain and would like further information on doing so should contact Build UK.
Government Sets Out Priorities
As part of the State Opening of Parliament the King outlined the programme of legislation that the new Government intends to pursue in this parliamentary session. With Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promising to ‘take the brakes off Britain’ and unlock economic growth, this year’s King’s Speech covered over 35 bills, and the key ones for construction include:
- Planning and Infrastructure Bill ‐ Getting Britain building through planning reform, which will accelerate the delivery of high‐quality housing and infrastructure.
- High Speed Rail Bill ‐ Providing powers to construct and operate rail projects, which will improve east to west connectivity across the north of England.
- Great British Energy Bill ‐ Creating a publicly-owned clean power company, which will accelerate investment in renewable energy, with the aim of achieving energy independence and unlocking investment in energy infrastructure.
- Skills England Bill ‐ Establishing ‘Skills England’, a new partnership centred around employers designed to ensure the supply of skills, as well as reforming the Apprenticeship Levy.
- English Devolution Bill ‐ Giving new powers to metro mayors and combined authorities to support local growth plans.
In a demonstration of the new Government’s commitment to building more homes and infrastructure, Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds have held early meetings with the industry, attended by Build UK members Berkeley Group, Mace and Skanska, which covered a 10‐year implementation strategy, private investment, the planning system, and skills within the supply chain.
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner has also confirmed that the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has reverted to its previous name of Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG).
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