Identify the document behind the name
MI5 announced the creation of NPSA on 13 March 2023. When a tender cites CPNI, record the actual document title, date, revision and subject. Then look for the current NPSA source or obtain clarification through the project authority.
Keep the original reference in the audit trail. If the requirement is updated, record who approved the change and which replacement document applies. A silent change of acronym can conceal a substantive difference in technical scope.
For current procurement, check NPSA’s security fences and gates update. It states that NPSA no longer tests fences and gates against the Manual Forced Entry Standard and that fences and gates would be removed from its Catalogue of Security Equipment from 1 January 2026. An old MFES rating or CPNI brochure therefore needs a current evidence review; do not present it as proof of an active listing.
Separate guidance, testing and listing
| Reference type | What it can establish |
|---|---|
| General guidance | Principles and subjects for the project's assessment |
| Test method or standard | Defined evaluation procedures and performance scope |
| Product listing | The identified product within the listing's stated conditions |
| Project acceptance | The authorised decision for the offered installation |
A supplier following a guidance document has not thereby gained an NPSA product approval. Equally, a product listing does not replace the site's operational assessment or the other specialist designs.
Keep an evidence register that survives link changes
For each relied-upon document, store the title, publisher, date or revision, checked URL, access date and relevant scope in the authorised project record. Save a permitted copy where appropriate. Sensitive or restricted material must follow the owner's access and handling requirements.
An illustrative tender might cite 12 references: eight current sources, two legacy sources with identified replacements and two unresolved references. Report those groups separately. Calling the file “10 of 12 complete” loses the distinction between an actual current requirement and an unapproved replacement.
Check the technical subject, not just the issuing body
Map each cited document to the component or interface it governs. Detection requirements may affect sensor mounting, while vehicle-barrier evidence concerns a different assembly and installation scope. Ask the proposed supplier to explain how its offer meets the identified requirement; a general reference to an issuing body cannot establish approval for every mesh, post, gate and accessory in the package.
NPSA's PIDS guidance addresses perimeter detection. Its vehicle barrier transition note addresses a different test and recognition issue. Neither should be filed as generic proof that an ordinary mesh fence is approved for every high-security application.
Map each reference to the requirement it supports. Where the offered fence, gate or equipment differs from the documented product, obtain the necessary scope clarification rather than extending the claim yourself.
Close old references before awarding the package
Resolve ambiguous legacy references through the project authority before accepting the production specification. Record the accepted document and any limitations beside the affected item, then carry them into the quotation and inspection schedule. Where an offered custom dimension falls outside documented scope, keep that issue open for a specific acceptance decision rather than treating a name change as technical approval.
Use the certificate scope checklist for product identity and the technical deviation schedule to record accepted changes. This leaves the installation team with a definite requirement and a traceable basis for inspection.