by Clair Mooney | 7 Jul, 2025 | Skills
FIS has partnered with Construction People Solutions (CPS) to deliver specialist e-learning developed by construction experts, with many courses eligible for CITB grant funding.
The new Modern Site Culture course – available to FIS members for just £10 – focuses on improving safety, inclusivity, and communication on site. It’s fully grant-eligible, with a £60 CITB grant per attendee, delivered via the first e-learning platform to integrate CITB grants.
FIS is working closely with CPS to develop targeted, occupation-specific training – such as a new Manual Handling for Drylining cours – designed to address the real-life risks of this physically demanding task. In conjunction, FIS is actively lobbying CITB to grant-fund this manual handling e-learning and other relevant courses.
FIS members can access Modern Site Culture with a 50% discount using code MSC2025 at checkout.
Learn more and sign up here: Construction People
by Clair Mooney | 3 Jul, 2025 | Main News Feed
A new Innovation Hub, developed by the Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) officially launches this month, to redefine how innovation is discovered, shared and adopted across the finishes and interiors sector.
The Innovation Hub brings together the latest in product development, digital transformation, and sustainability-driven design under one virtual roof. Housed on the SpecFinish platform, the Hub also features award-winning innovations from the FIS Innovation Awards.
Designed to serve architects, designers, specifiers, contractors, and manufacturers, the Innovation Hub showcases new solutions that are shaping the future of interior environments. From smart materials and digital planning tools to low-carbon finishes and circular economy models, the platform provides curated access to what’s next in the industry.
Iain McIlwee, FIS Chief Executive said:
“It is frustrating to hear people typify construction as a non-innovative sector. The truth is that there is no shortage of great ideas bubbling up all the time, but it can be hard to land innovation in a market where everyone is under pressure and the cost of delays is crippling.
“We see this platform to tap into this healthy innovation streak and help bring new ideas to market in a structured way. This is a key role for FIS and will support our drive to improve productivity, profitability and safety in the sector. Through this platform we will create a dynamic catalogue of innovation of all types digital, product, tools and even services and provide an opportunity to question and appraise potential. We hope too it will be a catalyst to support a network of innovators, when the barrier of entry is high, to get support from FIS and our community and to exchange ideas and collaborate more effectively”.
Key features of the Innovation Hub Include:
- New products: Discover the latest cutting-edge materials, finishes, and systems directly from leading brands and emerging disruptors.
- Digital solutions: Uncover the latest digital tools that help streamline project planning, —from reuse and circular solutions to capturing the golden thread of information.
- Sustainable Innovations: Access verified green solutions, low-impact products, and initiatives aligned with LEED, WELL, BREEAM, and other standards.
With the sector under increasing pressure to innovate responsibly and digitally, the Innovation Hub provides a much-needed platform to accelerate adoption of forward-thinking solutions.
Visit www.specfinish.co.uk/innovation-hub to explore the Innovation Hub.
by Clair Mooney | 1 Jul, 2025 | Building Safety Act, Technical
Build UK has published an updated version of the Common Assessment Standard, and the Building Safety section is now mandatory for completion by all companies that carry out work under the Building Safety Act. Version 5 also contains updates to the Corporate & Professional Standing; Environmental; and Fairness, Inclusion & Respect sections.
Under the Building Safety Act, anyone appointing individuals or organisations to undertake design or building work has a duty to ensure they are competent. Organisations must demonstrate ‘organisational capability’, and the Common Assessment Standard is being used by a growing list of clients and contractors across the public and private sectors to demonstrate compliance.
Companies will be required to complete the updated question set when they next go through the certification process for the Common Assessment Standard with a Recognised Assessment Body, and a number of Build UK members will be specifying that members of their supply chains must have successfully completed the Building Safety section by 1 October 2025.
Jim Parlour, FIS Head of Technical, said:
“These ongoing changes to the common assessment standard are welcomed by our members who strive for best practice and wish to distinguish themselves. Demonstrating compliance with the now mandatory Building Safety criteria is not without challenges, and FIS have been working with our members to provide direct intervention and guidance over the last few months on approach to this deadline.
Members who are struggling to demonstrate fulfilment of the criteria should contact the FIS for advice and support.”
by Clair Mooney | 1 Jul, 2025 | Drylining, Skills
FIS has been working with members and colleagues from across the sector to develop the competency frameworks for Drylining and Plastering, which are now available for a 30-day online review and feedback period (30 June to 29 July 2025). This work is being carried out through Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) Programee, a cross-sector working group, focussing on the development of competence frameworks for the built environment, raising standards. Set up in 2018 as the Competence Steering Group, several competence frameworks have been delivered. With the establishment of the Building Safety Regulator, a structure is in place to allow a focus on broader industry representation, engagement and alignment across multiple competence programmes.
We would encourage members to provide feedback and comments, as these frameworks define the Skills, Knowledge, Experience, and Behaviours essential for the trade. These frameworks will support the development of qualifcations and demonstration of competence in the sector.
Link to the consultations can be found here:
Drylining – citb.welcomesyourfeedback.net/s/AJ25_2DL
Fibrous Plastering – citb.welcomesyourfeedback.net/s/AJ25_3FB
There are also webinars, which CITB will host to go through the frameworks and how they have been developed, links to these can be found below:
Fibrous Plastering 15 July 2025, 2pm – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1423415206199?aff=oddtdtcreator
Drylining webinar 16 July 2025, 2pm https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1431668612359?aff=oddtdtcreator
For more information on the Competence Frameworks click here
by Clair Mooney | 30 Jun, 2025 | Building Safety Act
Delays to building new high-rise homes will be unblocked through a new package of reforms to the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) announced today. These reforms, which include a new Fast Track Process, changes to leadership and fresh investment, aim to support the delivery of 1.5 million safe, high-quality homes and take early steps toward establishing a single construction regulator – a key recommendation from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.
Andy Roe KFSM has been appointed as non-executive chair of a new board of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to take on the functions of the BSR as part of initial steps towards creating a single construction regulator.
Andy brings a wealth of experience in safety regulation and leadership from his previous role as Commissioner of London Fire Brigade and he will be supported by a new Chief Executive Officer for the BSR, Charlie Pugsley.
Alex Norris, Minister for Building Safety, said:
“The establishment of the Building Safety Regulator has been fundamental to centralising safety in the construction process and it’s time to take the next steps to build on that precedent and create a system that works for the sector whilst keeping residents and their safety at the heart of the process.
“That’s why we’re announcing a package of reforms to the BSR today to enhance operations, reduce delays, and unlock the homes this country desperately needs – delivering on our Plan for Change.”
This new organisational structure reflects the government’s commitment to prioritising building safety in its drive to build 1.5m new homes, and builds on the strong foundation created by the HSE in establishing the BSR, which has played a pivotal role in placing raising safety standards across the sector.
To support industry in achieving the government’s ambitious housebuilding targets, the BSR is also introducing a new Fast Track Process which will bring building inspector and engineer capacity directly into the BSR to enhance the processing and review of existing newbuild cases and remediation decisions. This will respond to concerns in the sector around delays whilst crucially keeping building and residents’ safety at the core of the process.
Alongside these improvements, long-term investment in the capacity of the BSR is being bolstered with the addition of over 100 new members of staff to support with enhancing operations, reducing delays and supporting progress towards building 1.5m safe, high-quality homes as part of our Plan for Change.
Andy Roe, non-exec Chair of the BSR, said:
“The creation of the new Building Safety Regulator was a watershed moment for housing and construction in this country.
“However, it is also clear that the BSR processes’ need to continue to evolve and improve, to ensure that it plays its part in enabling the homes this country desperately needs to be built.
“I look forward to working with colleagues both in industry and the BSR to tackle the current issues and delays head on and help get those homes built safely.”
HSE Chair, Sarah Newton said:
“Setting up an entirely new regulator has been complex and huge progress has been made in a short space of time.
“Protecting residents and making sure there is never another tragedy like Grenfell has been our priority throughout this process. We wish the new BSR team well in this most important mission.
“We are very proud of the work we have done to establish the BSR. It was always an option that once the new regulator was established that it would move out of HSE to enable the Government to implement the Grenfell Public Inquiry recommendations and we will work hard to enable the smooth transition to the next stage.”
by Iain McIlwee | 27 Jun, 2025 | Transformation
Yesterday Government announced a consultation that could see procurement law impemented that would effectively force all public contracting authorities to exclude firms that fail to meet the recognised payment standards.
On launching the consultation Georgia Gould MP OBE, Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office stated:
By strategically leveraging our annual public procurement spend, we can protect our supply chains, open up new opportunities for local small businesses and social enterprises, create good local jobs, and deliver greater value for taxpayers.
How reforms could work.
The Procurement Act 2023 (the ‘Act’) has already been implemented and reforms the rules that govern the £385billion spent through public procurement every year. In line with the manifesto, the Government intends to use the Act to create a simpler and more transparent regime for public sector procurement that delivers better value for money, drives economic growth, and safeguards national interests. This consultation looks to take the Act further by:
Supporting small businesses and social enterprises
- Requiring large contracting authorities with spend over £100m p.a. to publish their own 3-year target for direct spend with SMEs and VCSEs and report against it annually, as well as extending spend reporting requirements.
- Requiring contracting authorities to exclude suppliers from bidding on major contracts (+£5m) if they cannot demonstrate prompt payment of invoices to their supply chains.
- Clarifying in primary legislation where it may be appropriate to award contracts for certain services delivered to vulnerable citizens without full competitive procedure, so that decisions can be driven by the needs of the individuals and vulnerable groups.
Supporting national capability
- Requiring contracting authorities to make a standard assessment before procuring a major contract (+£5m) in order to test whether service delivery should be inhouse or outsourced.
Supporting local jobs and skills:
- Requiring contracting authorities to set at least one award criteria in major procurements (+£5m) which relates to the quality of the supplier’s contribution to jobs, opportunities or skills. Contracting authorities would need to apply a minimum weighting of 10% of the scores available, to social value award criteria.
- Requiring contracting authorities to set at least one social value KPI relating to jobs, opportunities or skills in major contracts (+£5m) and report on delivery performance against this KPI in the contract performance notice.
- Requiring contracting authorities to use standard social value criteria and metrics selected from a streamlined list (to be co-designed with the public sector and suppliers) in their procurement of public contracts.
- Allowing contracting authorities to specify the area in which the social value is to be delivered by choosing between the location of a contracting authority’s area of responsibility, the location where the contract will be performed, or the location where the supplier is based.
Based on the feedback on these proposals and when parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to introduce legislation to amend the Act. As part of this process the government will also look to introduce minor technical amendments to the Act under this legislation.
FIS will respond to the consultation formally, but Iain McIlwee, CEO of Finishes and Interiors Sector welcomed the consultation:
“For too long we’ve had a wishy washy approach to driving better payment through the supply chain with veiled threats of sanctions that “could” be applied. The rhetoric has not been matched by action and the reality is that we have seen little benefit to Government paying faster finding it’s way into the supply chain. It finally looks like this is being addressed and the changes set down here should start to add some teeth to the intent.
We will spend some time going through and looking for any loopholes that this leaves and respond formally, but initial inspection suggests it is a good start. Beyond these reforms we hope to see further activity around Late Payment rules and pushing those outside of the Public Sector to address payment fairness and retention moving forward. The payment culture has been a cancer at the core of our industry without addressing it, any improvement in investment in people or productivity will be limited. If we want to get Britain Building, we need to get money flowing.”
For full details of the consultation, click here.
Please send any comments directly to iainmcilwee@thefis.org to support FIS response, but we also encourage members to respond directly to the consultation via the link above.
by Clair Mooney | 26 Jun, 2025 | Contractual and Legal, Employment
The Construction Industry Joint Council (CIJC) has agreed new pay rates from Monday 30 June. There is a 3.2% increase in the basic wage rates, as well as increases in travel and subsistence allowances and sick pay. The new rates should be read in conjunction with the Working Rule Agreement and Holiday Entitlement.
by Clair Mooney | 26 Jun, 2025 | Skills
YouthBuild UK are now accepting entries for its Young Builder of the Year Awards, in which they recognise and celebrate the achievements of young people, who despite having to overcome a range of challenges, have succeeded in training or gaining employment in the construction industry.
Established for over 20 years, they are seeking entries for young people in education, training or employment, aged:
- 14 – 18 years old at 1 January 2025
- 19 – 24 years old at 1 January 2025
The winners are unveiled at a prestigious ceremony held at the House of Commons on 15 October and all finalists receive a cash prize.
If there is an individual you would like to nominate who has overcome personal difficulties and barriers to succeed you can find out more the awards and submit your nomination here.
by Oscar Venus | 26 Jun, 2025 | Drylining, Skills
The Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS) has launched a new online training module based on its industry-recognised guidance Walls as a System. Designed to support specifiers, designers, contractors, and building owners, the module promotes a holistic approach to wall system design and installation, helping to ensure compliance and compatibility across components.
Modern construction often sees building elements such as partitions, glazing, and doors specified in isolation, which can lead to performance failures and compliance issues. This training tackles that challenge head-on by focusing on how these components interact and perform together as part of a single, integrated system.
The training supports the key principles of the Building Safety Act and aligns with the RIBA Plan of Work. It covers essential topics such as:
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Ensuring fire and acoustic compatibility across wall systems
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Managing interfaces and penetrations
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Clarifying the term ‘fire wall’ and its function
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Working with raised access floors and glazed fire walls
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Understanding imposed load support and detailing
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Navigating standards and responsibilities at every project stage
Developed in collaboration with technical experts and peer-reviewed by leading organisations including ASDMA, DHF, GIRI, GAI, GPDA and PFKG, this training offers practical, relevant insight into best practices for wall design in the finishes and interiors sector.
The Walls as a System module is now available on the FIS Training Portal and is free to access for FIS members.
