Should I sign a Contract for Design, in whole or in part?
FIS is seeing a concerted attempt to increase work administered under Contractor Design Portions (CDP). This is an area of growing concern for the sector as it pushes more risk into the supply chain without adequate controls to co-ordinate the design development...
Lens Blog – Contractually Speaking: Views from the front line
During the course of the last few weeks, Len has received significant communication from FIS members. Here he higglights various challenges and potential solutions. A key resource recommended is the CICV Best Practice Guide (BPG), which offers valuable insights for...
The Conflict Avoidance Process (CAP) gets a new lease of life
A recent flurry of organisations have signed the Conflict Avoidance Pledge and FIS is proud that our members are front and centre in this. The new momentum coincides with a new Chair of the Conflict Avoidance Coalition who many members will recognise, Len Bunton, one...
Immigration rules: what has changed in April
For new workers the Government has announced a number of changes to the Points‐Based Immigration System (PBIS). These seem to be designed to reduce overall net migration and do make it harder for FIS Members to engage overseas workers. The key changes are outlined...
New procurement rules demand faster payment on major contracts
A new stricter procurement regime is being introduced to support the Government's 2019 Manifesto commitment to ‘..support start-ups and small businesses via government procurement, and commit to paying them on time.... <and> clamp down on late payment more...
Letter to industry: Registration of the Building Control Profession – transitional arrangements
Director of Building Safety for HSE, Philip White, has today written to the Building Control industry outlining new transitional arrangements for the registration of building control inspectors in England. The Building Safety Regulator has listened to the concerns...
Lens Blog: Learn to say, No
FIS Consultant Len Bunton shares his thoughts on why businesses should learn to say, No. Len's message is that businesses should not accept onerous contract clauses that increase risk, extended payment periods, or contra charges to name a few. In this blog, Len has...
Len takes a look back at 2023
As we get to the end of 2023 there is no doubt it has been a tumultuous year for the industry in the United Kingdom. We have experienced some significant business failures which regrettably have left a mountain of debt due to a wide range of subcontractors across the...
The 12 pays of Christmas
With cashflow continuing to be a thorny issue across the industry, it’s never been more important to ensure your payment preparations are in good health. Here, our expert elf delivers a dozen festive financial pointers to help prepare your business balance sheet for...
Lens Blog: It’s all about survival
FIS Consultant Len Bunton shares his concerns about the payment and cash flow issues in the construction industry in the UK. "Everybody who reads this will be acutely aware of difficulties in the current marketplace, and what I would like to do is to share some recent...