PAS 91 and PQQs in 2026: what they ask for, and what replaced them

Published 30 October 2026

PAS 91 was a British Standards Institution template of pre-qualification questions for construction, and it has been withdrawn. In construction, the Common Assessment Standard replaced it. For larger public procurements, buyers now use your core supplier information on the Central Digital Platform plus a Procurement Specific Questionnaire. The names have changed. The questions mostly haven't.

If a buyer or main contractor has asked you to "fill in a PAS 91" or a PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire), you are being asked to prove you are a safe, stable business before they look at your price. The names have changed in the last few years. The questions mostly haven't.

What was PAS 91?

PAS 91 was a British Standards Institution (BSI) template of pre-qualification questions for construction. It was meant to stop every buyer writing their own version. It covered areas such as health and safety, environmental management, quality management, financial and business standing, and equality and diversity.

It has been withdrawn. The government's Procurement Policy Note PPN 03/24 (March 2024) removed references to PAS 91 from the standard Selection Questionnaire, "which has now been withdrawn by the BSI". You will still see the name in old documents and supplier forms.

What replaced PAS 91 in construction?

The Common Assessment Standard (CAS) was introduced by Build UK in 2019 as one shared pre-qualification standard for construction. CHAS says more than 26,000 companies are now certified to it. You are assessed once by one of the Recognised Assessment Bodies, and your result can be shared with the others at no cost. Government guidance for works contracts under the old rules points buyers to CAS instead of the standard questionnaire.

Version 6 changes from 1 November 2026

• Building Safety becomes opt-out. If you don't carry out building work regulated by the Building Regulations, you will need to give a statement saying so. Scaffolding and temporary works are usually out of scope unless they form part of the finished structure.
• Competence questions move into the Quality section, and every supplier must now answer them.
• Information Security: Cyber Essentials Plus no longer exempts you. Only ISO 27001 does.
• New mandatory items for everyone: fraud prevention, a named person responsible for quality, and a drugs and alcohol policy.

If your next assessment is due, check these four now rather than finding gaps during it.

What do public buyers ask for under the Procurement Act 2023?

For larger ("covered") procurements under the Procurement Act 2023, the old Selection Questionnaire has been replaced by two parts:

1. Core supplier information, which you enter once on the Central Digital Platform (Find a Tender) and share with each buyer using a share code. It covers basic information about your business, economic and financial standing, connected persons (for example, people with significant control), and exclusion grounds.
2. The Procurement Specific Questionnaire (PSQ), with the questions specific to that contract, including the "conditions of participation" the buyer has set.

For smaller ("below-threshold") contracts, public buyers covered by the Procurement Act 2023 can't run a separate pre-qualification stage to shortlist bidders (section 85 of the Act). The exception is works contracts worth £135,018 or more (central government buyers) or £207,720 or more (other buyers), from 1 January 2026, where a separate suitability stage is allowed. For Welsh buyers and frameworks, it can differ. Northern Ireland transferred authorities and Scottish buyers follow their own rules. Buyers can still check suitability when they decide who wins.

What do the questions usually ask for?

Whatever the form is called, have these ready:

• Business details: registered name and number, address, ownership, any parent company.
• Financial standing: recent accounts or, for a new business, a bank reference or management accounts; turnover; sometimes a minimum turnover or a credit check.
• Insurance: employer's liability, public liability and, for design work, professional indemnity, at the levels the buyer names.
• Health and safety: a policy signed by a director, risk assessments and method statements, accident records, training, and often an SSIP scheme membership or CAS.
• Quality and competence: how you manage quality, who is responsible, and how you check your people are competent for the work.
• Environment: an environmental policy, and on some public contracts a Carbon Reduction Plan.
• Equality, modern slavery and data protection policies, where relevant.
• Experience: two or three examples of similar work, with a contactable reference for each.
• Exclusion grounds: declarations about convictions, insolvency and past contract failures.

Answer what is asked, attach what is requested, and keep the documents current. Out-of-date certificates are an easy way to fail.

Questions

What is a PQQ in tendering?

A PQQ (pre-qualification questionnaire) is a set of questions a buyer or main contractor uses to check you're a safe, stable business before they look at your price. Under the Procurement Act 2023, larger procurements use your core supplier information on the Central Digital Platform plus a Procurement Specific Questionnaire. For smaller (below-threshold) contracts, public buyers covered by the Procurement Act 2023 can't run a separate pre-qualification stage to shortlist bidders. The exceptions are works contracts worth £135,018 or more (central government buyers) or £207,720 or more (other buyers), from 1 January 2026, frameworks and devolved Welsh buyers. Northern Ireland transferred authorities and Scottish buyers follow their own rules.

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Sources

• GOV.UK: PPN 03/24: Standard Selection Questionnaire (SQ) (PAS 91 withdrawn by the BSI) and the PPN 03/24 PDF (works contracts and CAS)
• Build UK: Common Assessment Standard
• CHAS: Common Assessment Standard Version 6: what the changes mean for construction (29 October 2026)
• Procurement Act 2023, section 85
• GOV.UK: Guidance: Below-Threshold Contracts (updated 13 July 2026; paragraphs 16–19)
• GOV.UK: PPN 023: 2026 Threshold Amounts
• The Procurement Regulations 2024 (core supplier information)
• Procurement Pathway: (PA 2023) Procurement specific questionnaire template and Supplier Registration Service FAQ: share codes

This guide summarises the sources above. It isn't legal advice. Each buyer sets its own questions, so check the tender documents.

Written with AI assistance by the Your Evenings team at Your Evenings Ltd. Last updated 31 October 2026.