The construction pre-qualification (PQ) process has long been viewed as a necessary evil by main contractors and as a time-consuming, repetitive, and costly exercise for the supply chain. I know this first-hand through my many years working in supply chain and material procurement, experiencing numerous types of pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQs), in-house systems and outsourced certifications.

Previous systems were complex and inefficient and a major barrier to improved productivity in the sector. Historically, in order to pre-qualify to provide goods or services for projects, around 180,000 specialist contractors produced over two million pieces of paper every year for 5,000 contractors at a cost of up to £1bn. So when Build UK asked me to chair a cross-industry group for PQ reform I was a little sceptical (to say the least) that streamlining the process was going to be achievable. However, I now truly believe that one day we are going to look back and wonder how we ever got by without the Common Assessment Standard.