by Nicky Smith | 10 Jan, 2018 | Main News Feed
Dame Judith Hackitt’s Interim Report, which was published during the week ending 23 December 2017, indicates that a major change to building regulations is coming soon. The new system for building regulations will be ‘output based’ meaning contractors and manufacturers will face tougher requirements to prove they have met the specification and regulations.
FIS believes this is quite clear and challenges industry to provide some of the solutions to compliance evidence and conformity itself; which we are already consulting with manufacturers suppliers and specialist contractors.
Our contributions to date are acknowledged in the report, through the umbrella organisations of the Construction Products Association and Build UK where we engage through the Industry Response Groups (IRG) as well as our direct contact with MHCLG where FIS will continue to submit its comments and contribute to the questions being raised. This is your chance to get your voice heard.
A formal response to the interim report will be submitted by the Construction Products Association on 17 January ahead of a summit meeting with Dame Judith Hackitt on 22 January. FIS will be finalising our comments to CPA by 16 January. Please ensure that we receive any comments by Monday 15 January to info@thefis.org using ‘Comments on the Dame Judith Hackitt Interim Report’ in the subject box.
A full copy of the report can be found by following this link: Independent report: Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety: interim report
by Nicky Smith | 10 Jan, 2018 | Main News Feed
We are now accepting entries for the 2018 Scottish Awards; nominations are also sought for Apprentice of the Year. The awards were introduced in 2016 to demonstrate the quality of work and the range of projects that are carried out in Scotland. Entry is open to all FIS contractor members for projects completed between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2017 in the following categories:
Interior Fit-Out
Partial Fit-Out
Drywall Construction
Plasterwork (general and heritage)
Suspended Ceilings
Partitioning
Judges’ Award (for projects which do not fit into the above categories)
Apprentice of the Year (Apprentice must be undertaking their training in Scotland)
Entries to be submitted via the website here. The closing date for all entries is 28 February 2018.
by Nicky Smith | 8 Jan, 2018 | Main News Feed
FIS members are invited to attend the Construction Products Association meeting with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss the implications of Brexit on the future of the construction products regulation and standards. MHCLG is particularly interested to have face-to-face, roundtable discussions with SMEs.
Representatives from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department for Exiting the EU (DExEU) will likely also be attending. The meeting, to include presentations and ‘workshop-style’ roundtable discussions, will take place on Wednesday 14 February, 9 am to 1 pm at The Building Centre, 26 Store Street, London WC1E 7BT. This represents an excellent opportunity for members to quiz government representatives on the future of the regulatory environment.
FIS members interested in attending should rsvp to mary.economidou@constructionproducts.org.uk copying in FIS technical director joecilia@thefis.org
by Nicky Smith | 3 Jan, 2018 | Main News Feed
Survey respondents indicated that house building remained a key engine of growth, with residential work expanding for the sixteenth consecutive month in December. In contrast, latest data indicated a moderate fall in commercial construction, thereby continuing the downward trend seen since July. Civil engineering work stabilised during the latest survey period, which ended a three-month period of decline.
Duncan Brock, Director of Customer Relationships at the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, said: “The sector offered little in terms of comfort at the end of 2017, though the pace of new business picked up to its strongest level since May, and purchasing activity rose to its fastest rate in two years, supply chains were under increasing pressure from all sides. The housing sector was the strongest performer again and materials for residential building were in greater demand fuelling longer delivery times, shortages of key materials and sharper input cost rises.”
Download the full report here.
by Nicky Smith | 2 Jan, 2018 | Main News Feed
In the January edition of SpecFinish, Technical Director Joe Cilia looks at Standards and specifications within the finishes and interiors sector. Standards will appear as a measure of compliance in a PQQ.
On page 16, we outline the ‘Fit-Out Futures’ initiative whereby FIS will be bringing the industry together to deliver a skills development programme.
Read more in the January edition of SpecFinish online via the Publications section of the website or the PDF version here.
by Nicky Smith | 21 Dec, 2017 | Main News Feed
UPDATE – Deadline for submissions has been extended to Tuesday 6 February, 5pm.
FIS Skills has launched the new sector-wide digital Training Needs Analysis (TNA) for 2018.
We urge all FIS members to complete the TNA and submit by 6 February 2018. Submissions will provide evidence for the FIS Skills whitepaper on the overall skills need and workforce sustainability of our sector. All those completing the TNA will automatically receive a digital copy.
The skills team will be able to make year-on-year comparisons from the previous TNA results. This sector engagement process will continue up to 2020.
The result also allows the skills team to accurately forecast the demand needs for skills and technical qualifications required to meet your contractual obligations over the next financial year. To ensure we meet our membership’s reported demand and engage our supply chain of approved training providers and partners to fill demand, your response is critical.
The infographic below highlights some of the key analysis findings of the TNA 2017.
General Information
• Ideally, this survey should be completed by the dedicated person in your organisation responsible for training and development planning, such as a training officer or human resources officer
• All responses for future forecasts should be accurate based on the date of return
• Your TNA returns will be held in confidence and in line with the FIS privacy and data protection policy
• The TNA has an inbuilt save function. You will be asked for your email address and a unique link will be sent to your address returning you to the last question you worked on
Should you require any assistance in completing any section(s) please contact the Project Manager Amanda Scott by email: amandascott@thefis.org where individual appointments can be booked. Amanda will be in touch with all members from 2 January onwards.
