All at FIS are saddened by the loss of our Queen and join our community and nation in mourning, but also express our gratitude for her unwaivering period of public service. We send our deepest condolences to her family in their time of mourning.
The Government is currently working with the Royal Household on how to commemorate the life of Her Majesty, and further guidance will be available in coming days.
At present businesses across the UK should continue to operate normally but there are some considerations you may wish to make, including:
providing an opportunity for your staff to offer their condolences, either by providing your own book of condolence or by directing them to the online book of condolence at the Royal website;
identifying arrangements made by Local Authorities to lay floral or memorial tributes;
signposting staff on how to donate to one of The Queen’s patronages, with information available on the Royal website;
identifying whether your business location is likely to be impacted by arrangements made by Local Authorities, or events planned in central London, and planning your response;
considering any changes you might wish to make to your website and social media activities; and
where you have flags, lowering them to half mast.
The Royal Household will be the primary source of information on mourning arrangements, and will set out arrangements on Lying-in-State and the State Funeral. Businesses are encouraged to follow updates on www.gov.uk and the Royal Website.
Your Local Authority will also be updating their own websites on local arrangements, including any events they may organise which might impact on the locality of your business or local travel. Members working in London will need to consider carefully the impact on logistics in London in the wake of increased visitors and possible road closures. We are aware that the CLC are in contract with TFL to ensure any major issues are addressed and communictaed.
Projects to tackle fire safety risks on high-rise residential buildings have been boosted by the publication of a new model insurance clause covering fire safety risks. The wording has been developed by the International Underwriting Association (IUA) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for use in work being completed under the government’s £4.5bn Building Safety Fund. It will help speed up the removal of unsafe cladding, encourage a greater safety culture within the construction industry and provide insurers with increased confidence in risk management processes employed by the construction sector.
The model clause is freely available for use by underwriters looking to provide professional indemnity insurance for building cladding remediation work. The Building Safety Fund was introduced in order to cover the cost of such refurbishment work on high rise residential blocks over 18m.
Levelling up Secretary, Greg Clarke said: “Our priority is making sure people’s homes are safe and that safety standards are high.
“Alongside our tough new regulatory regime, this new clause that has been developed with my department will help us do just that.
“We welcome the work of the IUA and the underwriters who are taking a proportionate approach to fire safety cover and I thank insurers in advance for using it.”
Chris Jones, IUA Director of Legal and Market Services, said:
“Our new model clause sets out a number of key risk management processes that will ensure work being carried out is conducted within recognised industry standards. This will help improve accountability for safety measures and foster an investment in quality construction.
“The market for construction professional indemnity insurance has been difficult in recent years, reflecting concerns about the potential for historic liabilities to develop into future claims following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Each new risk must continue to be assessed on a risk-by-risk basis, of course, but the clause should provide underwriters with greater confidence to offer effective insurance solutions for future work.”
A survey of IUA members in September last year revealed a cautious willingness amongst IUA members to underwrite fire safety risks on new projects to remove defective cladding from high rises. Around two thirds of respondents stated they would provide a limited form of cover, whilst a further 4% were happy to offer unrestricted protection.
The poll was carried out by the IUA’s Construction Professional Lines Working Group which was established in 2019 to encourage greater engagement between insurers, government, regulators and construction firms.
Any questions or comments related to this clause should be fed to Iain McIlwee, (iainmcilwee@thefis.org) who is representing the FIS Community on the Construction Leadership Council’s Insurance Working Group
An employer is able to apply for grants in respect of construction industry related training undertaken by:
directly employed staff (including apprentices) on the payroll;
sub-contractors (both net and gross-paid); and
sole traders and partnerships.
Provided the individuals are working at the time of the training for the employer making the application and that CITB grant support has not already been received for the particular training and/or qualification. An employer may authorise third party training providers and/or colleges providing services to the employer to complete a grant application on their behalf. Where the employer so authorises, the responsibility to ensure that applications are made in accordance with the Grants Scheme terms and conditions and to repay any grants received as a result of an error by the third party remains with the employer. The employers construction industry levy payments must be up to date. If your allowing training or qualification assessment of your sub-contractors on your jobs or sites, regardless of how the training and/or qualification is being paid for find out what they are undertaking and claim the Employer grant.
To apply for grant, applicants should visit CITB’s website. The requirements specific to each grant type should be checked prior to submitting an application as some grants operate restrictions. If you are unsure please contact Marie Flinter 07799 903103 or email marieflinter@thefis.org
Please consider if you are using, or think you might be using sealants and adhesives that contain diisocyanates (polyurethane based sealants) as you will need to do the following:
Check the supplier of the products and the packaging and information accompanying all sealants and adhesives for the presence of diisocyanates and other COSHH substances
The Managing Price Inflation guidance produced by Build UK has been updated with information on whether a contract can be lawfully terminated if inflation makes it commercial unviable. It outlines the key considerations, including the circumstances giving rise to termination and consequences if that step is taken.
With insolvency risk beginning to rival inflation as a threat to the industry, Director of KPMG’s Major Projects Advisory Team Joe Manning has outlined how to identify and respond to signs of insolvency in the supply chain. A combination of the following warning signs may indicate that a company on site is in distress:
A high turnover of staff
A general decrease in labour
A slowdown in the progress of the works or the works not achieving project timescales or milestones
Poor quality workmanship and/or an increase in defects
Removal of plant, equipment and/or materials
KPMG has published a summary on preserving value under supply chain pressure which includes the measures that can be put in place to protect against insolvency and the steps that should be taken in the event that it occurs.
The latest information from Builders’ Conference shows that 460 contracts worth £6.2 billion were awarded in August. Both the number and value of contracts were higher than the monthly average over the last year, which is particularly encouraging given that August is traditionally quieter due to the summer holidays. It was a strong month for the public sector, which accounted for 39% of all contracts awarded by value, including two prison contracts totalling £650 million and three water and sewage projects worth £505 million. In the private sector, there were 136 housing projects worth £1.9 billion (30%), 24 industrial projects totalling £326 million (5%), and 67 office projects worth £319 million (5%).
The number of tender opportunities was still 8% below the previous month and, with the new Prime Minister now in place, the industry will be hoping that continued investment in infrastructure together with a plan to deal with rising inflation will sustain activity for the rest of the year.
With construction needing to recruit over 53,000 new entrants every year to maintain output, Build UK has published the results of its latest survey of members to understand current levels of employment within the industry and the impact of job vacancies across the supply chain. ‘Increasing Employment in Construction’ reveals that 33% of respondents have increased their number of directly employed workers in the last 12 months, with 50% predicting an increase over the next year, which is being driven primarily by an increase in activity, followed by companies taking on more new entrants and apprentices.
68% of Build UK members confirmed they currently have vacancies, which is increasing pressure on existing teams and stifling business growth. To help recruit more new entrants into construction, Build UK will be focussing on improving the journey from education to employment, and will be reviewing the various ways that young people take their first step into the industry, including Apprenticeships, Traineeships, T Levels and Degrees.
Eco-I North West is a practical, interactive project aimed at North West based SME’s that are starting their low-carbon innovation journey and are looking for opportunities and support to become a low-carbon business.
It is being run as two ‘in-person’ workshops held on campus at Manchester Met.
Dates: Wednesday 12 October 2022 & Wednesday 19 October 2022
Time: 10.00 to 16.00 (with lunch provided)
Location: The Salutation, 12 Higher Chatham Street, Manchester, M15 6ED (Part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s Campus).
Cost: For NW based SME’s the project is fully funded via ERDF.
What will be covered
During COP26 the UK Government announced plans for firms to show how they intend to hit net-zero. For those who have not engaged with the sustainability agenda before, or those who have looked at the scale of the challenge and wondered what they can do next to avoid the challenges of things like clean air bills and bans on red diesel fuel, this can feel like a daunting proposition.
On the 12th & 19th October, Manchester Metropolitan University are holding a two-day interactive workshop to help North West SMEs begin their sustainability journey through the development of long-term net-zero action plans, with a particular focus on innovation. The programme will cover: the basics of the climate emergency; understanding your business and its environmental impacts; identifying opportunities for innovation; and, how to develop pathways that can take businesses from current to next practice. Following the workshops, participating businesses will also have the opportunity to work closely with Manchester Met academics to implement innovations in their organisation through things like biofuels, hydrogen, 3D printing and more.
If you are interested in learning how your organisation can adapt to the threats and opportunities posed by the climate emergency and how it can not just survive, but thrive in a net-zero world, then you can register your interest and arrange an informal chat about the project, by completing the EOI form on the website ECO-I North West · Manchester Metropolitan University
