by Clair Mooney | 15 Jun, 2017 | Main News Feed
Nevill Long is hosting a Spray Readymixed Finishing breakfast event, with Knauf, on 7 July at its Plymouth branch. FIS members are invited to attend free of charge.
Two live demonstrations of the Knauf Airless Finish will take place at 8 am and 10.30 am. Each session will include:
• Full demonstration of Knauf Airless Finish, showing how fast, clean and efficient the system is
• An opportunity to use the spray machine and see the benefits of a premixed finish
• Free breakfast for everyone who attends
• Machine set up and finishing, with experts on-hand to offer advice on spray machines
The event will take place at Encon Plymouth – Unit 4, Langage One, Western Wood Way, Langage Science Park, Plymouth PL7 5BE
To register your interest, please email PlymouthSprayDay@Encon.co.uk with your details, and which session you would like to attend.
by Nicky Smith | 9 Jun, 2017 | Main News Feed
The latest edition of FIS Focus is now available on the website. The 38-page magazine features all our winners of the 2017 Contractors Awards which were announced at The Dorchester Hotel in London this week. We talk to Mark Farmer, author of Modernise or Die, who shares his views on the skills crisis. BSI put their new Code of Practice for Smart Working into practice and Chris Wheal reviews the newly launched Client Guide: Office Fit-Out and Refurbishment.
Read the magazine here.
by Nicky Smith | 7 Jun, 2017 | Main News Feed
The FIS Awards Lunch took place on Tuesday 6 June 2017 at The Dorchester Hotel in London and was attended by 455 members and guests. The wet weather didn’t dampen spirits though as the industry came together to hear the winners of the Contractors Awards announced.
Steve Coley gave his last speech as FIS President; a very amusing account of his visit to the AWCI Expo in Las Vegas with a comparison of the problems our industry faces both in the UK and the US.
Representatives from our nominated charity Bounce Back collected a respectable £2,989.30 thanks to the generous donations of our members. The auction of the wonderful wood carving ‘My son the ceiling fixer’ was won by Helen Tapper of Tapper Interiors and raised £1,650.
We were treated to an amusing after-dinner speech by John Lloyd CBE, the man behind some of the most successful and well-loved TV and radio of the last three decades. John then compèred the announcement of award winners as follows:
Judges Award had two Gold winners;
Atkin Trade Specialists for its installation at Extra Care Housing in Dorchester
Worksmart Contracts Ltd for its project at Ayr Gaiety Theatre in Ayrshire
Operable Walls Silver – Hufcor UK for its contract at the Leicester Royal Infirmary clinical training facility
Operable Walls Gold – Style Moveable Partition Specialists for its installation at Francis Crick Institute
Steel Framed System Silver – Errigal Contracts for its installation at Morello in Surrey
Steel Framed System Gold – SCS Building Solutions Ltd for its installation at Victoria Gate in Leeds
Specialist Joinery Silver – Pexhurst Services for its installation at DTZ Investors in London
Specialist Joinery Gold – Bushcrafted for its contract at Young Living in London
Drywall Construction Residential Silver – Errigal Contracts for its project at One Tower Bridge in London
Drywall Construction Residential Gold – Stortford Interiors for its Riverwalk Project in London
Drywall Construction Commercial Silver – Lakeside Ceilings and Partitions for its installation at Tata Technologies in Warwickshire
Drywall Construction Commercial Gold – Quad Building Services for its contract at Victoria Embankment
Suspended Ceilings Silver – Astins Ltd for its ceilings installation at The Victoria and Albert Museum Exhibition Road Project in London
Suspended Ceilings Gold – Integra Contracts for its contract at 6 PS in London
Partitioning category Silver – Moda Interiors for its contract at Birmingham University’s new library building
Partitioning category Gold – Clestra Hauserman for its partitioning installation for a leading packaging solutions provider in London
Interior Fit-Out under £1M Silver – QOB Interiors for its contract at One Carter Lane in London
Interior Fit-Out under £1M Gold – DSP Interiors for its project at KTM Sportmotorcycle in Northamptonshire
Interior Fit-Out over £1M Silver – Horbury Group for its contract at the University of Birmingham Library
Interior Fit-Out over £1M Gold – Claremont Group Interiors for its project at King in London
Project of the Year had two winners;
Locker and Riley Fibrous Plastering for its contract at the Lanesborough Hotel in London
SCS Building Solutions for its contract at Victoria Gate in Leeds
All winners are featured in the June edition of FIS Focus here. The full magazine can be viewed here.
We would like to thank all entrants and sponsors of the 2017 awards; entries for the 2018 FIS Contractors Awards will open in July.
by Nicky Smith | 2 Jun, 2017 | Main News Feed
A summary of the data from the Markit/CIPS Construction PMI® for May revealed that construction growth rebounded to a 17-month high in May, driven by housebuilding.
Other key findings include:
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- Business activity rises at fastest pace since December 2015
- Residential work replaces civil engineering as best performing category
- Input cost inflation moderates to seven-month low
To view the full report, click here.
by Nicky Smith | 24 May, 2017 | Main News Feed
To help us attack the skills gap and engage our younger audience, we are looking for images that represent our members’ best works on site; exceptional stand-out projects that you are particularly proud of, operations in action shots, young people working with your specialists, even the technical support staff – including women – delivering off-site business growth.
FIS Skills want to show the world of finishes and interiors in all its finery to the next generation of interior systems specialists.
Full credit will be given to you on Instagram. All we ask is for a brief description of the project and any additional information of the people within the images.
To make your submissions please email Project Manager Amanda Scott: amandascott@thefis.org
by Nicky Smith | 24 May, 2017 | Main News Feed
The major political parties have revealed their manifestos for the general election on 8 June. For the construction sector,
the three top concerns are the impact of Brexit, housing and infrastructure.
With nearly 200,000 EU workers in the UK, the industry is unanimous in its demand for the incoming government to make it a priority to guarantee the status of existing EU nationals currently working in the UK and then implement a migration system that ensures the industry continues to attract talent from the EU and across the world. The housing crisis is an ongoing issue with the construction industry calling on all the parties to pledge to increase housebuilding as well as focus on the quality and delivery of newly built homes. The NFB has welcomed measures to increase opportunities for SME house builders but maintained that land, along with finance and planning, remains an issue for small builders. Continued infrastructure investment is also top of most organisations’ wish list for any future government.
Labour is “declaring war” on late payments and will demand that all bidders for government contracts pay their own suppliers in 30 days. The Tories are proposing a similar policy, which would mean that businesses that don’t abide by the Prompt Payment Code will lose the right to bid for government contracts. Also, the Tories are pledging to make one-third of their purchases from SMEs by the end of the next parliament.
The Lib Dems want to double the number of businesses that hire apprentices, to develop national colleges to deliver high-level vocational skills and to increase advice in schools about entrepreneurship and self-employment. They will also encourage all schools to participate more with businesses.
Labour wants to create a National Education Service for England, double the number of completed apprenticeships at NVQ level 3 by 2022, and protect funding to SMEs that hire apprentices. The Conservatives are planning to launch new vocational qualifications called T-levels covering 15 subjects including construction, creative and design, digital, engineering and manufacturing, health and science. They also plan to establish new institutes of technology in every major city in England. They have also reaffirmed a commitment to deliver three million apprenticeships by 2020.
by Nicky Smith | 18 May, 2017 | Main News Feed
Construction Manager, the magazine from CIOB, has published its findings of the recent CDM 2015 Survey. Most prominently, regulations have had limited impact on the construction industry and no apparent impact on its accident rate.
The survey was carried out jointly by Construction Manager and Health and Safety at Work, the magazine of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management. Whilst the principles of CDM 2015 are struggling to be embedded into the industry, working methods established under CDM 2007 and CDM 1994 have proved remarkably resilient, according to the survey.
Survey respondents commented that:
- a workable system had been made less workable
- fees and costs had increased without any increase in safety
- the goal of bringing smaller projects and domestic clients into scope had proved ineffectual
Less than half (46%) of respondents rated today’s compliance with CDM 2015 as good or excellent, compared to the 53% who thought that about CDM 2007. Among the 106 members of the Association for Project Safety (APS) in the sample, there was more scepticism: the recalled compliance rate under CDM 2007 was 56%, while current compliance was put at 43%.
Read the full article here.
The CDM 2015 documents can be found on our website here.
by Nicky Smith | 10 May, 2017 | Main News Feed
The growth prospects of construction SMEs are being potentially stalled due to late payments, according to research commissioned by Crossflow Payments, the Fintech platform delivering supply chain finance solutions.
The findings also come against the backdrop of the introduction (6 April 2017) of new government obligations requiring large businesses to publicly report on their payment practice to suppliers. Although this starts to quantify the problem at an individual corporate level, including whether they use supply chain finance solutions, it serves as a reminder of the need for further progress to be made in ensuring SMEs are able to receive prompt payment from customers.
Of construction SMEs surveyed, an average 15.4% of the annual turnover was subject to late payment in 2016, equivalent to an estimated £22.6 billion for the sector as a whole. Eleven of 25 of small construction companies who receive payment late for invoices admit payment is regularly late by more than ten days, and a quarter says that they receive payment for invoices late.
The findings convey the economic opportunity at stake if construction SMEs are able to boost their working capital by receiving payment for invoices quicker, with tangible business benefits identified by businesses.
Over a fifth, (21%) of construction SMEs surveyed said they would increase marketing and sales budgets, while 21% said they would hire more staff, and another 18% said they would increase the wages of existing staff.
About Crossflow Payments
Crossflow Payments is a technology-driven alternative finance platform delivering an innovative supply chain finance solution to large corporates and their suppliers. Its unique payment platform improves working capital for businesses whilst providing SMEs with instant access to finance against their outstanding invoices without the need for onerous personal guarantees.
by Nicky Smith | 10 May, 2017 | Main News Feed
The National Interior Specialists Training Group (NISTG) has secured funding to supplement the cost of some training for FIS members. Simply send your invoice to erikaskinner@thefis.org and we will refund 50% of the course cost (up to a maximum value of £250 per delegate, £1,000 per company). See the full terms and conditions below.
Funding is available for the following range of courses:
- Site Safety Plus courses
- Marketing courses
- Financial and E-procurement courses
- Green Deal and Sustainability training
- Specialist Plant Training
- Management and Leadership
- ICT skills and Legislation
As a guide, the grant funds most of the courses that are supported through CITB training plan grant. For example:
- Financial and e-procurement courses
- Green Deal and sustainability training
- Information and communications technology (ICT) courses
- Legal courses
- Management and leadership courses
- Marketing courses
- Site Safety Plus courses
- Specialist plant training
Terms and conditions
- Maximum claim of £250 per delegate, £1,000 per company
- Training must be carried out by delegates who are currently employed by or are NET (taxed) CIS Construction Industry Scheme sub-contractors of CITB registered employers
- Training must have taken place between January and May 2017 and have been completed
- Invoices supplied must show the full costs of the training which have been carried out including venue fees, trainer fees and training materials
- Supply your bank details – once approved payment will be made by bank transfer
- Funding is limited so cannot be guaranteed
