About Us

FIS is the not for profit representative body for the £10 billion finishes and interiors sector in the UK. The organisation exists to support our members, improve safety, minimise risk, enhance productivity and drive innovation in the sector.

The Finishes and Interiors Sector

The finishes and interiors sector in the UK has an annual turnover of £10 billion and a workforce of 250,000 people – it accounts for approximately10% of all construction works.

Fit-out and finishing is a key part of every building process, but unlike other elements of construction, buildings will often have over 30 fit-outs in their lifetime.  Each one fundamentally impacts, not just the way a building looks, but how it performs and hence fit-out and finishing is fundamental to the wellbeing, safety, comfort and productivity of all those that live, work, play and recuperate in a building.

“Construction is changing at the fastest rate now than I have seen in the past 20 years.  The drive for competence, productivity and transparency is underpinned by changes in working practices,legislation, regulation and innovation. FIS is here to work with our members to set standards and underpin our core values, ensuring this future isn’t just done to us, but that we are prepared and shaping it.”

Helen Tapper, Operations Director, Tapper Interiors and Past President of FIS

Our Focus

 

 

Vision: A sector built on fairness, quality and competence where good companies are engaged early in a collaborative specification and construction process.

Mission: Supporting compliance and raising standards through a focus on collaboration, risk management and competence.  Providing a strong voice and using our influence to support positive transformation and ensure FIS guidance is specified and members win work.

Our Community

 

 

FIS has a growing community of members drawn from contractors, manufacturers and distributors of ceilings, steel framing systems, operable walls, partitions, plastering, drylining and specialist interior fit-out and refurbishment businesses operating in every type of building.

On being accepted into the Association, all members agree to subscribe to and abide by the terms of the FIS Code of Conduct which establishes a minimum standard of conduct for members in order to raise and maintain industry standards.  Members are vetted on application (for contractors this includes a physical audit of a construction site) and at regular intervals throughout their membership.  

Our Values

Central to our ethos is our Ongoing Vetting Process and Code of Conduct.  This, as with all FIS actvity is under the scrutiny and direction of our President and elected Board of Members.  All decisions are driven by five underpinning values.

1. Members first: always putting the best interests of members at the heart of decisions, engaging, listening and learning to target our activities.

2. Be relevant and authoritative:  listen, engage and understand the problems of our community today and take all reasonable steps to provide comprehensive, professional support.

3. Be generous in sharing knowledge: for the benefit of all involved in the design, specification and construction process.

4. Raising standards and improving quality: champion best practice and the principles of our code of conduct and vetting procedure for the benefit of our  members and our clients.

5. Taking the extra step: always focus on distilling, refining and improving what we do for the benefit of everyone in the sector.

If you are a member of the FIS and interested in getting involved through the FIS Board or one of our Working Groups, don’t hesitate to contact us via info@thefis.org or telephone 0121 707 0077.  Elections to the Board take place annually in late summer/early autumn based on a simple nominations process.  Results are announced at our AGM.

Our wider Network

 

 

The organisation is dedicated to collaboration in construction and through FIS our members are affiliated to, and can benefit from, the service offering of Build UK, the Construction Products Association and the Construction Industry Collective Voice in Scotland.

FIS is an active contributor to the work of the Construction Leadership Council, supporting working groups and the advisory committee.  We are also Chairing the work of the Industry Competence Committee looking at the Competency in the Interior Super-Sector and co-chairing  the Passive Fire Knowledge Group. 

Our History

 

 

FIS is a modern organisation formed from the merger of a number of trade bodies with a collective history that can be tracked back over 100 years.  The organisation was formed as FIS in 2015 from the merger of the Association of Interior Specialists (AIS) and the Federation of Plastering and Drywall Contractors (FPDC).  By coming together as one strong organisation, we are a powerful and unique voice for the sector.  

Find an FIS member

Meet the FIS Team