by Clair Mooney | 4 Nov, 2025 | Main News Feed, Member Benefits, Membership
FIS is continually reviewing its service offering and has recently updated its Contract Review Service to better meet the needs of members.
We know that too often contractors are faced with heavily-amended contracts with significant risk transfer. This service offers members a subsidised expert review of contracts, schedules of amendments, collateral warranties and bonds to ensure they are aware of what they are signing up to.
Key features of the service include:
- The option of a QS-led or Lawyer-led review service
- A subsidised fee structure to make the service more accessible for specialist contractors. Prices start from £300 for quantity-surveyor-led reviews, and from £450 for lawyer-led reviews (with fees tiered by contract size).
- Early-stage contract review: designed to be used before work commences, to identify problematic clauses in advance rather than reactively
- Additional support options including virtual meetings and bid-stage review where appropriate.
Our research with Reading University identified that specialist contractors often find themselves under significant pressure to sign amended forms of contracts. The aim of the Contract Review Service is to help specialist contractors and their supply-chains identify onerous contract conditions before work commences and support fairer risk allocation.
Commenting on the service, FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee said:
“The Contract Review Service has been an unmitigated success with feedback from members who have used it encouraging. We appreciate how hard a Responsible No can be, but when it is backed by expert advice, negotiation is possible.
“As well as supporting individual members directly, the service has also been instrumental in helping FIS to support our ongoing representation work, exposing and challenging the worst of behaviours and in developing resources for our Contractual and Legal Toolkit. Further e-learning is planned for 2026 to help all members to benefit from the lessons learned.
“With two years of reviews under our belt it felt appropriate to revisit how we deliver the service and under this umbrella to extend the range of services available to members through the amazing panel of expert advisors. The service now covers tender support, direct negotiation and bid support and unlike most things, the basic subsidised rate has reduced further to ensure that it is as accessible as possible to our members!”
You can find out more about the Contract Review Service here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate in contacting the FIS team on 0121 707 0077.
by Clair Mooney | 12 Aug, 2024 | Health and Safety, Member Benefits, Technical
FIS is thrilled to announce a new partnership with UKATA, a leading authority in asbestos training. This partnership solidifies the collaboration between the two organisations and aims to further enhance the education and training opportunities related to asbestos across the construction and interiors sectors.
This new relationship reflects the commitment of both organisations to work closely together in advancing asbestos awareness and safety measures across the industry. By combining their expertise, resources, and industry knowledge, UKATA and FIS intend to strengthen efforts to prevent asbestos-related diseases and ensure the highest standards of safety in asbestos management.
Debbie Nixon, UKATA Senior Operations Manager expressed her excitement about the partnership saying,
“We are delighted to formalise our collaboration with the Finishes and Interiors Sector, and I look forward to contributing to our collective efforts to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos.”
Iain McIlwee, Chief Executive of FIS commented,
‘Asbestos has slipped out of the headlines a bit in recent times, but we cannot get complacent. It is true that usage has been banned since the turn of the century, but it was so widely used historically that we will continue to encounter it in refurbishment works for many, many years to come. If disturbed and inappropriately managed, it is a killer and one of the worst we have known in construction – there is no safe level of exposure. It is critical that construction workers know how to identify and react when they encounter asbestos, not just for their own safety, but for all those around them. This new partnership is about ensuring that the next generation of construction workers have access to the training they need and are not at risk from decisions made in the past and eminently avoidable mistakes that ignorance and complacency may allow today’.
Both UKATA and FIS share a common commitment to asbestos awareness, training, and safety.
by Oscar Venus | 26 Jun, 2024 | Member Benefits
FIS members enjoy a wide range of benefits specially curated by our membership team in collaboration with our associate members. One such valued partnership is with TradePoint, who provide exclusive tailored services to meet the specific needs of our members.
As part of this collaboration, FIS members, their employees, and LOSC’s can avail a fantastic 10% discount on all eligible products both in-store and online at TradePoint. We highly recommend all our members to make the most of this incredible offer and stay updated on the latest products and deals released by TradePoint and B&Q.
Check out the latest flyer for a sneak peek at some of the newest product releases and exciting deals on offer.
