Common Assessment Standard Version 6: What Contractors Need to Know
The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) Version 6 is on the horizon, bringing several important changes to the way contractors will be expected to demonstrate competence, capability and compliance.
One of the most significant changes is the proposed movement of three questions, Q135, Q136 and Q138, from the Building Safety module into the Quality module.
This is an important development. Previously, not every organisation was required to complete the Building Safety module. By moving these requirements into Quality, a much wider range of businesses will need to demonstrate how they manage the competence and capability of their workforce and key subcontractor roles.
For contractors, this means competence management is becoming an increasingly important part of demonstrating overall organisational quality.
Competence Is More Than Training Certificates
The forthcoming requirements focus on how organisations manage the Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours (SKEB) of the people undertaking and managing their work.
This goes beyond checking whether somebody holds a CSCS card, qualification or training certificate.
Businesses need to understand what competence is required for each relevant role, how this is assessed and recorded, and how they make sure that competence is maintained over time.
Importantly, this is not limited to operatives working on a live construction site. The requirements look more holistically at the organisation and can include managers, supervisors and key subcontractor roles whose decisions or activities can affect the quality and compliance of the work.
Q135 – Managing and Recording Competence
Q135 asks whether the company has arrangements in place to manage and record evidence of competency, including Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours, for its workforce and key subcontractor roles.
Businesses should be able to demonstrate how they determine what competence is required for a particular role and how they verify that the individual undertaking that role meets those requirements.
Supporting evidence could include:
competence management procedures
role-specific competence requirements
training matrices
qualifications and training certificates
experience and skills records
training needs assessments
subcontractor competence assessments
refresher and ongoing training arrangements
What About Behaviours?
The inclusion of behaviours is particularly important.
Competence is not simply about what somebody knows; it also considers how they apply that knowledge and make decisions in practice.
Businesses should therefore consider how they know that employees, supervisors and subcontractors are following company policies, procedures and expected standards.
This could be demonstrated through supervision, inspections, performance reviews, quality monitoring, behavioural observations, corrective actions and other evidence showing that expected standards are being applied in practice.
Q136 – Supervision, Instruction and Information
Q136 focuses on arrangements businesses have in place to ensure their workforce and key subcontractor roles receive appropriate supervision, instruction and information so that work meets relevant requirements.
This should cover more than simply issuing a RAMS document or providing an induction before work begins.
Businesses need to consider:
How is relevant information communicated to the people carrying out the work? Who is responsible for supervising them? How does supervision continue once work has started? How do you know the supervisor is competent to undertake that role? What happens if standards are not being met?
Evidence could include organisational charts, supervision procedures, daily briefings, toolbox talks, work instructions, method statements, site supervision records and quality inspections.
A documented policy or procedure can explain the company's arrangements, but businesses should also have worked evidence showing those arrangements being implemented.
Q138 – Keeping Up to Date
Q138 looks at whether the organisation has arrangements in place to keep up to date with changes to legislation, standards and products.
This is an area where simply having a policy or listing websites will not be enough.
Organisations should have an ongoing process for identifying relevant changes. Sources could include HSE updates, BSI subscriptions, trade associations, technical bulletins, competent advisers, manufacturers, suppliers and other recognised industry sources.
However, the important question is:
What does the business do with the information once it receives it?
For example, if a legislative, technical or product requirement changes, who reviews the impact on the business? Are relevant policies and procedures updated? Are RAMS or technical documents amended? Are employees and subcontractors briefed or retrained? Is the implementation of the change subsequently checked?
Keeping up to date should therefore be viewed as a continuous compliance process, rather than something that is only considered during an annual policy review.
What About ISO 9001 and BS 99001?
The proposed arrangements also recognise businesses holding relevant management system certifications.
Organisations holding BS 99001 are expected to be exempt from Q135, Q136 and Q138.
Businesses holding ISO 9001 are expected to receive an exemption from Q138, reflecting the existing management system requirements around identifying and responding to relevant changes.
Businesses should check the final Version 6 requirements and applicable certification exemptions once formally published.
Policies Alone May Not Be Enough
One of the key considerations when preparing for CAS Version 6 should be the difference between having an arrangement written down and being able to demonstrate that it is actually happening.
A competence procedure might explain that training is monitored, for example, but an assessor may also expect to see a current training matrix, completed competence records or evidence that identified training has been delivered.
Similarly, a procedure might state that supervisors monitor work, but supporting evidence such as completed supervision records, quality inspections, briefings or meeting records can demonstrate that the process is genuinely being implemented.
A useful question to ask before submitting evidence is:
Could an assessor who has never met our business before clearly understand who is covered by our arrangements, how the process works and see evidence that it is current and being followed?
What Else Is Changing Under CAS Version 6?
The changes to competence are only part of the forthcoming update.
Other expected changes include:
fraud prevention documentation being expected from businesses of all sizes, rather than focusing only on larger organisations
a Drug and Alcohol Policy becoming mandatory
changes to Building Safety and the evidence required
new requirements relating to personal data breaches; and
Holding a Cyber Essentials Plus certificate is no longer expected to provide exemption from all information security questions.
Businesses should therefore consider Version 6 as a wider update to their compliance arrangements rather than simply a change to the Building Safety module.
Do Existing Verified Businesses Need to Act Immediately?
If your Quality assessment is currently verified, you are not expected to have to answer the updated question set immediately. The new requirements are expected to apply when you are due for renewal.
For new registrations and businesses upgrading their membership, the updated requirements are expected to form part of their first applicable submission following the introduction of Version 6.
That does not mean existing businesses should wait until renewal to take action.
Reviewing arrangements now provides an opportunity to identify missing procedures, outdated records or gaps in supporting evidence before the assessment becomes due.
What Should Contractors Be Doing Now?
The first step should be to review your existing Quality, competence, training and supervision arrangements against the forthcoming requirements.
Consider whether you can clearly demonstrate:
how competence requirements are identified for different roles
how Skills, Knowledge, Experience and Behaviours are assessed
how competence is recorded and periodically reviewed
how key subcontractor competence is assessed and monitored
how supervisors are selected and their competence verified
how instruction and information are communicated
how supervision continues throughout the work
how legislative, technical and product changes are identified
how those changes are communicated and implemented within the business
Most importantly, don't just review your policies. Review the evidence that sits behind them.
How Combined Safety Solutions Can Help
At Combined Safety Solutions, we support contractors with Common Assessment Standard requirements across various schemes including Constructionline and CHAS.
With CAS Version 6 approaching, we can review your existing arrangements against the forthcoming requirements, identify gaps in your policies and supporting evidence, and help you prepare the documentation needed to demonstrate how your systems operate in practice.
This can include reviewing competence management arrangements, training and supervision procedures, legislative update processes, Quality documentation and the supporting records needed to demonstrate implementation.
Preparing ahead of your renewal can help reduce delays, rejected evidence and repeated assessor queries when the updated requirements take effect.
If your Common Assessment Standard assessment or renewal is approaching, contact Combined Safety Solutions to discuss a review of your existing arrangements and how you can prepare for Version 6.
Please note: This article reflects information currently available regarding the forthcoming Common Assessment Standard Version 6. Final question wording, evidence requirements, exemptions and implementation arrangements may be subject to change. Businesses should refer to the final published Common Assessment Standard and applicable assessment guidance once released on 1st November 2026.