News
CICV Best Practice Guide – Practice Note 5: Payment Applications & Schedules
Introduction Ensuring prompt and full payment is critical to maintaining healthy cash flow in construction projects. This Practice Note provides best practices for preparing and managing payment applications to maximize your chances of getting paid on time and in...
CICV Best Practice Guide – Practice Note 4: Variations and Compensation Events
Introduction This Practice Note highlights the risks associated with variations in construction contracts, including onerous clauses, conditional precedents, and the risks of performing work without formal instructions. It builds upon Practice Note 1 on Notices and...
CICV Best Practice Guide Practice Note 3: Contract Amendments
Introduction Contract amendments continue to be a major issue in the construction industry, often shifting risk disproportionately onto contractors and subcontractors. This Practice Note aims to highlight key contractual risks, explain why early contract review is...
Celebrating innovation in the finishes and interiors sector
FIS announced the winners of its 2025 Innovation Awards at a ceremony held at is Conference in London on 26 February. In front of a live audience at the Business Design Centre, the winners of the FIS Innovation Awards were announced and presented. The Awards recognise...
Labour availability to constrain output next year
Workloads reported by FIS members in the FIS State of Trade Survey for the final quarter of 2024 were mixed with just over a quarter of respondents (26%) reporting no changes and 23% seeing an increase of over 5%. Reports of sales volumes showed that 30% of...
Employers needed to offer one-week work placement
Construction trades students at Southall Community College (West London Collegeare looking for employers interested in supporting a one-week work experience placement starting on Monday 3 March 2025. The first years' students have completed their health and safety...
Understanding the competence frameworks
FIS in partnership with CITB and industry experts, have developed comprehensive Competence Frameworks that outlines the training and qualification landscape and the essential Skills, Knowledge, Experience, and Behaviours for operatives and installers of Raised Access...
CICV Best Practice Guide – Practice Note 1A: Notices under NEC
This Practice Note is a supplement to Practice Note 1 ‘Notice’, aimed at highlighting key specific notice provisions under NEC3 & 4 Engineering and Construction Contracts (‘ECC’) and the NEC3 & 4 Engineering and Construction Subcontract (‘ECS’). Specific...
CICV Best Practice Guide – Practice Note 2: Records, Records, Records
This Practice Note is the second in a series designed to enhance commercial management in construction projects by promoting best practices for record-keeping. Authored by experienced consultants Len Bunton, Sean Bradley, and Mark Holden-Smith, it outlines key...