Construction technology provider Causeway Technologies has acquired Reference Point, developer of the UK’s leading workforce competency and authority-to-work system.

This is the third strategic acquisition since Five Arrows made a significant investment in Causeway in 2021, and reinforces Causeway’s platform strategy to digitise the processes that underpin the construction and maintenance of the built environment.

Through SkillGuard, its mobile workforce management system, Reference Point is best known in the UK for delivering the Network Rail Sentinel system (the largest health and safety passport system in the world), as well as the Highways Passport scheme. Reference Point’s solutions are also used globally, extending as far afield as Australia where the Rail Industry Worker Programme covers the entire Australasian rail industry.

Reference Point also provides Gencarda, a cloud digital membership software platform with virtual cards, and CourseSight, a comprehensive training, e-learning and course management solution which is used by London Underground to manage all training courses across its supply chain.

This acquisition provides Causeway with a single platform for industry bodies, asset owners and contractors to manage operatives’ identity, training compliance, health, safety, and resource management across the supply chain. Additionally, it provides a secure place for operatives to hold their competencies and identify themselves.

Ollie McGovern, chief commercial officer at Causeway, said: “We understand that the skills shortage is one of the largest pressures facing the industry right now, and so with this latest acquisition of Reference Point, Causeway is committed to providing technology solutions that help our customers tackle this head-on.

“By integrating Reference Point with Causeway’s solutions, we can now offer a platform that provides a single solution which benefits the operative and their employer in some of the most challenging areas of our sector including skills, resourcing, attendance management and compliance with health and safety regulations.

“The addition of Reference Point will also enable Causeway to further build on the work we are doing to provide awareness and interventions with mental health for site workers, where rates of suicide are three times that of other industries. We are well placed as a technology provider to help drive real change across the industry, and by incorporating Reference Point’s expertise and technology into our platform, we’re striving to help our customers create safer, healthier work environments for their workforces.”

Beric Davis, chief executive officer of Reference Point, said: “Having previously worked alongside Causeway, we knew that its ambitions and company culture aligned with our own. We’re delighted to be part of this rapidly growing, dynamic business where we will continue to deliver world-class solutions that best serve the workforce, their employers, and clients alike.”

With combined key clients like Balfour Beatty, Kier, National Highways and Tarmac, Causeway and Reference Point will build unparalleled integration and end-to-end solutions for clients on an international scale.

Reference Point has more than 35,000 organisations using its systems, supporting more than 3.5 million workers. Key customers include Thames Water, Tarmac, Kier, National Highways and Network Rail.

Causeway Technologies was founded in 1999 by chief executive, Phil Brown. Headquartered in Buckinghamshire, it serves over 3,000 customers globally and has over 500 employees. Causeway provides enterprise and cloud software solutions to support the construction and maintenance industries, serving consultants, contractors, suppliers, and their clients on an international scale.