Three weeks after the devastating Grenfell Tower fire, we bring you a round-up of the week’s industry responses. A research briefing paper from Parliament.co.uk sets out the events and commentary around the Grenfell Tower fire, the relevant building regulations, fire safety laws and housing standards, the Government response to the fire, the responsibilities around re-housing, and previous concerns raised by fire regulations.
Landlords are engaging in a checking and testing process for Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding. The tests that are currently being conducted at BRE – on behalf of the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) – are a screening test to identify which ACM panels are of concern.
ACA is an Association that represents architects’ private practices in the UK. As publishers of Forms of Appointments and Building Contracts the ACA has a long and special interest in successful design, procurement and construction. Its response asks if the Design and Procurement of buildings in England and Wales are currently working as it should? If not, how can it be improved to prevent future catastrophic failures? The ACA sets out 41 relevant questions following the disaster.
The International Institute of Risk and Safety Management provides the open letter to the Prime Minister from over 70 leading organisations and figures from the UK’s safety and health profession. They call for a political sea change in attitude towards health and safety regulation and fire risk management following the Grenfell tragedy.
The Scottish Government reported that the second meeting of a Ministerial Working Group, convened to examine building and fire safety regulatory frameworks, has taken place. The group oversees a review of building and fire safety regulatory frameworks with an initial focus on high rise domestic buildings.
After a 12-month period full of surprises, I guess it shouldn’t really have come as a surprise to find that we now have a period of political uncertainty to add to the general uncertainty generated by Brexit.
They say you get the politicians you deserve, but, really, are we this bad? Two prime ministers in a row have, through a combination of arrogance, contempt for the electorate and ineptitude, plunged the UK into an uncertain future. A hung parliament effectively erases the Conservative Party manifesto of any of the contentious policies such as social care – the so-called dementia tax – and will see them replaced with bland DUP-approved policies that do not upset one side in Northern Ireland.
In June 2016, we were looking at a period of sustained growth and had a stable, if flawed, relationship with our nearest neighbours and biggest market in the EU. All that the majority of business leaders had to consider was their investment plans for the future: should we build that new factory, invest in new technology or hire additional staff?
Now, 12 months later, the abiding sentiment in the business community is one of uncertainty – and uncertainty is the enemy of investment decision-making.
Doing a deal with the DUP may be politically expedient but it comes at the risk of unravelling the delicate balance that is politics in Northern Ireland. The leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, Ruth Davidson, has said that she puts country and her beliefs before the party. If only Mr Cameron and Mrs May had done that instead of carrying out their opportunistic referendum and election gambles, both of which spectacularly backfired.
So, what now for Brexit? Hard, soft or open? One thing became evident during the election campaign that was called to give Mrs May a mandate for a Brexit deal: the government clearly has no idea what a post-Brexit UK will look like. We were left with banal clichés such as “no deal is better than a bad deal”.
Far from being “bloody difficult”, our prime minister just looked inept and over confident. She completely handed the initiative to the EU negotiators by triggering Article 50 to set the two-year deadline, then calling and losing her majority in the election.
At the time of writing, negotiations are shortly due to start on Brexit. Is it possible to imagine a worse run-up to those negotiations? Unsurprisingly, the Europeans are scratching their heads about what we want.
Despite all of that, the UK remains a great place to do business and invest. Where else in the world can you find a fair legal system, a skilled workforce, a good banking system and an openness to foreign investment? I would add a stable political system, as chaotic as it currently appears.
So, there is something to look forward to, provided the politicians can start to make progress on the Brexit negotiations.
Find July’s SpecFinish on the Publications section of our Membership Hub here
FIS Skills is pleased to announce that Phase Two of the FIS Skills Partnership and Approved Training Provider Network launched earlier this week.
We are working to attract over 2,000 new entrants into our sector by 2020, with a view to having a sustainable model in place to bring in a further 1,500 new entrants per annum from 2020 onwards. To do this, the delivery team must have a full network of FE Colleges and Approved Training Providers across England, Wales and Scotland.
The Phase Two launch will obtain greater coverage and growth for the FIS Skills programme, helping us to address the skills shortage.
To find out more about joining the Partnership, visit the Skills Hub here.
NBS and the CPA have together launched a survey to understand construction product manufacturers’ views on BIM. For the last seven years, NBS has published its National BIM Report, focusing on the use and adoption of BIM among the design community; this first national survey seeks to uncover the use of and attitudes towards BIM among the construction product manufacturer community.
Developed in partnership with the Construction Products Association (CPA), which represents the UK’s manufacturers and distributors of construction products and materials, the survey will also look into manufacturer views on a range of BIM related topics including: attitudes towards BIM, thoughts on its adoption and maturity, as well as the 2016 mandate.
The survey is open until 23 July 2017 and there are prizes on offer. Respondents can complete the survey here and FIS will be able to share the results with our members.
FIS has a Special Interest Forum for BIM, visit the page here.
Barbour ABI has teamed up with the Construction Products Association to produce the Regional Construction Hotspots in Great Britain 2017 report.
Barbour ABI and the Construction Products Association have analysed construction activity by region and sector in 2016, with the majority of the work taking place in 2017 onward.
The report highlights regional construction contract value ‘hotspots’ and ‘coldspots’ for last year’s commissioned work in residential, commercial and infrastructure sectors.
Activity seems to be shifting away from London and the South East, with only two London regions making it into the top ten districts for construction contract value.
Following the tragic fire at Grenfell Tower, it is evident that the passive fire protection failed within the tower, both externally and internally. This will have implications for members and we have been contacted by several who have been approached by clients looking for reassurance. In order to discuss these issues and develop advice for members and clients, we will hold a meeting at Friends House, 173 Euston Road, London NW1 2BJ on Thursday 22 June from 9 am to 12.30 pm.
Members who wish to attend should email info@thefis.org to register. We will update all members following the meeting.
The latest edition of FIS Focus is now available on the website. The 38-page magazine features all our winners of the 2017 Contractors Awards which were announced at The Dorchester Hotel in London this week. We talk to Mark Farmer, author of Modernise or Die, who shares his views on the skills crisis. BSI put their new Code of Practice for Smart Working into practice and Chris Wheal reviews the newly launched Client Guide: Office Fit-Out and Refurbishment.
The FIS Awards Lunch took place on Tuesday 6 June 2017 at The Dorchester Hotel in London and was attended by 455 members and guests. The wet weather didn’t dampen spirits though as the industry came together to hear the winners of the Contractors Awards announced.
Steve Coley gave his last speech as FIS President; a very amusing account of his visit to the AWCI Expo in Las Vegas with a comparison of the problems our industry faces both in the UK and the US.
Representatives from our nominated charity Bounce Back collected a respectable £2,989.30 thanks to the generous donations of our members. The auction of the wonderful wood carving ‘My son the ceiling fixer’ was won by Helen Tapper of Tapper Interiors and raised £1,650.
We were treated to an amusing after-dinner speech by John Lloyd CBE, the man behind some of the most successful and well-loved TV and radio of the last three decades. John then compèred the announcement of award winners as follows:
Judges Award had two Gold winners;
Atkin Trade Specialists for its installation at Extra Care Housing in Dorchester
Worksmart Contracts Ltd for its project at Ayr Gaiety Theatre in Ayrshire
Operable Walls Silver – Hufcor UK for its contract at the Leicester Royal Infirmary clinical training facility Operable Walls Gold – Style Moveable Partition Specialists for its installation at Francis Crick Institute
Steel Framed System Silver – Errigal Contracts for its installation at Morello in Surrey Steel Framed System Gold – SCS Building Solutions Ltd for its installation at Victoria Gate in Leeds
Specialist Joinery Silver – Pexhurst Services for its installation at DTZ Investors in London Specialist Joinery Gold – Bushcrafted for its contract at Young Living in London
Drywall Construction Residential Silver – Errigal Contracts for its project at One Tower Bridge in London Drywall Construction Residential Gold – Stortford Interiors for its Riverwalk Project in London
Drywall Construction Commercial Silver – Lakeside Ceilings and Partitions for its installation at Tata Technologies in Warwickshire Drywall Construction Commercial Gold – Quad Building Services for its contract at Victoria Embankment
Suspended Ceilings Silver – Astins Ltd for its ceilings installation at The Victoria and Albert Museum Exhibition Road Project in London Suspended Ceilings Gold – Integra Contracts for its contract at 6 PS in London
Partitioning category Silver – Moda Interiors for its contract at Birmingham University’s new library building Partitioning category Gold – Clestra Hauserman for its partitioning installation for a leading packaging solutions provider in London
Interior Fit-Out under £1M Silver – QOB Interiors for its contract at One Carter Lane in London Interior Fit-Out under £1M Gold – DSP Interiors for its project at KTM Sportmotorcycle in Northamptonshire
Interior Fit-Out over £1M Silver – Horbury Group for its contract at the University of Birmingham Library Interior Fit-Out over £1M Gold – Claremont Group Interiors for its project at King in London
Project of the Year had two winners;
Locker and Riley Fibrous Plastering for its contract at the Lanesborough Hotel in London
SCS Building Solutions for its contract at Victoria Gate in Leeds
All winners are featured in the June edition of FIS Focus here. The full magazine can be viewed here.
We would like to thank all entrants and sponsors of the 2017 awards; entries for the 2018 FIS Contractors Awards will open in July.
A summary of the data from the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI® for May revealed that construction growth rebounded to a 17-month high in May, driven by housebuilding.
Other key findings include:
Business activity rises at fastest pace since December 2015
Residential work replaces civil engineering as best performing category
To help us attack the skills gap and engage our younger audience, we are looking for images that represent our members’ best works on site; exceptional stand-out projects that you are particularly proud of, operations in action shots, young people working with your specialists, even the technical support staff – including women – delivering off-site business growth.
FIS Skills want to show the world of finishes and interiors in all its finery to the next generation of interior systems specialists.
Full credit will be given to you on Instagram. All we ask is for a brief description of the project and any additional information of the people within the images.
To make your submissions please email Project Manager Amanda Scott: amandascott@thefis.org
The major political parties have revealed their manifestos for the general election on 8 June. For the construction sector,
the three top concerns are the impact of Brexit, housing and infrastructure.
With nearly 200,000 EU workers in the UK, the industry is unanimous in its demand for the incoming government to make it a priority to guarantee the status of existing EU nationals currently working in the UK and then implement a migration system that ensures the industry continues to attract talent from the EU and across the world. The housing crisis is an ongoing issue with the construction industry calling on all the parties to pledge to increase housebuilding as well as focus on the quality and delivery of newly built homes. The NFB has welcomed measures to increase opportunities for SME house builders but maintained that land, along with finance and planning, remains an issue for small builders. Continued infrastructure investment is also top of most organisations’ wish list for any future government.
Labour is “declaring war” on late payments and will demand that all bidders for government contracts pay their own suppliers in 30 days. The Tories are proposing a similar policy, which would mean that businesses that don’t abide by the Prompt Payment Code will lose the right to bid for government contracts. Also, the Tories are pledging to make one-third of their purchases from SMEs by the end of the next parliament.
The Lib Dems want to double the number of businesses that hire apprentices, to develop national colleges to deliver high-level vocational skills and to increase advice in schools about entrepreneurship and self-employment. They will also encourage all schools to participate more with businesses.
Labour wants to create a National Education Service for England, double the number of completed apprenticeships at NVQ level 3 by 2022, and protect funding to SMEs that hire apprentices. The Conservatives are planning to launch new vocational qualifications called T-levels covering 15 subjects including construction, creative and design, digital, engineering and manufacturing, health and science. They also plan to establish new institutes of technology in every major city in England. They have also reaffirmed a commitment to deliver three million apprenticeships by 2020.
Construction Manager, the magazine from CIOB, has published its findings of the recent CDM 2015 Survey. Most prominently, regulations have had limited impact on the construction industry and no apparent impact on its accident rate.
The survey was carried out jointly by Construction Manager and Health and Safety at Work, the magazine of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management. Whilst the principles of CDM 2015 are struggling to be embedded into the industry, working methods established under CDM 2007 and CDM 1994 have proved remarkably resilient, according to the survey.
Survey respondents commented that:
a workable system had been made less workable
fees and costs had increased without any increase in safety
the goal of bringing smaller projects and domestic clients into scope had proved ineffectual
Less than half (46%) of respondents rated today’s compliance with CDM 2015 as good or excellent, compared to the 53% who thought that about CDM 2007. Among the 106 members of the Association for Project Safety (APS) in the sample, there was more scepticism: the recalled compliance rate under CDM 2007 was 56%, while current compliance was put at 43%.
The growth prospects of construction SMEs are being potentially stalled due to late payments, according to research commissioned by Crossflow Payments, the Fintech platform delivering supply chain finance solutions.
The findings also come against the backdrop of the introduction (6 April 2017) of new government obligations requiring large businesses to publicly report on their payment practice to suppliers. Although this starts to quantify the problem at an individual corporate level, including whether they use supply chain finance solutions, it serves as a reminder of the need for further progress to be made in ensuring SMEs are able to receive prompt payment from customers.
Of construction SMEs surveyed, an average 15.4% of the annual turnover was subject to late payment in 2016, equivalent to an estimated £22.6 billion for the sector as a whole. Eleven of 25 of small construction companies who receive payment late for invoices admit payment is regularly late by more than ten days, and a quarter says that they receive payment for invoices late.
The findings convey the economic opportunity at stake if construction SMEs are able to boost their working capital by receiving payment for invoices quicker, with tangible business benefits identified by businesses.
Over a fifth, (21%) of construction SMEs surveyed said they would increase marketing and sales budgets, while 21% said they would hire more staff, and another 18% said they would increase the wages of existing staff.
About Crossflow Payments
Crossflow Payments is a technology-driven alternative finance platform delivering an innovative supply chain finance solution to large corporates and their suppliers. Its unique payment platform improves working capital for businesses whilst providing SMEs with instant access to finance against their outstanding invoices without the need for onerous personal guarantees.
The National Interior Specialists Training Group (NISTG) has secured funding to supplement the cost of some training for FIS members. Simply send your invoice to erikaskinner@thefis.org and we will refund 50% of the course cost (up to a maximum value of £250 per delegate, £1,000 per company). See the full terms and conditions below.
Funding is available for the following range of courses:
Site Safety Plus courses
Marketing courses
Financial and E-procurement courses
Green Deal and Sustainability training
Specialist Plant Training
Management and Leadership
ICT skills and Legislation
As a guide, the grant funds most of the courses that are supported through CITB training plan grant. For example:
Financial and e-procurement courses
Green Deal and sustainability training
Information and communications technology (ICT) courses
Legal courses
Management and leadership courses
Marketing courses
Site Safety Plus courses
Specialist plant training
Terms and conditions
Maximum claim of £250 per delegate, £1,000 per company
Training must be carried out by delegates who are currently employed by or are NET (taxed) CIS Construction Industry Scheme sub-contractors of CITB registered employers
Training must have taken place between January and May 2017 and have been completed
Invoices supplied must show the full costs of the training which have been carried out including venue fees, trainer fees and training materials
Supply your bank details – once approved payment will be made by bank transfer
The latest edition of the Joint Taxation Committee’s Newsline for May can be downloaded here. Liz Bridge reports that there seem to be some problems with CIS online verifications, particularly of partnerships. If any member experiences difficulty, can they contact Liz as she requires examples to show HMRC. Email liz@thetaxbridge.com
Other items of interest include:
Making Tax Digital
Apprenticeship Levy
Call for evidence: employee expenses
Topping up a poor NIC record
Tax-free allowances on property and trading income
We are proud to advise that Cath, Clair, Erika, Sharon, Nicky and Carole, who are based at the FIS office in Solihull, are donning their pink gear to take part in Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life on Saturday 15 July. Our team, aptly named ‘Can the FIS ladies finish?’ will tackle the Pretty Muddy 5k obstacle course which includes scrambling over an A-frame and crawling through a mud pit, in an effort to raise valuable funds to help beat cancer. This is a charity dear to our hearts as two of the FIS team have fought the disease during the last two years, so your support would be much appreciated.
Visit the ‘Can the FIS ladies finish?’ fundraising page at https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/can-the-fis-ladies-finish to make a donation or if you can come along to Cofton Park in Birmingham to cheer us on, we would love to see you. We will be crossing the start line at 10.45am 😊
A summary of the data from the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI® for April revealed that construction growth picked up in April, driven by work on civil engineering projects.
Other key findings include:
Sharpest rise in total construction output so far in 2017
Civil engineering expands at fastest pace for 13 months
Suppliers’ lead-times lengthen to greatest extent since June 2015
We are pleased to announce the launch of our latest publication A Client’s Guide: Office Fit-Out and Refurbishment.
For many clients, creating an office fit-out that suits their business needs, their customers and staff – and having it happen on time, to specification and to budget – can seem daunting. This has prompted FIS to create the guide to not only assist them with the process but to also promote the outstanding work which FIS members carry out.
The guide will enable contractors to demonstrate that they follow best practice; for architects and designers, they can aid their clients in understanding the fit-out process, highlighting the importance of design.
The launch took place on Thursday 25 May during Clerkenwell Design Week, an annual event where showrooms open their doors, launch new products and hold events and seminars. The event was well-attended and free copies of the guide were available. To download a PDF version of the guide, go to our Publications page.
FIS showcased its flagship BuildBack programme by hosting an open day at Tyne Metropolitan College on 10 April.
The event enjoyed full attendance and participation from all partners, employers and trainees including Mary Glindon, MP for North Tyneside. The trainees put on a demonstration of their skills learnt to date.
MP Mary Glindon said “what I have seen here today is trainees building new skills and getting into a trade, that will not just carry them forward in a job for life, but will enable them to earn a high level of income”.
Working in collaboration with CITB and in partnership with Tyne Metropolitan College, Jobcentre Plus and Dry Lining and Plastering Training Forum (DLPTF), the programme is designed to provide opportunities for job seekers who are serious about developing a career in drylining.
To find out more, watch videos and download BuildBack brochures, click here.
