Preparing financial evidence for the Common Assessment Standard

The financial section of Build UK's Common Assessment Standard (CAS) asks a construction supplier for evidence of its financial standing and insurance. An avoidable problem is submitting the wrong entity's accounts, an incomplete insurance schedule or an expired policy while the rest of the assessment is ready. This guide turns Section 2 of the current Version 5 question set into a preparation workflow.

This is about the evidence an assessor asks for. It is not an opinion on whether a business is financially sound, and it does not set a universal turnover or insurance threshold for every client.

Start with the legal entity

Write down the legal name and company number used in the CAS identity section. The accounts, policies and contract entity should be reconciled to it. Trading names and group structures are common sources of confusion. If a parent company provides a guarantee or the bidder is part of a group, ask the recognised assessment body how that arrangement should be presented rather than silently substituting another company's statements.

Keep an entity crosswalk: bidder name, registered company, trading name, finance owner, insurance policyholder and any group-company explanation. The assessor can then see why each document belongs to the application.

Accounts: provide the right record for the business type

In Version 5, question 27, Build UK asks for company accounts for the last two years. The question set then distinguishes small businesses, audited entities, unincorporated businesses and start-ups. For a business trading for less than two years, it explains the alternative evidence to provide for the period available. It also says abbreviated accounts are not acceptable for the small-company route described there.

The practical step is to read the route that applies to your legal form and financial position, then obtain the source document from the finance owner. Confirm the period, approval and legibility. If the document is not available or a buyer asks for additional information, explain the position to the assessment body and buyer; do not attach an unrelated company record just to fill the upload box.

Do not turn this question into a fixed ranking claim. CAS asks for evidence; each recognised body and buyer may make a decision under its current rules and procurement requirements. A supplier's accounts may also be commercially sensitive, so confirm who may view them and how the assessor protects them.

Insurance: check the document, not just the policy label

The current financial section asks about employers' liability, public liability and, where relevant to the declared role, professional indemnity insurance. Build UK's Version 5 instructions ask for details such as the policy number, limit, excess and expiry date and explicitly say the company name on the policy must match the name in the identity section. The question set provides conditional answers for situations such as a company without employees, and role-dependent professional indemnity questions.

Prepare a separate record for each policy type:

If a broker letter or schedule is used, check that it includes the details the question requires. Where coverage terms are unclear, ask the broker or insurer for clarification. A software flag is not a substitute for interpreting a policy endorsement.

Recheck at tender and at work start

CAS certification is renewed annually, but insurance can change within that period. A tender may also impose limits or coverage beyond the CAS assessment. Before bidding, compare the buyer's actual requirements with the current policy and planned activity. Before work starts, confirm the policy is still active and the delivering legal entity has not changed. Record the source and date of the check.

For a wider process, see our CAS overview and tender-to-mobilisation handover. The latter keeps a passed assessment from becoming a stale permission to start.

A workable evidence register

Use one row per requested item with the CAS question number, legal entity, document type, period or expiry, file location, owner, assessor query and accepted version. Keep the underlying file and the response together. If an item is conditionally not applicable, record why and who reviewed that conclusion. Build UK's question set is the authoritative guide to conditional answers; a generic template is not.

An evaluation of contractor prequalification software should test whether it can keep the account and insurance documents tied to the right entity and alert the responsible person to time-sensitive evidence. Ask the vendor to show the exact workflow. Complys does not underwrite insurance or certify a supplier's financial standing.

Sources and publication gate

• Build UK — Version 5 CAS question set: Section 2, especially questions 27–30, and the evidence instructions for different business types.
• Build UK — current CAS overview: recognised assessors, certification cycle and scheduled version transition.
• HSE — Using contractors: contractor selection remains a broader work-specific process.

Publication recheck: Build UK has scheduled Version 6 for 1 November 2026. Recheck the current question numbers, evidence rules and insurance wording before publication if the new version is in force.