It’s Time to Build Better, PAS 8700 is where you start.
- Gaynor
- Jul 24
- 2 min read
Real questions, honest answers, and a roadmap to help you turn standards into better housing outcomes.
Let’s be honest, standards aren’t usually something people get excited about. They’re often seen as dry, technical, and a bit of a box-ticking exercise. But PAS 8700? This one’s different. It’s practical, it’s purpose-led, and it has the potential to help us finally deliver homes the way we’ve always said we want to: better, faster, safer, and with confidence.
Since its release in May, there’s been a huge amount of interest, and rightly so. It’s the UK’s first standard focused on supporting the safe, structured delivery of Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) in housing, but with that interest came a wave of questions. People were keen, but also unsure. What does it cover? Who’s it for? How do you actually use it?
So, we did what we do best at the Offsite Alliance. We listened. We got to work and we created something BIG to help, something we hope will unlock this brilliant document for a much wider audience. That something is our PAS 8700 FAQ guide.
This guide isn’t just an interpretation of the standard; it’s a practical, plain-English resource built around the real questions we’ve heard from across the sector. Clients. Developers. Manufacturers. Housing associations. Everyone. We wanted to strip away the uncertainty, demystify the jargon, and give people the confidence to use the PAS as it was intended: as a tool to support better outcomes.
Inside, you’ll find bite-sized answers to the questions we all ask (and sometimes are too afraid to ask). From “What’s actually in this thing?” to “Can I use it if I’m still using traditional methods?” to “How does this help me reduce risk, or align my supply chain?”, it’s all there. We even tackle the thorny stuff like procurement and assurance, because those are the things that matter in real-life delivery.
If you’re a local authority trying to tackle the temporary accommodation crisis… this guide is for you. If you’re a developer trying to scale MMC without losing your grip on quality… this guide is for you. If you’re a manufacturer wanting to align more closely with your clients… this guide is for you.
PAS 8700 is your anchor. The FAQ is your map. Together, they give you a clear and structured route to delivering housing in a way that actually works.
This is just the start. Behind the scenes, we’re working on downloadable toolkits, training materials, and something very exciting, our upcoming Sustainable Homes Hub, so you’ll have even more practical ways to apply the PAS at every stage of the project lifecycle.
So if you’ve skimmed the PAS and thought, “What now?” or you haven’t quite had the headspace to dig into it yet, this guide is for you. It’s a starting point, a conversation tool, and most of all, a helping hand.
Download it. Use it. And as always, let us know if you have any questions or answers we should add.
Comments