New findings published in Knowledge Share 001 by the Passive Fire Knowledge Group (PFKG) highlight a persistent challenge across construction projects: inadequate coordination of MEP services within compartment walls during the early design stages.

The PFKG report identifies that poor consideration of service positioning, separation distances and opening sizes often makes it difficult to install tested or certified penetration sealing systems later in the project. This can result in compliance risks, redesign, costly remedial works and delays during construction.

Recommendation: Improved Modelling and Early Coordination

To address this issue, the PFKG recommends the development of a modelling guide to support better MEP design coordination and architectural space planning. Early alignment between designers and specialists can ensure that services are correctly positioned and separated, and that openings are appropriately sized to allow compliant passive fire protection solutions to be installed.

New Early Design Guidance in Development

Building on this recommendation, the PFKG has partnered with the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) to develop practical early design guidance that directly addresses these challenges.

The work is well advanced, and publication of the new guidance by the ASFP is expected early next year. The guidance will support designers, specifiers and contractors in delivering compliant, buildable solutions while helping to reduce risk and avoid unnecessary cost.

FIS maintains a list of critical safety alerts from CROSS, PFKG and issued directly through FIS that are relevant to our community through our Building Safety Toolkit here.

This week the Government announced that the Single Construction Regulator (SCR) Prospectus has now been published. This marks a significant milestone in the Government’s commitment to long-term reform of the built environment, following the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s recommendations.  The prospectus sets out our vision for a coherent, accountable regulatory system that prioritises safety, quality, and trust across buildings, products, and professions. It outlines how a new regulator will consolidate oversight functions, reduce fragmentation, and drive cultural change across the sector.

 You can read the full prospectus here:  Single construction regulator prospectus – GOV.UK

 As part of this wider programme, the Government has also published the Fire Engineers Authoritative Statement and the accompanying Next Steps document. These publications set out the principles that will guide reform of the fire engineering profession, including steps towards a more coherent, accountable, and regulated professional landscape.  This work responds directly to Recommendation 17 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and will sit alongside the broader professions strategy to ensure consistency and alignment across all disciplines.

 You can read the fire engineering publications here:  Fire engineering profession reform – GOV.UK

 Government remain committed to implementing the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations and this week FIS (supported by members have been attending Round Tables looking at Mandatory Licencing of Contractors and looking at the role of Principal Designer.   In this work Government are developing a new professions strategy, supported by a stronger regulatory framework. The aim is to raise standards of competence and accountability but also tackle the systemic barriers that have long held back progress across the sector.

 FIS will continue to work with the Regulator to support the development of a comprehensive strategy for the built environment professions that will:

• Take a holistic view of regulation, competence, and culture across all those operating in the built environment sector.
• Introduce a clear unified strategy for regulatory and non-regulatory reform at a government, industry, and individual level. This will be designed to increase capacity, skills, and investment in the workforce.
• Work in tandem with parallel reforms to building regulations and construction products to improve building safety quality and productivity.
• Establish a new system of regulatory oversight and enforcement, with a centralised oversight function built on clear, coherent standards and outcomes.
• Simplify the current patchwork of professional regulation.

 Next Steps & Engagement

• Government will be launching a Call for Evidence in Spring 2026
• This will lead towards a Professions Strategy Publication in Spring 2027

FIS has unveiled a second Simplified Subcontract Template, designed in partnership with construction lawyer Sarah Fox.  This contract is designed to support those engaging or working as labour only suppliers (both individuals and labour gangs). 

Earlier this year, a dedicated task and finish group was established within FIS to look at whether we could develop a simplified contract that worked upstream and downstream to cover both construction or design and build projects.  The resultant template was launched in summer 2025 and is now available on the FIS Legal and Contractual Toolkit. 

This new template extends this, again leaning into Sarah Fox’s “500-word contract” principles, which advocate for concise, plain-English agreements that are easy to understand and implement in a labour only context.

Why this matters
Contracts in the construction sector have traditionally been lengthy, complex, and often inaccessible to those without legal expertise. This can lead to misunderstandings, delays, and costly disagreements. The FIS and Sarah Fox have worked together to create a document that is:

• Clear and Concise: Stripped back to essential terms, avoiding unnecessary jargon.
• Fair and Balanced: Designed to protect both parties and encourage collaboration.
• Practical and Accessible: Easy to adopt for businesses of all sizes within the finishes and interiors sector.

By reducing complexity and ambiguity, the template aims to support stronger relationships between contractors and their labour only sub contractors and labour suppliers, helping avoid confusion, minimise disputes and improve project delivery.

Commenting on the launch Iain Mcilwee, Chief Executive of FIS

“Our goal from the outset to create a set of contracts that are easy to understand, implement and that ultimately support better working relationships.  Our industry thrives on trust and collaboration and contracts should be written to support this. This template is not just a legal document—it’s a statement of intent to work smarter and fairer.”

Sarah Fox, Construction Lawyer and Contract Specialist added: 

“Contracts should be clear, concise, and understood by everyone who signs them. The 500-word approach ensures that the essential terms are front and centre, reducing risk and building confidence across the supply chain.”

 The Simplified Labour Only Subcontract Template is now available to FIS members via the FIS Contractual & Legal Toolkit. Support and training is available to help businesses implement the template effectively through the toolkit and via the FIS Legal Helpline.  Additional support to implement in your business is available from Sarah at a special rate negotiated for FIS Members.  

The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has advanced its review of the Temporary Shortage List (TSL), a targeted migration route designed to help address short-term labour shortages in critical sectors. The committee’s Stage 1 report, published on 9 October (Temporary Shortage List: Stage 1 report), set out the occupations facing the most acute pressures and has now triggered a second phase of work. 

FIS responded to this initial call for evidence and has submitted the below high level response as part of the Temporary Shortage Occupation List consultation.

This response outlines the current workforce challenges, recruitment needs, and skills gaps within the sector, with a particular focus on plastering, dry-lining, and ceiling trades.

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FIS response to the Temporary Shortage Occupation List consultation

The Finishes and Interiors sector is experiencing persistent shortages of skilled tradespeople, particularly dryliners, plasterers, and ceiling fixers. These shortages are exacerbated by multiple factors:

• Insufficient apprenticeships: Current apprenticeship starts and completions in plastering and interior systems are well below the levels required to replace retiring workers and meet growing demand.
• An ageing workforce: A significant proportion of experienced tradespeople are approaching retirement, leading to a rapid reduction in available skilled labour.
• Reduced availability of skilled migrant workers: Post-Brexit immigration changes have limited the traditional source of experienced tradespeople, intensifying pressure on the domestic labour supply.

Our (FIS) recent House Building Trade Contractors Survey demonstrates the severity of labour pressures in the sector, with 94% of companies expressing concern about labour shortages over the next 12 months. Only 6% of respondents reported no concern, highlighting that almost all members anticipate challenges in recruiting and retaining skilled tradespeople. The survey findings reflect widespread anxiety across the industry, particularly for key finishing trades such as plasterers, dryliners, and ceiling fixers, and underscore the urgent need for both short-term and long-term interventions, including expanded training, upskilling, and targeted recruitment initiatives.

Ceiling fixers were previously excluded from government shortage lists, largely due to classification issues under older Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) codes, which grouped ceiling installation under broader interior systems categories. As a result, earlier assessments underestimated the true demand for specialist ceiling installation skills.

Qualifications in the sector:

• Plasterers: NVQ/RQF Level 3 Diplomas covering advanced internal and external plastering, rendering, dry-lining, and heritage/fibrous work, providing recognised craft-level competence and progression pathways.
• Ceiling fixers: Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Interior Systems (Construction), covering advanced suspended ceilings, partitions, and complex interior systems. While this provides a pathway to higher-level skills, availability remains limited compared to plastering.
• Level 4–5 NVQs: These focus on supervisory and management roles, such as site supervision or project management, but do not provide hands-on technical skill development for operative roles.

Some headline data to support this is as follows:

• The finishes and interiors sector employs approx. 266,000 people UK-wide, but needs 6,000 new recruits each year to maintain current capacity.
• More broadly, UK construction must recruit around 48,000–50,000 extra workers annually across all trades to meet forecast demand, highlighting the critical recruitment challenge in finishing trades.

Slow apprenticeship uptake, driven by fluctuations in employer investment, where recruitment slows during downturns, has created a bottleneck in the workforce pipeline. As a result, the number of trainees entering finishing trades such as plastering, dry-lining, and ceiling installation is insufficient to meet current and projected demand. With workloads expected to rise sharply in Q3–Q4 next year, the sector faces a critical gap, apprentices starting now will not be fully trained in time to address the upcoming surge in work, exacerbating existing skills shortages and putting project delivery at risk.

Ongoing engagement with industry will take place between now and 2 February 2026 to complete the evidence required for the MAC review.

If members have views or feedback, please do get in touch with beenanana@thefis.org

As we conclude our 10th anniversary year, we are reflecting on the past 12 months, celebrating our key achievements and the collective strength we demonstrate when we work together. Despite the significant challenges our sector has faced in 2025, your membership has empowered us to champion the interests of our community.

Representing over 600 members with a combined turnover of over £12.7 billion, 2025 has seen us expand our member services, provide extensive guidance, enhance our legal and contractual support, and support over 1,100 individuals through our e-learning courses. We also developed new competency frameworks across core interior systems, helping raise workforce standards and create clear career pathways – these will be available to all members in the New Year.

We understand the crippling effect of late payments and retentions has on businesses. And our submission to the Government’s consultation on this asked for bold reform;  mandatory 60-day payment terms, statutory interest on late payments, and the abolition or protection of retention funds.  Our message was clear. Enough is enough. Reform is not optional – it is essential – to protect livelihoods, restore trust, and unlock the full potential of UK construction.

Sustainability has also been a key focus over the last 12 months. The FIS Project Reuse initiative now has a physical hub for storing and redistributing materials between projects, earning the Build Back Better Green Award this year.

Reflecting on the last decade, FIS President Ian Strangward said:

“This milestone not only represents a decade of growth, but the evolution of a unified and influential voice for our industry.

“This year’s achievements reinforce why that unity matters, and why our role is more important than ever.”

Iain McIlwee, FIS Chief Executive added:

“Our members have told us repeatedly that the support, technical guidance, and collective strength FIS provides is invaluable – especially in challenging times. Our efforts this year reaffirm the power of collaboration to drive positive change across the sector.”

2025 demonstrated the power of a united sector voice and as we move into 2026, our core values remain clear:

• Members first: always putting the best interests of members at the heart of decisions, engaging, listening and learning to target our activities.
• Be relevant and authoritative:  listen, engage and understand the problems of our community today and take all reasonable steps to provide comprehensive, professional support.
• Be generous in sharing knowledge: for the benefit of all involved in the design, specification and construction process.
• Raising standards and improving quality: champion best practice and the principles of our code of conduct and vetting procedure for the benefit of our members and our clients.
• Taking the extra step: always focus on distilling, refining and improving what we do for the benefit of everyone in the sector

Because, together we are stronger.