Understanding the value of a Certificate of Assessed Design (CAD)

What is a Certificate of Assessed Design?

A Certificate of Assessed Design (CAD) is a certification process that verifies a cable's design, performance and safety characteristics when no suitable standard exists, or when a product exceeds the requirements of current standards. It enables manufacturers to demonstrate that their cable meets specific enhanced performance requirements while providing assurance to end users that the product has undergone independent technical assessment and validation.

Unlike conventional certification that assesses compliance against an established standard, a CAD evaluates a cable against a bespoke specification developed for a particular application or performance requirement.

Why is CAD Important?

Innovation in the cable industry often moves faster than standards development. New applications may demand:

• Higher operating temperatures
• Improved fire resistance
• Specialised materials and constructions
• Enhanced durability for challenging environments
• Custom cable designs for specific industries or projects

A CAD allows these innovations to be independently assessed and certified without waiting for standards to catch up. This helps manufacturers bring advanced products to market while maintaining confidence in safety, quality and performance.

How the CAD Process Works

BASEC works closely with manufacturers and, where appropriate, end users and supply chain partners to develop a tailored specification for the product.

This includes defining:

• Design and construction requirements
• Material specifications
• Operating conditions
• Performance criteria
• Testing requirements

A bespoke test programme is then created to verify that the cable is fit for its intended purpose. BASEC independently reviews the design and incorporates relevant industry standards and best practices wherever applicable. Its important to note that the cable samples undergo stringent testing and auditing in line with the BASEC PCR requirements.

The resulting CAD specification becomes a dedicated benchmark for that product, allowing innovative solutions to be tested and approved against clearly defined performance expectations even where no formal standard currently exists.

Cross-Licensing and Intellectual Property

An important aspect of many CAD-certified products is the use of cross-licensing arrangements between the design owner and the manufacturing partner.

In these situations, the design owner or product sponsor retains ownership of the intellectual property (IP) and technical design, while appointing a third-party manufacturer to produce the product. Through a cross-licensing agreement, certification can remain in the sponsor's name, ensuring ownership of the design and certified performance remains with the organisation that developed the technology.

This model enables specialist cable developers to bring innovative products to market without investing in their own manufacturing facilities, while ensuring that production is carried out by an approved manufacturer operating to the agreed specification. It also provides clarity around product ownership, quality responsibilities and certification management throughout the supply chain.

Enhanced Performance Standards

One of the key advantages of a CAD is the ability to validate performance levels beyond those covered by existing standards.

For example, while many fire-resistant cable standards require testing for 120 minutes, some critical infrastructure projects require significantly higher levels of performance. CAD certification can be used to validate enhanced specifications, such as cables capable of maintaining performance for 180 minutes, alongside larger conductor sizes and other project-specific requirements.

Applications commonly supported through CAD certification include:

• High-performance fire-resistant cables

• Railway rolling stock cables

• Switchgear wiring

• Solar cables

• EV charging cables

• Other specialist and emerging cable technologies

BASEC Approval and Ongoing Surveillance

Achieving CAD approval is only the beginning of the certification journey. Each approved product receives a unique BASEC CAD number, ensuring traceability. To maintain confidence in product performance and manufacturing consistency, certification is supported by a robust surveillance programme.

This typically includes:

• An initial audit conducted in accordance with BASEC Product Certification Requirements (PCR)

• Regular ongoing audits, typically twice per year

• One unannounced audit visit annually

• Sample collection during each audit for independent surveillance testing

This continuous assessment process plays a crucial role in maintaining confidence in certified products by:

• Reducing the risk of manufacturers producing unrepresentative "golden samples" solely for certification testing

• Verifying that tested products accurately reflect normal production output

• Providing ongoing evidence of consistent manufacturing quality

• Demonstrating continued compliance with the approved design and specification

Conclusion

The BASEC Certificate of Assessed Design provides a valuable pathway for validating innovative cable technologies that fall outside existing standards. By combining bespoke specifications, independent assessment, rigorous testing and ongoing surveillance, CAD certification enables manufacturers to demonstrate compliance while giving manufacturers, specifiers and installers confidence that advanced cable solutions are safe, reliable and fit for purpose.

When combined with robust cross-licensing arrangements and a comprehensive certification surveillance programme, CAD approval offers assurance that innovative products are not only capable of meeting enhanced performance requirements, but can continue to deliver that performance consistently throughout their production lifecycle.