BSI have published their 2023 version of the Little book of BIM.
This is a quick reference guide for the standards, definitions and terms commonly used in describing BIM and its related processes, as well as training and qualification pathways for all levels. The guide can be used by organisations across the supply chain.
You can download a copy here.
To improve access to new technology and promote the impact that improved motivation and productivity can have in the drylining industry, FIS and Mafic are offering five FIS members the chance to trial Mafic’s FAIRPAY rewards platform.
The platform has been developed to help organisations increase productivity and reduce costs by 10-20% by improving the motivation of their workforce.
This inclusive offer worth £3,500 includes:
– 12 people
– 12 weeks
– Free setup
– Subscription costs discounted by 75% to £450+VAT
FIS members taking part will still need to fund the bonuses and incentives that go directly to employees. These incentives drive savings that are multiples of the cost – you reduce cost by paying your best people more money – and Mafic will help to structure this in a way that minimises risk by basing the incentives around improvement.
Based on results elsewhere, it is estimated that you could save £10,000-£20,000 on labour costs from the demonstration, plus other benefits like improved retention rates. You can see how FIS member Errigal Contracts has benefited from using FAIRPAY here on page 7.
Iain Mcilwee, FIS CEO said: We are supporting this offer with Mafic in return for anonymised data which will be shared with FIS (i.e. no names, sites, dates, or geographic data) to help us better understand productivity in the industry, so that we can better serve and support our members. Mafic has just five discounted projects available, so please express an interest early to avoid disappointment.’
For more information contact Ed Burns at ed.burns@mafic.ltd or call him on 07967 968 346.
The warning comes as part of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Asbestos and You campaign targeting tradespeople about the personal risks from asbestos that still exist in properties across the country today.
Around five thousand people a year die from asbestos related illnesses and asbestos can still be found in buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000. But HSE is warning despite the ban on its use, many buildings still contain asbestos, and it is still a serious risk to anyone exposed to it at any age.
Tim Beaumont, HSE’s acting head of construction policy sector, said:
“Asbestos can be found in things like Artex, cement boards under eaves, garage roofs, old bath panels, boiler houses and fires and even mortar between bricks can contain asbestos.
“There is no known safe level of asbestos exposure but that’s not to say it can’t be managed safely.
“All tradespeople should make sure they know the basics about identifying asbestos. Before carrying out any construction work, there’s a legal requirement to identify whether asbestos is present and could be disturbed.
“Younger tradespeople need to know the dangers behind asbestos as it could affect them in later life like it is affecting older tradespeople now.”
Asbestos is only dangerous if not maintained in a safe condition or if physically disturbed without the right measures in place to control exposure to fibres.
Iain McIlwee, FIS chief executive, said:
“Providing information about managing asbestos for plasterers, dryliners, ceiling fixers and all other trades working on the interior system of a building, is as important today than it ever was.
“We welcome and support HSE’s campaign ‘Asbestos & You’ to highlight that despite being banned in the UK, asbestos has not gone away. For example, removing old plaster, spray coatings on walls and beams, partition walls, loose fill insulation, textured walls, and ceilings (Artex) are still commonly found in buildings today, often when dealing with refurbishment projects.”
From the 1950s until 1999, asbestos containing materials were used extensively in the construction and maintenance of buildings in Great Britain.
When materials that contain asbestos are disturbed or damaged, fibres are released into the air. If these fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural thickening. These diseases will not affect you immediately as they often take a long time to develop, but once diagnosed, it is often too late to do anything.
It can take 20 to 30 years before symptoms appear. Symptoms include shortness of breath, persistent cough, wheezing, extreme tiredness, pain in your chest or shoulder and in more advanced cases, swollen fingertips.
If asbestos cannot be safely managed, it should be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor. Where present, asbestos should be closely managed by those responsible for the building.
Find out more about the Asbestos and You campaign, and visit HSE’s website for further guidance on asbestos.
Statement from John Newcomb, CEO of the Builders Merchants Federation and Peter Caplehorn, CEO of the Construction Products Association, co-chairs of the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability working group
A fairly upbeat picture emerged from this month’s meeting, helped by a better than expected forecast from the Office of Budget Responsibility with the UK predicted to avoid recession and inflation predicted to fall from 10% to 3% over the course of the year.
In line with this, construction activity in the first quarter has been higher than predicted in Q4 2022. While housebuilders do not anticipate 2023 sales will reach 2022 levels, consumer confidence is holding, aided by an easing of interest rates for 5 year fixed rate mortgages, and new build reservations and sales have improved against Q4 2022.
Despite higher than expected demand, there is good availability for the vast majority of building products. The one exception is plasterboard which is currently on allocation but with measures in place to increase capacity this is unlikely to be a long term issue.
Longer standing issues with bricks, blocks and boilers appear to be resolved. UK brickmakers have made significant investments in increased production, with the first new line coming on stream later this year adding over 185 million more bricks a year. Boiler volumes have also returned to normal levels, backlogs have been cleared and no further problems are foreseen.
The electro-technical sector continues to experience delays in the delivery of solar PV equipment and LED lighting which remain affected by the supply of semi-conductors.
Although wholesale gas prices are now falling, the price of energy intensive products such as bricks is unlikely to reflect this for some time as manufacturers hedged their gas prices last autumn. Manufacturers are also subject to other inflationary pressures including staffing and materials.
Timber prices, however, have now returned to around pre-Covid levels. We have also seen reductions for structural steel and rebar during the first quarter of 2023.
That said, price inflation remains the number one issue. While prices are not rising as quickly as they have been, they are still substantially higher than 18 months ago and profit margins are being squeezed. This is particularly concerning for SME builders and regional house-builders. There are also isolated reports of credit risk insurance being withdrawn, which we will continue to monitor.
FIS and The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers have once again joined forces and are delighted to announce that entries are now open for the annual Training Awards, an award event which recognises excellence and achievement in the recruitment, training and development of people in the plastering and interior trades.
Following the huge success of the inaugural Training Awards in 2022, the second annual awards will once again showcase the very best of the sector’s occupations and the achievements of students and apprentices, supportive employers and mentors, colleges and training providers. Last year saw 11 award winners including Plastering Student of the Year Natasha Williams, Apprentice of the Year (Interior Trades) George Batchelor and training provider winners NPTC College and Craven College all recognised for their outstanding contributions to the sector.
The 2023 awards categories will acknowledge the students, mentors and training providers who have made an exceptional contribution to learning and development in the sector.
The 2023 award categories are:
Trade-specific sponsored awards include the British Gypsum Trophy – which recognises the highest achievement in drylining skills education – and the Formula Trophy, for contributions to the development of skills and long-term future of Fibrous and GRG plasterwork.
Master Plaisterer Stephen Gilbert said: “The Plaisterers’ Company is really pleased to be continuing its partnership with FIS in recognising those within the industry who are going above and beyond their remit either as students, mentors or training providers; it bodes well for the industry.”
FIS President Philip Brown added: “We are delighted to once again recognise and reward the outstanding talent, both in students themselves but also training providers and the mentors that work so hard to help the students forge hugely successful and rewarding careers.”
Entry into the awards is now open and closes on 7 July. The winners will be announced at a gala ceremony at Plaisterers’ Hall on 21 November.
For more details on entering these awards visit www.thefis.org/training-awards-home/
For further information or for any questions please contact FIS at info@thefis.org or call 0121 707 0077 or The Worshipful Company of Plaisterers on clerk@plaistererslivery.co.uk or call 0207 7964333.
In March FIS attended a round table with CLC and Government officials to look into payment practices, retention and support available through regulation via the Duty to Report. I think there is a desire from Government to beef things up a bit to support SMEs, but we need to ensure that they see votes in change and that small businesses feel strongly about it – so to get change over the line we need your help. We will, but we also need you to respond to the consultation.
What is the aim in all this?
Recent headlines that payment practices in construction are improving are, at best, misleading. Our own research with the University of Reading (shown in the chart at the top of this page) tells us that, for most in our sector, it is no better and, for nearly a quarter of specialists, it is worsening. The improvement headlines ring particularly hollow when we see the human impact of poor practice and you know and care for the people that our QS helpine has been working with – it is not just cashflow and the cost of money that concerns us, the stress and human toil of poor payment is literally sickening.
Where the market fails to correct we need regulation to drive better behaviour. Effective Regulation needs three things, a clear and proportionate set of rules and scope, an mechanism to measure and impactful enforcement.
Why does official data suggest it is getting better, but I am not seeing any (positive) change?
The old addage… lies, damned lies and statistics comes to play here. The headlines are based on information extracted from the Duty to Report. The concept of the Duty to Report is it exposes payment practices – it compells larger businesses (those that satisfy two of the following £36 million in turnover, £18 million on its balance sheet and 250 employees) to formally report on payment times against an agrreed criteria. This means Government can make procurement decisions based on it, have a formal measure to support initiative like the Prompt Payment Code and equally SMEs can check theoretically check a company’s payment history (here) to help decide if you want to work with them. It is a good concept in that it highlights a problem, but the issue is that it is poorly delivered.
The underlying problem is that companies only report on volume of invoices, not value. Ten tiny invoices (for e.g. stationary) can drown out one huge invoice for construction. She system can be gamed by selecting what invoices to pay early to mask that you are paying the big ones late. Thus you can still continue to use the supply chain as a free line of credit and still look good on paper!
The other big issue for construction is that it measures invoice payment, but in the complex world of applications, valuations, pay less notices and certification the invoice is not . The guidance is actually fairly cut and dry:
but, guidance is not regulation and frankly there are no meaningful checks and balances on how people are reporting. In fact in our digging, it was identified that there have been only 18 investigations and no prosecutions. Without proper checks and balances and strong enforcement, regulation is about as useful as a chocolate teapot!
Aren’t we supposed to be getting rid of retention by 2025?
The CLC roadmap to zero retentions does say that they should be phased out no later than 2025, but like so many ‘Roadmaps’ we seem to have lost the road!! I remain concerned that retention debate often gets derailed by trying to solve two problems at once. For me there are two distinct parts to this debate:
1. the underlying concept of retention – how we work, as a sector, manage trust and quality with clients to evolve away from retention and ultimately how our Standard form Contracts support this evolution.
2. how they are fairly and consistently deployed within the supply chain – a key conclusion from our research is that they aren’t and the further down the supply chain, the less likely you are to actually get your retention.
I know it is more nuanced than that in terms of why and whether people have claimed, but for whatever reason the retention isn’t cascading smoothly (certainly not automatically). If you think of certain parts of our market, the low margin means that the tier one is making around 3% profit on average – the value of retention effectively sit at their approximate profit. Whilst there is a cash concern that more might be held against than they hold, the motivation for the less scrupulous in the supply chain, the difference between the 33% of main contractors and 14% of specialists always securing retention is about 19% of profit. For this reason FIS can continue to advocate for the ultimate abolition of retention, but in the interim, to ensure that retentions are protected and AUTOMATICALLY RELEASED based on a defined date (rather than abstract event).
So what do we need you to do?
The purpose of this post is not to rant about things we all know, but to emphasise that FIS reserach is helping to inform a debate which is happening and there does now seem geniune interest from Government in addressing some of these issues and appreciation that continued nefarious practices in construction undermine the cultural changes that they want to see. This is where you come in…
Full details of the Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017 consultation here
You can respond via the webiste or by copying and adapting (where you feel necessary) below in an email to the consultation questions to responsiblepaymentculture@beis.gov.uk (by 11.45pm 28th April 2023).
We have with colleagues representing specialists set down a template response that you can be downloaded below, but remember this is your response so do feel free to edit/ammend and add any personal comments or experience to help support understanding and change.
You can download the FIS template response here
Please do send us your response so we can factor in any additional points to the core FIS input on this. Thanks for your support – together we are stronger.
Iain McIlwee
CEO, Finishes and Interiors Sector
PS Through this process we are always looking for feedback on our Procurement Research recently completed with the University of Reading that may help you with your response.
PPS For support in managing your contractual responsibility, including the new Best Practice Guide that FIS has helped develop with the CICV in Scotland and standard Terms and Conditions launched in 2023.
With colleagues from across the sector, FIS Chief Executive Iain McIlwee attended the first Building Safety Conference hosted last week by the Building Safety Regulator (and shared his reflections here).
This week we hear from colleagues at Build UK (of whom FIS is an active member) who have provided a summary of 10 lessons learnt which answers a number of the queries raised during Build UK member meetings.
Building Safety Conference – 10 Things We Learnt
BuildUK have developed an excellent simple introduction to the Building Safety Act which FIS Members can download for free here.
Having interrogated the CITB Construction Skills Network data it’s estimated 266,000 people are employed in the construction occupations of the finishes and interiors sector. To sustain this there’s an Annual Recruitment Requirement of approximately 6052 people per year to 2027. As there are approximately 10,000 organisations working in the sector that’s 1.65 people per organisation, or if every FIS member took on one new entrant per year that would meet one tenth of the estimated requirement. The recent FIS Skills Pulse Survey shows 45.5% of respondents are currently experiencing labour shortages and do not feel there will be any improvement in recruitment for the next 12 months.
It’s certainly no longer feasible to think other bigger organisations with more resource will train enough people to go round. People poaching, the act of tempting or accepting newly qualified individuals away from the organisation that supported the training for a pound or so more, is rife within the finishes and interiors sector. Evidence shows people poaching contributes to a decline in the quality of workmanship as these individuals although qualified often do have the full range of experience needed by the sector and without the ‘safety net’ of the people who trained, coached and mentored them mistakes are inevitable.
Apprenticeships are the employers preferred training and qualification option for new entrants. As an indication here are the figures for two occupations in the sector 2022 to 2023, due to the duration of the training programmes successful achievements are not shown:
| Nation | Route | Registration Numbers |
| England | Interior Systems Installer | 220 |
| Plasterer | 900 | |
| Scotland | Interior Systems | 81 |
| Plastering | 65 | |
| Wales | Interior Systems | 28 |
| Plastering | 121 | |
| Total | 1415 |
This is approximately 80% of the estimated Annual Recruitment Rate for these two occupations reinforcing the drive needed by employers to ensure there will be enough competent people to complete work coming up through to 2027. If you have never taken on a apprentice there is a raft of free support available from recruitment to funding and the rewards for an organisation can be unlimited. To help decision making have a read of the FIS Apprentice – Guidance for Employers available to download here You will likely be surprised at the options and what is there, free of charge, to help employers.
The current business environment is making it more challenging to invest in the training and qualifications needed to ensure a future workforce for the sector, but if organisations don’t step up now what is it going to be like in the years ahead. Everyone knows investing in training can bring competitive advantages, helping businesses to retain and attract more workers and to ensure they have an upskilled workforce to win new work is a focus for FIS. With increased legislative demands for proof of competence at every occupational level the FIS Sector Guide to Competency Management Plans: https://www.thefis.org/skills-hub/competency/ can help organisations avoid falling foul of the law.
If you are still undecided and would like to talk through taking on a new entrant, general recruitment or upskilling your workforce give FIS a call on 0121 707 0077.
To help improve standards, CITB in consultation with the industry, has been developing two new online fire safety courses to help improve awareness of fire safety in the workplace. Specifically developed for people working in the construction industry the course aim to provide detailed information on how to keep safe at work.
Fire Safety Awareness in Construction and the Built Environment – is available now as a FREE eCourse:
Fire Safety in Buildings – available in the summer:
