The Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) has suspended five member companies after they failed to meet the requirements of its independent audit process, continuing a tightening of standards across the building engineering services sector.

The latest suspensions follow action taken against 14 member firms last year, as the association continues to enforce compliance with its Competence Assessment Standard (CAS).

Competence Assessment Standard and audit requirements

According to BESA, the five companies did not achieve the minimum standard required under the CAS, which assesses business practices, financial solvency, insurance arrangements, health and safety management, and technical competence. All companies seeking to join or remain in membership must meet and maintain these requirements.

BESA’s council, which oversees governance and standards, said the decision was part of an ongoing effort to improve technical and professional performance across the sector, particularly in the context of tighter regulation following the introduction of the Building Safety Act.

Alignment with Building Safety Act and Common Assessment Standard

The CAS audit framework is aligned with the Build UK Common Assessment Standard and is intended to support improved competence, accountability and protection for building users.

David Frise, chief executive officer of BESA, said the association was prepared to take enforcement action where necessary.

“BESA has never been afraid to robustly defend its remit and constitution,” he said. “We do not suspend members lightly but take our wider responsibilities to the industry and its ultimate clients, building occupants, extremely seriously.

“It might seem counterintuitive for a membership body to suspend or reject companies, but membership needs to stand for something. We would always favour quality over quantity, and we now have more companies waiting to join, so sticking to our principles is working.”

CAS audit pass rates and industry compliance levels

BESA said the current pass rate for its CAS audit, defined as companies achieving zero non-compliance at audit, stands at 62%. The association said this indicated the audit process was robust and highlighted that a significant proportion of firms still need to improve to meet legal and ethical obligations.

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UKAS-accredited audit process and technical assessments

Audits are carried out by BESCA, a UKAS-accredited independent body within the BESA group.

The process includes an on-site technical assessment using checklists linked to current industry standards, designed to give clients, contractors and building owners confidence when appointing member firms.

Supply chain competence and Member Pledge initiative

Alongside enforcement action, BESA has introduced a Member Pledge initiative, with several larger member companies committing to place technical and professional competence at the centre of their operations and to require the same standards across their supply chains.

Supply chain firms are encouraged to apply for BESA membership as a means of demonstrating compliance and competence through the independent audit process. Frise said this also supported client procurement requirements.

“BESA members are embracing change because we want to make the industry better,” he said.

“Our companies are leading our part of the construction industry, rejecting the race to the bottom and working towards our vision of a better industry, one that is competent, compliant and sustainable.”

Focus on enforcement over superficial compliance

He added that the association was focused on driving genuine improvement rather than surface-level compliance.

“We have never been afraid to suspend members who don’t meet our standards,” said Frise. “It is always a last resort as we would much rather work with companies to help them improve, but when it is clear that is not possible, we have demonstrated that we will take the ultimate sanction.”