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FIS responds to RICS consultation on Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment

FIS responds to RICS consultation on Whole Life Carbon Assessment for the Built Environment

by | 20 Apr, 2023 | Main News Feed, Sustainability

In March 2023, RICS consultated on the revision of the RICS professional statement on whole life carbon. The deadline for the submission of comments was 18 April and FIS provided some feedback on the document on behalf of its members. The feedback was mainly focused around the need to provide further clarifications on technical aspects of the document, but also included a slight revision to the definition of fit-out projects. The feedback also included the request to amend the study period for a fit-out project and to clearly define the scope of the project as fit out projects – in line with the document that FIS published for its members in 2022 – here: https://www.thefis.org/knowledge-hub/sustainablility/sustainability-related-to-your-activities/net-zero/

The aim of the document is to provide a methodology to calculate the whole life carbon impact of buildings, projects and infrastructure. It is part of a wide range of industry initiatives around the need to measure the carbon emissions associated with not just the operation of buildings, but also the impact of their construction – related to the manufacturing, transport, installation and end of life of products.

The revised document includes more specific information related to a fit-out project, which makes it more relevant to FIS members.

Updated Guide to the Building Safety Act

Updated Guide to the Building Safety Act

by | 13 Apr, 2023 | Main News Feed

During last month’s Building Safety Regulator Conference a number of queries were raised which are summarised below.

  • Confirmation that hospitals and care homes are not required to be registered with the Building Safety Regulator before occupation unless they contain at least two permanent residential units
  • The developer remediation contract has now been signed by the majority of developers and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC) will be implementing a Responsible Actors Scheme
  • Links to the enhanced Manual to the Building Regulations and online PDF of Approved Documents in the Approved Document B section.Build UK continues to update its Comprehensive Guide and these queries were added to the April 2023 version, published today.
Access the guide here
The BIM 2023 from BSI is ready to download

The BIM 2023 from BSI is ready to download

by | 13 Apr, 2023 | Main News Feed, Market data

BSI have published their 2023 version of the Little book of BIM.

This is a quick reference guide for the standards, definitions and terms commonly used in describing BIM and its related processes, as well as training and qualification pathways for all levels. The guide can be used by organisations across the supply chain.

You can download a copy here.

Discounted Trial of Mafic FAIRPAY technology

Discounted Trial of Mafic FAIRPAY technology

by | 13 Apr, 2023 | Main News Feed, Membership

To improve access to new technology and promote the impact that improved motivation and productivity can have in the drylining industry, FIS and Mafic are offering five FIS members the chance to trial Mafic’s FAIRPAY rewards platform.

The platform has been developed to help organisations increase productivity and reduce costs by 10-20% by improving the motivation of their workforce.

This inclusive offer worth £3,500 includes:

–              12 people

–              12 weeks

–              Free setup

–              Subscription costs discounted by 75% to £450+VAT

FIS members taking part will still need to fund the bonuses and incentives that go directly to employees. These incentives drive savings that are multiples of the cost – you reduce cost by paying your best people more money – and Mafic will help to structure this in a way that minimises risk by basing the incentives around improvement.

Based on results elsewhere, it is estimated that you could save £10,000-£20,000 on labour costs from the demonstration, plus other benefits like improved retention rates.  You can see how FIS member Errigal Contracts has benefited from using FAIRPAY here on page 7.

Iain Mcilwee, FIS CEO said:  We are supporting this offer with Mafic in return for anonymised data which will be shared with FIS (i.e. no names, sites, dates, or geographic data) to help us better understand productivity in the industry, so that we can better serve and support our members.  Mafic has just five discounted projects available, so please express an interest early to avoid disappointment.’

For more information contact Ed Burns at ed.burns@mafic.ltd or call him on 07967 968 346.

Key takeaways from the first Building Safety Conference

Key takeaways from the first Building Safety Conference

by | 30 Mar, 2023 | Building Safety Act, Main News Feed

With colleagues from across the sector, FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee attended the first Building Safety Conference  hosted last week by the Building Safety Regulator (and shared his reflections here).

This week we hear from colleagues at Build UK (of whom FIS is an active member) who have provided a summary of 10 lessons learnt which answers a number of the queries raised during Build UK member meetings. 

Building Safety Conference – 10 Things We Learnt

  1. The Building Safety Regulator becomes operational on 1 April 2023.
  2. The new Building Safety Regime will apply to all buildings – “from Shed to Shard” in the words of the Building Safety Regulator.
  3. The terms ‘High-Rise Building’ and ‘High-Rise Residential Building’ are being used interchangeably with ‘Higher-Risk Building’, and the Building Safety Regulator has committed to work with Build UK to ensure consistent terminology is used across the industry.
  4. Existing Higher-Risk Buildings (with the exception of hospitals and care homes unless they have at least two permanent residential units) must be registered with the Building Safety Regulator by 1 October 2023. This includes those that will be occupied for the first time during the transition period between 6 April and 1 October 2023. From 1 October 2023, new Higher-Risk Buildings must be registered before they can be occupied.
  5. The building registration process will be a multiple-choice tick box format and require a completion certification for each building. The fee for registering each building will be £251.
  6. It is anticipated that those who fulfil the roles of Principal Designer and Principal Contractor under CDM will also fulfil these dutyholder roles under the Building Safety Act.
  7. The Building Safety Regulator will become the Building Control Authority for all Higher-Risk Buildings from 1 October 2023. Work can continue under an existing Building Control Body where a building/initial notice has been submitted or plans deposited by 1 October 2023 and work has commenced by 1 April 2024.
  8. Gateway Two, which requires Building Control Approval by the Building Safety Regulator before construction work can begin, and Gateway Three, which is when a completion certificate is issued by the Building Safety Regulator, are expected to come into force on 1 October 2023.
  9. The Building Safety Regulator will not be specifying the format for the Golden Thread of information, which is the digital record of what has been built to enable those responsible for Higher-Risk Buildings to manage and maintain them safely.
  10. The Industry Safety Steering Group (ISSG), chaired by Dame Judith Hackitt, will shortly be issuing its fourth report with an update on progress made by the industry.

BuildUK have developed an excellent simple introduction to the Building Safety Act which FIS Members can download for free here.