Everything you need to know about the PAS 91 pre-qualification questionnaire for the construction industry and its recent withdrawal by the BSI.
PAS 91 was a standardised pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) designed to simplify the bidding process for subcontractors in construction.
Developed by the British Standards Institute (BSI), PAS 91 was introduced in 2010 to reduce the burden of completing multiple, unique pre-qualification questionnaires for different clients.
Delivering a standardised pre-qualification questionnaire format:
Helps suppliers to understand what information is required from them at pre-qualification stage
It increases consistency between various pre-qualification questionnaires and databases
Enables buyers to identify suitable qualified contractors
The BSI withdrew PAS 91 in 2023, meaning it will no longer be updated.
With a general shift in the UK construction industry towards safer procedures and practices – for example, with the introduction of the Building Safety Act – PAS 91 has faced challenges keeping pace with industry demands and regulatory standards.
What does this mean for Constructionline members? With this change, some buyers may still use PAS 91 as a basic level of compliance. This can be achieved through our Silver, Gold and Platinum membership options.
In March 2024, the Government issued its Procurement Policy Notice (PPN) 03/24, which clarified its recommendations regarding PAS 91 accreditation and pre-qualification questionnaires for the Construction industry:
Become more attractive to buyers with the Common Assessment Standard. Our Gold and Platinum memberships are specifically tailored to meet Common Assessment Standard requirements.
Over 80% of all UK suppliers get their Common Assessment Standard accreditation from Constructionline.
With all public sector buyers needing to pre-qualify construction suppliers, inefficient buying practices can amount to huge amounts of wasted time and money for buyers and suppliers alike.
By delivering a standardised construction PQQ format, such as PAS 91 or the Common Assessment Standard:
Helps buyers identify suitably qualified contractors with less time and resources, particularly via Constructionline’s online Marketplace.
Is one of the government’s common minimum standards for construction procurement.
Helps buyers achieve more sustainable procurement & gives buyers more time to focus on the project-specific areas of the pre-qualification process
Encourages more suppliers (particularly SMEs) to apply for work by simplifying the tendering process.
Completing pre-qualification questionnaires (PQQs) for multiple clients can be costly and time-consuming.
Different clients’ PQQs will usually contain similar questions, presented in a different format. PAS 91 and the Common Assessment Standard have been developed to address this problem, providing a standard pre-qualification questionnaire for the construction industry. The benefits are as follows:
Improve your business profile and professional standing by demonstrating that you align to the Common Assessment Standard or PAS 91.
One standard question set across different clients, ensuring you understand what information will be required from you at the pre-qualification stage.
You can develop standard responses to the ‘core’ questions which can be used in response to any buyer. You are exempt from sections if you hold an accreditation, such as an SSIP.
A less time-consuming and costly pre-qualification process, allowing you to participate in more opportunities and potentially win more work.
A pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) is a questionnaire used by buyers in the construction industry to assess a subcontractor’s suitability for a project before inviting them to tender. A PQQ tender is a bid that includes a PQQ at the first stage of the process.
In the construction industry, PAS stands for Publicly Available Specification. Specifically, PAS 91 is a standardised Construction Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) designed to streamline the pre-qualification process for contractors through a consistent set of questions that construction companies can answer to meet PAS 91 requirements. However, PAS91 has been withdrawn by the British Standards Institution (BSI) which means it will no longer be updated, although Buyers can still use it as a prequalification tool. As per PPN 03/24, it is now advised that the Common Assessment Standard is used as the pre-qualification questionnaire for construction industry when conducting public sector procurement tendering.
PAS 91 is no longer actively supported after being withdrawn by the BSI, and is recommended to be replaced with the Common Assessment Standard.
The Common Assessment Standard is not mandatory. But it is highly recommended for public sector construction projects exceeding £5 million – and can be used for those below that threshold. In fact it’s already widely used throughout the sector, with major players such as Kier, BAM and Balfour Beatty only selecting suppliers who aligned to the Common Assessment Standard through Constructionline’s Gold membership.
Constructionline has a page dedicated to the standard, here. You’ll find information about what the Common Assessment Standard is, the next steps you can take and how becoming a Constructionline Gold member can help you comply.
Constructionline’s Gold or Platinum membership levels include the Common Assessment Standard qualification criteria.
Public Procurement Notice. Part of a set of guidelines as to how a public sector procurement officer formally tells all potential suppliers about a public sector contract opportunity.
Public Procurement Notice 03/24 was sent in March by the Cabinet Office to state that CAS (Common Assessment Standard) should be used, proportionately, by suppliers who are awarded work on public work projects going forward – PAS91 is no-longer accepted.
Find out more about the latest PPN 03/24 changes and how this could impact you.
The latest revision of PPN from the government is
Help to demystify the latest PPN 03/24 update by
Understand how the PPN 03/24 change could affect your business by
Learn more about the Common Assessment Standard
