Main News Feed Archives - Page 60 of 242

Countdown to New Building Safety Regime

by Clair Mooney | 21 Sep, 2023 | Building Safety Act, Main News Feed

The next phase of the new Building Safety Regime will come into effect from 1 October and will affect all new buildings.

For new Higher‐Risk Buildings (HRBs), the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) will be the Building Control Body, with transitional arrangements allowing projects already underway to continue to completion under the current regulatory framework. All members through the supply chain should make sure they are clear which requirements will apply to their projects from 1 October and take the necessary steps to comply with them.

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has also released two more sets of regulations. The Building Safety Act 2022 (Commencement No. 5 and Transitional Provisions) Regulations 2023 bring into force a number of provisions of the Building Safety Act, including making the BSR the Building Control Body for HRBs, whilst The Building Act 1984 (Commencement No. 3) (England) Order 2023 amends section 33 of the Building Act 1984 to allow the building control authority to either conduct tests of a building to ascertain whether the work would contravene Building Regulations or require the owner or occupier of the building to do so.

FIS Guide: Introduction to the Building Safety Act

FIS has written a guide to help introduce the basic concepts of the Building Safety Act to all businesses.

Download your copy here

Taxing issues

by Clair Mooney | 21 Sep, 2023 | Main News Feed

The JTC has highlighted tax issues that members should be aware of, including:

Advisory fuel rates from 1 September 2023
VAT and late payment interest
Tax avoidance schemes
Low emission zones – tax deductible for self employed or sole traders
Disposing of plant and machinery

The next big date for announcements will be 22 November following the Autumn Statement.

JTC Newsline

Download your copy here

Lens Blog: Support for FIS members

by Clair Mooney | 21 Sep, 2023 | Contractual and Legal, Lens Blog, Main News Feed

FIS Consultant Len Bunton talks about the work that he carries out for members, and summarises some guidance that will help member organisations to improve cash flow within their organisation.

The assistance we provide usually starts with a phone call from a member organisation who has some sort of payment problem, and the answer is to respond quickly and to be provided with relevant communications and try to understand why the member is not being paid. The second stage of that would be to endeavor to have a discussion with the other party involved, and to get their side of the position and to see if there can be some sort of compromise that will allow the member to be paid.

Members can see the full blog

By clicking here

These monthly Blogs are designed to help FIS Members avoid common traps and build on our focus on collective experience. They share ideas about improving the commercial management of your contracts. In other words, instilling best practice into the way FIS members run and manage their business. What I have endeavored to suggest is ways to ensure you get paid on time, and what you are due.

Progressing Sustainable Procurement: Driving Sustainable Supply Chains and Businesses’ Virtual Conference’

by Oscar Venus | 4 Sep, 2023 | Main News Feed

Register for the Supply Chain Sustainability ‘Progressing Sustainable Procurement: Driving Sustainable Supply Chains and Businesses’ Virtual Conference.

This event will take place in just one week, on Thursday 7th September at 10:00-12:00 via Zoom.

By attending this session, you will have the chance to gain valuable insights into sustainable procurement strategies and processes. You will receive a first look at Action Sustainability’s ‘Sustainable Procurement Progression Report 2023’ and learn from cross-industry leaders in sustainable procurement about their experiences, the challenges they have faced and how they have overcome them. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to deep dive into three specific sectors – construction, utilities, and train operating companies – to benchmark against and learn from ISO 20400 evaluation insights.

Their Q&A session will give you the chance to have your questions answered by industry experts. This is a unique opportunity to learn from the best in the industry, so we encourage you to register now. Places are limited, with less than 100 spaces left, so don’t delay and register for free using the link provided. We also invite you to share the registration link with your colleagues and supply chain.

Learn more about the event and register here

Keep on top of your cash flow, chase every payment, and don’t sit back and do nothing

by Oscar Venus | 17 Aug, 2023 | Contractual and Legal, Main News Feed

The last few months have been hectic working for several construction organisations who are members of the various bodies that make up CICV.

I have seen an alarming increase in the number of organisations that are suffering from payment and cash flow issues, and these are probably putting a strain on the finances of the business and more strain on the mental health of those who run the businesses. What appears to be a regular feature is that organisations don’t respond to payment applications, don’t respond to emails requesting information and just put up a wall of silence, and then they start to reduce payment applications with some spurious excuses, and contracting organisations go round and round not knowing where they are going.

By inventing all sorts of excuses one can keep a subcontractor at arm’s length for weeks if not months, providing prevaricating excuses for not paying.

Members can see the full blog by clicking the button below

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Taxing issues

by Clair Mooney | 8 Aug, 2023 | Main News Feed

This time of year brings open consultations on the changes the government may introduce next year. The next big thing coming in our direction from the Treasury is a raft of new proposals relating to the use of umbrella companies. If you use umbrella companies, we recommend having a look at the consultation document and adding your voice to the discussion.The consultation is open until 29 August.

In other tax news:

HMRC has confirmed that the CIS helpline remains open
There is an online guide to check if you can correct a mistake in your VAT return
National Insurance numbers can now be saved to and downloaded from the iPhone Apple Wallet
Ensure you have the correct classification for diesel cars

Lastly on 18 July, the government released draft legislation for next year’s Finance Bill and introduced consultations on future tax policy changes. These inlcude:

Companies: Consultation on merging R&D Tax Reliefs into a single scheme.
Plastic Packaging Tax: consultation on using a mass balance approach to determine the amount of chemically recycled plastic in packaging.

Full details on all of the above, plus more is available exclusively to FIS members, here.