by Iain McIlwee | 28 Jul, 2025 | Technical
Growing concerns and legal challenges around acoustic performance claims led FIS in 2018 to take positive action and launch an acoustic verification scheme that covered glazed and demountable partitions and acoustic walls. The scheme reviews test data through a third-party verification process (carried out by independent acoustic engineers), performs a series of checks to verify information is accurate and genuine against marketing claims.
Verified Products can be marketed with the FIS Acoustic Verified Certificate and listed as Acoustic Verified on NBS to provide reassurance to specifiers and users. FIS members are poised to add a number of new product lines to the scheme and, as the verification cost is based on batch pricing, FIS is opening up the next round of verifications to all members to ensure that we can offer best value in bringing products into the scheme.
The scheme, developed through the relevant FIS Working Groups, established standard methodology for how tests should be conducted and reported. This means products can be effectively compared and the potential for inaccurate or misleading information from undermining project integrity and responsible manufacturers is limited. In 2024, for similar reasons, the scheme was extended to cover the validation of claims for acoustic pods. Larger meeting room pods are marketed as flexible solutions to provide acoustic privacy. However, ISO 23351-1:2020 states that the pod should not occupy more than 5% of the volume of reverberation test chamber. For most test chambers, this limits the maximum pod size to 11m3, leaving this emerging sector to use inconsistent parameters when making marketing claims.
The classification certificates will indicate to an acoustician that there is deep, verified data behind the classification allowing the acoustician to have a reliable dataset to use within their assessments.
If you are interested in bringing your products into the scheme or adding to your range of already verified products, please email info@thefis.org and we’ll get details of next steps out to you. Any questions call the FIS on 0121 707 0077.
For more details on how you can specify with confidence with the FIS Acoustic Verification Scheme, click here.
by Clair Mooney | 1 Jul, 2025 | Building Safety Act, Technical
Build UK has published an updated version of the Common Assessment Standard, and the Building Safety section is now mandatory for completion by all companies that carry out work under the Building Safety Act. Version 5 also contains updates to the Corporate & Professional Standing; Environmental; and Fairness, Inclusion & Respect sections.
Under the Building Safety Act, anyone appointing individuals or organisations to undertake design or building work has a duty to ensure they are competent. Organisations must demonstrate ‘organisational capability’, and the Common Assessment Standard is being used by a growing list of clients and contractors across the public and private sectors to demonstrate compliance.
Companies will be required to complete the updated question set when they next go through the certification process for the Common Assessment Standard with a Recognised Assessment Body, and a number of Build UK members will be specifying that members of their supply chains must have successfully completed the Building Safety section by 1 October 2025.
Jim Parlour, FIS Head of Technical, said:
“These ongoing changes to the common assessment standard are welcomed by our members who strive for best practice and wish to distinguish themselves. Demonstrating compliance with the now mandatory Building Safety criteria is not without challenges, and FIS have been working with our members to provide direct intervention and guidance over the last few months on approach to this deadline.
Members who are struggling to demonstrate fulfilment of the criteria should contact the FIS for advice and support.”
by Oscar Venus | 23 May, 2025 | Health and Safety, Technical
We have been working with a panel of industry experts to address organisational competence amongst contractors. This group has been instrumental in helping us produce building safety policy guidance for those who are accredited on a pre-qualification (PQQ) scheme equivalent to the Build UK Common Assessment Standard (CAS). This guidance should be a timely and meaningful intervention with the June deadline rapidly approaching for the Building Safety section of the CAS becoming mandatory.
It is vital members get on top of this because, whilst companies can currently opt out of the new questions and maintain accreditation, we have been advised the additional questions related to work in scope of the Building Safety Act will become mandatory from as early as the 9th June 2025. Added to this, they provide a good framework for challenging your internal processes. FIS team ran through the questions with a group of members in early May and whilst most should be straightforward, we can provide additional advise based on this discussion and support. If you need any advice in the process, please call FIS on 0121 707 0077 or email info@thefis.org and we will direct you to the appropriate member of our team. If you have comments on the questions, FIS has been invited to join the drafting panel for future editions of the Common Assessment Standard, so please direct comments to jamesparlour@thefis.org.
As a final point FIS is always willing to follow-up requests for specific PQQ schemes as the Common Assessment Standard is designed to support interoperability and remove the need for duplication of accreditation efforts across multiple schemes (this is part of our Responsible No Campaign)
The draft policy document can be found here
by Oscar Venus | 23 May, 2025 | Market data, Technical
FIS responded on behalf if it’s members to the Government Consultation on their Construction Products Reform Green Paper. This paper details plans to increase the oversight of testing and conformity assessment bodies, third party product certification schemes, the role of the general product safety regulations in governing construction products not covered by an existing designated standard. The paper also consults on the introduction of digital product passports and environmental performance characteristics from the new EU Construction Products Regulations along with a suite of measures to enable reuse of construction products. The FIS gathered views from across our membership profile through our working groups and beyond, and we are incredibly grateful to all those who gave their time and expertise to inform a comprehensive response.
In the FIS response we have highlighted the need to review designer responsibility with producer responsibility to ensure key performance and compliance issues are addressed where interface and compatibility issues are essential to overall building performance. The need to consider future life of materials and ensure regulation does not halt the growing market for product re-use and a more circular approach in its tracks. We have also touched on the need to balance Intellectual Property consideration with transparency and support to ensure that the compliance environment works to encourage innovation and doesn’t create onerous compliance loops that limit opportunities to modernise methods of construction. Availability of Standards and the balance a regulator needs to find with respect to robust enforcement and encouraging “black box thinking”.
Thanks to all members who have shared their views and helped shape our response. If you have additional views, this is not the end of the road an Government have committed to ongoing consultation around the key subjects raised in this Green Paper.
The full text of our response can be found here:
Green Paper Consultation – FIS Response
by Clair Mooney | 2 Apr, 2025 | Building Safety Act, Contractual and Legal, Technical
As of 1 April 2025 Ministerial responsibility for all fire functions for construction will move from the Home Office to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). The aim of this move is to bring greater clarity and accountability to fire and building safety.
Bringing these responsibilities together will strengthen coordination, improve policy implementation, and reinforce the government’s commitment to making homes, buildings and communities safer.
The change delivers on a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report, which advised that fire and building safety should be overseen by a single department.
Following the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report on 4 September 2024, the Prime Minister acknowledged the failings that led to the tragedy and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to implementing the necessary reforms. This transfer of Ministerial responsibility for all fire functions to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government represents an important part of this work, and the government will continue to drive forward the necessary reforms to make sure a tragedy like Grenfell can never happen again.
The Minister for Building Safety and Local Growth who will be taking on responsibility for fire functions Alex Norris said:
“Ensuring the safety of people in their homes and communities is a top priority for this government. By bringing all fire and building safety responsibilities under one department, we are reinforcing accountability, improving coordination, and taking decisive action to protect lives.
“I would like to thank Dame Diana Johnson for her work in this important area. I look forward to working with fire and rescue services and key stakeholders to implement the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations and drive forward the reforms needed to keep people safe.
“This is a significant step in delivering meaningful change, making our buildings safer, and strengthening our country’s resilience for the future.”
Policing Minister Dame Diana Johnson said:
“It has been an honour and privilege to serve as Minister for Fire.
“I would like to express my utmost gratitude to the brave firefighters in our fire and rescue services, who selflessly dedicate themselves to protecting the public from fire every day.
“I would also like to thank the government officials and stakeholders from across the sector I have worked with over the past nine months. Their drive to make the sector stronger has been invaluable and I am certain my good friend Alex Norris will also benefit from their advice.”
by Oscar Venus | 31 Jan, 2025 | Market data, Membership, Technical
FIS responded recently on behalf of it’s members to a consultation run by OPSS regarding “bespoke” construction products falling under Article 5 of the Construction Products Regulation. The aim of the consultation is to understand if the use of the term bespoke as it pertains to construction products that either cannot be described or are assumed to be exempt from designated standards is clear and appropriate.
We were able to point out a number of areas from our experience with members in areas such as suspended ceilings and heritage plastering where this definition lacks clarity.
