by Oscar Venus | 5 Dec, 2025 | Main News Feed
With just over a month to go until visitor bookings open on Monday 12 January, excitement is already building for Open Doors 2025. More than 100 events have been registered across the UK so far, offering the public a rare chance to step behind the scenes of some of the nation’s most iconic construction projects; including Buckingham Palace, Natural History Museum – Unlocked, Edgbaston Cricket Ground, and Aintree Hospital.
A huge thank you to all FIS members who are opening their sites, offices, manufacturing facilities and training centres from 23–28 March, helping to showcase the opportunities and diversity within the construction industry.
Delivered by Build UK, Open Doors continues to be one of the most effective initiatives for attracting new talent into construction. Interest from schools, colleges and universities is already strong, and a new report from Open Doors partner Prospects highlights just how vital workplace experiences are in helping young people transition successfully into employment.
With this in mind, we are encouraging members to upload all planned events to the Open Doors website before the Christmas break. The more opportunities available, the more young people we can inspire to take their first step into the industry.
Upload your events and get ready for visitor bookings from 12 January.
by Oscar Venus | 5 Dec, 2025 | Main News Feed, Sustainability
Draft primary legislation for Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) was published in April 2025 for technical consultation. At Budget 2025 government announced that indirect emissions associated with the production of CBAM goods will not be included in scope of CBAM at its implementation on 1 January 2027. Their inclusion in CBAM scope will be delayed until 2029 at the earliest. This is to reflect continued support for the Energy Intensive Industries (EII) Compensation Scheme
CBAM is effectively a new tax aimed at reducing carbon emissions. It will impact companies importing (and potentially exporting to the EU) and specifying products made with aluminium, cement, iron and steel (it is likely to be extended to cover other products such as glass in the future).
CBAM imposes a carbon cost to ensure imports face a comparable carbon price to goods produced domestically. This mechanism is designed to prevent “carbon leakage,” where companies might relocate production to countries with less stringent emissions regulations. .
The UK CBAM will come into force on 1 January 2027 and will apply to businesses importing £50,000 or more of CBAM goods over a 12-month period.
The UK government has published Finance (No.2) Bill 2025-26 on the UK Parliament Bills website. This includes the primary legislation for CBAM which you can find here. To download a copy of the Bill, click ‘Get file’ in ‘Bill 342 2024-25 (as introduced)’.
CBAM primary legislation can be found at Part 5:
Clauses 139-155 (pages 147-159)
Schedules 15 – 18 (pages 471-506)
Further changes may arise as a result of Parliamentary scrutiny, but the deadlines are likely to stand and it is vital that companies start understanding the potential costs and how this may impact upon estimates for future projects. Companies importing directly are recommended to look at any requirements that may be imposed on them. Contractors who may be preparing tenders for projects that run past 1st January 2027 should be speaking to their suppliers about any potential additional costs that CBAM might place on their project
You can find more information on CBAM in the Factsheet here.
by Clair Mooney | 4 Dec, 2025 | Main News Feed
The Scottish Government have issued a reminder to all in the construction sector:
“Construction sector cashflow is important all year round and imperative at the festive shutdown.
We strongly encourage all contracting authorities and businesses in every public works contract supply chain to fully comply with relevant provisions of SPPN 2/2022 and CPN 9/2020.
✅ SPPN 2/2022: https://lnkd.in/ehxA6Cbb
✅CPN 9/2020: https://lnkd.in/eMxzhpBy“
The announcement is welcome, but as well as being a helpful and thoughtful intervention, it is a reminder that often the industry doesn’t shower itself in payment glory and particularly at this time of year. See a similar reminder issued by FIS CEO Iain McIlwee in Construction News in December 2022.
2026 we will see the response to the Government’s Late Payment and Retention consultation issued earlier this year. The sheer weight of evidence supplied will, we hope, support the Government in their intention to tighten payment regulation and radical reform to retention.
In the meantime, FIS Members are reminded if they have payment issues over the festive period that they can access advice and support from the FIS team and our specialist advisors. To support the process we also issued new guidance on credit control that includes template resources and guidance on chasing payment and escalating to dispute status. This guide is included in the Business Management Section of our Contractual and Business Toolkit.
by Oscar Venus | 28 Nov, 2025 | Main News Feed
A Construction Coalition led by the British Woodworking Federation and supported by Finishes and Interiors Sector wrote to the Prime Minister last month expressing concerns related to proposed reform of Apprenticeships. In response to this letter and subsequent meetings, Skills England announced at a meeting this week (attended by FIS) that implementation had been paused to allow time to understand and address concerns raised.
The letter expresses serious concern over plans by Skills England to shorten apprenticeship durations to as little as eight months and introduce new assessment methods that could weaken quality assurance and consistency. The stark warning is that these reforms could dismantle established routes to competence, erode employer confidence, and threaten the delivery of safe, high-quality construction at a time when the UK faces an ambitious target of building 1.5 million new homes.
The changes were set to apply to all apprenticeships in England, with site carpentry and joinery at the forefront one of five pilot areas this summer.
FIS Head of Skills Beena Nana reflected:
“The positive to draw is that they are listening and that changes are not going to be railroaded through. The last round of Apprentice reforms were all about putting employers at the heart of decisions – this is critical. The direction of travel was a worry, but at least we have been heard and as we develop apprenticeships we can ensure that the duration and assessment methodology are commensurate with the competence standard that must be reached to support the emphasis on competence in the latest iterations of the Building Regulations”.
by Clair Mooney | 27 Nov, 2025 | Main News Feed
You’ve done the work, and the client’s happy, but the money still hasn’t arrived. Does this sound familiar?
For many in the finishes and interiors sector, late payments are more common than they should be. But with good credit control, it doesn’t have to be that way.
This guide, developed in partnership with FIS Associate Member BABR, provides clear, practical advice for managing payments in your business. Whether you work in fit-out, flooring, ceilings, partitions or specialist finishes, this guide will help you:
- Protect your cash flow
- Reduce stress and admin
- Get paid on time, more often
This guide focusses on business-to-business relationships, support is available if you should have a dispute with a homeowner, however, whilst many of the principles set down in here hold true, the laws covering dispute with consumers are different.
by Clair Mooney | 27 Nov, 2025 | Main News Feed
A recent report has revealed that an alarming 81% of construction workers recognise the importance of reporting qualification fraud for site safety, but 78% are unclear on how to report it.
While respondents to the survey overwhelmingly agreed that reporting suspected qualification fraud is important and helps protect safety on site, they acknowledged gaps in understanding about the reporting process itself.
Ofqual, the regulator of qualifications, exams and assessments in England, carried out the survey in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS).
Qualification fraud can be committed in several ways
This includes:
- creating, buying or using fake certificates for regulated qualifications
- delivering ‘fast track’ training which leaves out important and necessary content
- helping learners cheat in tests by giving answers or taking a test on their behalf
Fraudulent qualifications can then be used to obtain CSCS cards, allowing workers to access construction sites without the requisite skills. While this fraud can be spotted during training sessions, it can also be called out by workers on site who can see the difference between a worker’s real-life skills and the qualifications they claim to have.
The findings are being released during International Fraud Awareness Week.
Key findings
- The majority of respondents (78%) do not know the process for reporting suspected qualification fraud, with 45% saying they had some idea but not sure of the exact process and 33% saying they do not know how to report it at all.
- 81% strongly agreed that it was important to report suspected qualification fraud and 85% said they felt comfortable or very comfortable to raise concerns about fraud in their workplace.
- Respondents indicated that greater clarity around confidentiality would be a major driver in improving reporting rates.
- Managers and responsible hiring managers have a vital role to play, as these were the routes most commonly selected by respondents when asked who they would report suspected fraud to.
- Responses came predominantly from site operatives (34%), site managers (27%) and senior managers (26%), with 39% working for large employers with over 250 employees.
International Fraud Awareness week
The partners have used the International Fraud Awareness week to remind construction employers and workers of three simple steps when concerns arise:
- Use CSCS Smart Check via API, app or website to verify a card’s validity.
- Trust professional judgement: if someone’s real-life skills don’t match their qualifications – even if the card is valid – then report suspected qualification fraud.
- Report concerns confidentially to intel@cscs.co.uk or via Ofqual’s complaints procedure.
Anonymous reporting is available for those concerned about workplace relationships, and reports are investigated based on evidence, not on who made the report.
Emma Scott, Director of Vocational and Technical Qualifications Delivery at Ofqual, said:
“Construction workers recognise the importance of reporting suspected qualification fraud – which is committed by a small minority of people – but the evidence shows we need to make reporting channels clearer and emphasise that reports can be made confidentially.
“Tackling qualification fraud requires organisations working together with the eyes and ears of those on sites. If someone’s real-life skills don’t match those on their card, they may have obtained it through qualification fraud – and reporting this helps protect everyone.”
Sean Kearns, the Group Chief Executive of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) added: “These findings reinforce the need to communicate how simple it is to check CSCS card validity and report concerns. We’ve made tools like the CSCS Smart Check API, app and website available for exactly this reason – to enable all CSCS Alliance cards to be checked and validated through a single ‘border control’ process. If you suspect a CSCS card is fraudulent, check it using Smart Check and report it via the app or intel@cscs.co.uk. When we all play our part, we protect the safety and reputation of the entire industry.”
Tim Balcon, Chief Executive, Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), commented: “Genuine qualifications are fundamental to safety and standards across construction. This survey shows workers understand why reporting matters, but we need to simplify the process and build confidence. At CITB, we’re committed to supporting the industry in tackling qualification fraud and protecting everyone on site.”
Beena Nana, FIS Head of Skills and Training commented: “This report highlights an important issue. In the finishes and interiors sector, ensuring safety and quality is critical. Workers understand the need to report qualification fraud, but clear and confidential reporting channels are vital to protect everyone on site and uphold the standards our members rely on.”
Ofqual, the national qualifications regulator in England, has been working with groups in different business sectors to improve information and intelligence sharing around qualification fraud.
www.gov.uk
