Event Details

This one-hour webinar designed to help contractors and subcontractors improve their management of building contracts. A panel of experts from the CICV, and FIS CEO Iain McIlwee will give advice on a range of best practice, including tender qualifications, payment schedules, variations, retentions, contract amendments, fluctuations and conflict avoidance.

The session will also include a Q&A.

The webinar follows a CICV survey on cashflow and payments in the industry which can be downloaded here: bit.ly/CICV-paysurvey

The CICV also created a Best Practice Guide to address some of the issues raised in the survey, which can be dowloaded here: bit.ly/CICV-BPG

Event sponsor

You are invited to join us at our specialist Industry Day for the housebuilding and residential sector on 28 June in London.

This event will look at the trends and prospects in the housebuilding and residential sector, the new compliance landscape and managing quality and reducing re-work.

Market Overview and New Compliance Landscape

10.30 Trends and Prospects in the housebuilding residential sector – David O’Leary, Executive Director, Home Builders Federation

11.00 The Building Safety Act: The Changing Regulatory Landscape – Iain McIlwee, FIS Chief Executive

11:30 Break

11:45 Common issues in finishes and interiors and preparing for the Building Safety Act: Insights from an Inspector – Lewis Taylor, Technical Specialist Standards, Innovation and Research , NHBC

12:15 Managing Fire Safety in Drywall – Will Pitt,  Technical Leader – MEICA Systems, Laing O’Rourke Europe, Paul McSoley, Technical Compliance Director, MAC

13:00 Lunch

Quality, Productivity and Safety

13.30 Managing Quality: Introducing changes to BS8000-8 – Joe Cilia, FIS Technical Director

14:00 Reducing re-work and improving productivity (interactive session) (competence, preconstruction and procurement)

15.00 Unravelling the Golden Thread and aligning to CDM – Russell Smith, Director for London, Project Four Safety Solutions Ltd

The day is contractor focussed and designed to give you tangible outcomes to help you to start the process (or check that you are on the right track). We hope you can join us.

Event Details

Event Details

This is Me – I am a Go Construct STEM Ambassador is a fantastic initiative created by STEMFirst, the STEM Ambassador Hub for Lancashire and Cumbria,  and endorsed across the UK by STEM Learning.

• Our amazing STEM Ambassadors have wonderful, inspirational stories to tell, however often struggle to know what schools want/how they can support young people.
• Teachers want STEM Ambassador support however ask us, who are the STEM Ambassadors and what can they do / which STEM fields are they from?

Via a 1 hour virtual training session, STEMFirst take STEM Ambassadors through how to prepare a simple, impactful and memorable two slide presentation to showcase who they are as a STEM Ambassador. This resource is personal to YOU, and once prepared will save you time, help develop your confidence and ability to get active , and can be used again and again.

STEMFirst will take you through slide content, key components for a punchy two minute talk and how to talk about yourself in a simple, impactful way. We will show you how you can easily get STEM-active and showcase your own story. We will then illustrate how to ‘OFFER’ these talks via the STEM Ambassador website and highlight why this is such a step change to the way previous STEM Ambassador support has been requested by schools and youth organisations.

The session will also:

• Showcase construction specific examples of other STEM Ambassadors ‘This is Me’ presentations
• Highlight how to use This is Me to support various STEM/Construction activity
• Give you chance to hear from other STEM Ambassadors who have put together this own ‘This is Me’ talks and used them
• Ask questions

Event Details

Reducing the waste generated by the fit out process from both the removal of products/components and the installation is one of the key challenges the construction sector has to address if we are to achieve net zero carbon targets and a reduction in waste. Fit-outs are often carried out under strict time pressures which frequently means that opportunities to reuse or recycle materials are not taken, and which can lead to a substantial increase in carbon footprint.

The LINK project, funded by Innovate UK, has the aim of dramatically reducing the amount of waste produced by fit-outs by using artificial intelligence and machine learning to rapidly identify materials and products for reuse, and connect those who wish to dispose of materials to those who wish to use them, keeping these materials in circulation, a key facet of the circular economy. It aims to develop a rapid listing mobile app, and engage with all parts of the supply chain to revolutionise reuse in fit-outs, and ultimately for construction as a whole.

This event is the first of a series of industry workshops for the project and seeks to engage with stakeholders from across the fit-out and interiors sector. We will explore some of the challenges and opportunities provided by digital technology and aim to identify the key drivers and critical success factors in developing technology which enables reuse to become the norm, rather than the exception. The event is open to designers, clients, manufacturers, contractors and all those involved with promoting and encouraging reuse, and those who simply want to find out more.

Registration is free and the programme details are below:

2pm Introduction and Welcome

Sustainability for Finishes and Interiors
Iain Mcilwee, CEO / Flavie Lowres, Sustainability Champion – Finishes and Interiors Sector (FIS)

Avoiding Waste in the Fit-Out Process
Dr Katherine Adams, Technical Director – Reusefully

Specifying Reused Products – the Vision
Rachel Hoolahan, Associate – Orms

Introduction to the LINK project – using AI to revolutionise reuse
Prof Hafiz Alaka, Director, Big Data Tech and Innovation Lab – University of Hertfordshire

Discussion Group 1
What are the key information needs to facilitate reuse in fit-outs?

Discussion Group 2
Who is going to drive this and how?

Summary Session and Discussion
Key points from the discussions

3.30pm – Close and Next Steps

Event Details

Agenda

1. Update of FIS activities, Building Safety Act, Competency Management, Sustainability
2. Removal of Mouldy Plaster Board and other safety issues during strip out
3. Pallet Trucks, Banksmen and placement of dunnage
4. Round table points and activities
5. Any other business (Please notify George Swann in advance)

Event Details

In partnership with Skills Development Network, this webinar will introduce the Education Landscape resources.

Delivered by the Strategic Development Network and funded by the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, the objective is to help SMEs better understand the education sector, and see how working with education partners can benefit their business. To do this a Guide and set of resources have been produced, along with an established network of business partners who use these across their work and support for SMEs.

Launched in June 2022, the resources were developed in partnership with the Confederation of British Industry, Federation of Small Businesses, Institute of Directors, Careers and Enterprise Company, and the British Chambers of Commerce.

This webinar will explain the resources which are free and readily available for FIS members.

Event Details

The Building Safety Act imposes a legal requirement on Principal Designers, Principal Contractors and anyone carrying out any design or building work to be competent.  It also places a duty on those who appoint companies and individuals to work on a project to take “reasonable steps” to ensure that the people they appoint meet this requirement. 

A Competency Management Plan will be essential to evidencing that competency is being managed, you have the appropriate competency frameworks in place and can demonstrate this at the relevant Gateways so that Building Control can allow project(s) to proceed.  Moving forwards companies are going to need to do more to monitor, manage and demonstrate both individual and organisational competence.  Building Control will be empowered to ask for proof that the plan is being delivered at any stage in a project. 

This webinar will introduce the content of this FIS Guide to Creating a Competency Management Plan and outline the many tools available to employers.

Event Details

11:30 – Prior to the meeting there is an optional tour of the BE-ST Facility. If you wish to join us for the tour please indicate this when booking.

12:45 – Registration and refreshments

13:00 – Welcome

13:05 – FIS Introduction

13:15 – Performance and Prospects for the Scottish Construction Sector, Tom Hall, Chief Economist Barbour ABI

13:35  – CITB Update – Training development and support in Scotland

13:50 – Comfort break

14:00 – A new Compliance Landscape – Building Standards and Fire Safety – Stephen Garvin, Scottish Building Standards

14:30 – 15:30 Improving the Supply Chains Commercial and Contractual Management of Building Contracts and launching the FIS Scotland Contracts

Workshop hosted by Len Bunton, Bunton Consulting and Karyn Watt, Anderson Strathern

15:30 – 16:00 – Open discussion and close.

4.30pm Networking Drinks at Red Burn Farm

Event Details

The construction industry accounts for over a third of global carbon emissions and produces around 60 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste annually in the UK. Whilst much of this is recovered and recycled, only a small percentage is reused. This creates a significant opportunity to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint. Estimates suggest that 22.3 MtCO2e of GHG emissions could be saved over 9 years by increasing our reuse of construction products.

During the Reuse Summit, hosted by the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) and the Finishes & Interiors Sector (FIS), we’ll hear from those from those already active in the materials reuse space, with panel discussions taking a deeper dive into the shearing layers* of ‘Structure, Skin and Services’ and ‘Space and Stuff’. Inspiring case studies will show what steps the industry can take to increase the uptake of reused materials, looking from structure to flooring, and fittings to furniture.

For the full programme and details of the speakers visit https://asbp.org.uk/events/2023-reuse-summit

Event Details

The group was formed to represent and support companies carrying out new and remedial work to heritage and fibrous plaster ceilings and plaster works.

If you have any questions, please contact Joe Cilia joecilia@thefis.org

Event Details

Join us for our Regional Conference in Manchester, where we will hear from guest speakers covering topics on the compliance and the Fire Safety Act, commercial construction and avoiding the race to the bottom and a focus on visibility of pipeline and procurement opportunities.

The meeting will be followed by a social event at Flight Club.

Programme:

13:30 – Registration and refreshments
14:00 – Welcome – Angela Mansell, Mansell Building Solutions
14:05 – FIS Update and pipeline and prospects for the Region, Iain McIlwee, FIS Chief Executive
14:30 – The new compliance landscape in the wake of the Building Safety Act and overhaul of the Building Control process, Glyn Thomas, Managing Director, Building Consents Ltd
14:55 – Fire Doors, what the inspector saw, Ian Cavanagh TIFireE MIFSM MAFDI, Independent Fire Safety Services Limited
15:20 – Networking & Comfort Break
15:40 – A Social Value Plan for Manchester, what it means for the supply chain, Penny Anderson, Head of Social Impact Akerlof
16:00 – Retrofit Manchester: Driving growth in the supply chain through sustainable retrofit programmes, Mark Atherton, Director of Environment, Greater Manchester Combined Authority
16:25 – Q&A
16:45 Innovation In the Finishes and Interiors Sector – A practical focus on collaboration, productivity and innovation (2 x 5 min innovation pitches)
17:00 Close

18:00 – Flight Club

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:  Mark Atherton, Director of Environment – Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA)  

Mark joined the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) in May 2012 as Director of Environment for Greater Manchester and transferred to GMCA in May 2017.  In this role, Mark provides strategic support to the Greater Manchester Green City Region Board and Partnership by leading the development and delivery of strategies, policies, research and demonstration projects for environment and low carbon work areas (Green City Region – Priority 7 of the Greater Manchester Strategy). 

Current projects include the a smart energy demonstration projects, domestic energy efficiency programmes, community energy promotion, natural capital investment planning, climate change adaptation research plus developing joint work programmes between GM and several government departments, including hosting the Urban Pioneer for the UK’s 25 Year Environment Plan. 

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Penny Anderson, Head of Social Impact, Akerlof

Penny is Head of Social Impact at Akerlof, a market-leading consultancy that specialises in integrating Modern Methods of Construction to realise better social, environmental and economic outcomes. With over 14 years’ experience of social value in the construction and engineering sectors, Penny has worked on a number of high profile projects alongside clients, contractors, suppliers, communities and wider stakeholders, to design and deliver challenging social value plans. She led the development for BAM’s global social value strategy ‘Enhancing Lives’, as well as setting in place the building blocks for Atkins’ social value strategy.

At Akerlof, Penny is involved in a range of exciting projects, helping those at the very start of their social value journey, as well as challenging more advanced businesses to push the boundaries. Intent on achieving real change at all levels, she inspires and leads others to understand how even small changes in behaviour can shape our world for the better.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Ian Cavanagh – Independent Fire Safety Services

Ian is the owner and lead consultant of ‘Independent Fire’ offering specialized inspection services across the UK. Formerly the co-owner of a well-respected doorset manufacturing business, Ian has extensive knowledge in the design, testing, manufacturing, and installation of fire-rated doorsets and assemblies.

Independent Fire operate across a range of developments whether it be new-build, major refurbishment projects or ad-hoc replacement contracts, adding another layer of confidence to appropriate product specification, suitably qualified installation personnel and Third-Party Certification, operating themselves under a UKAS accredited inspection scheme, and can represent either the Client or the Main Contractor.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Glyn Thomas, Managing Director, Building Consents Ltd

Glyn has been a Building Control practitioner for 40+ years and has also spent a decade in Ukraine working for an American real estate company. Now UK based he heads up the site inspection services of the business and leads a team of professional surveyors.

Event Details

Meet our speakers

Andy Street was elected Mayor of the West Midlands in 2017 and regained his seat in 2021. He is working to deliver his Renewal Plan for the region. His focus is creating new jobs and apprenticeships, delivering better transport and providing more homes – focusing on brownfield sites.

Before becoming Mayor, Andy combined a career at John Lewis, Britain’s most successful workers’ co-operative, with a host of high-profile economic development roles, working with local and national government.  Starting on the John Lewis graduate scheme, Andy rose through the ranks to become managing director, overseeing one of the most successful periods in the company’s history.

Additionally, he has been lead non-executive director for the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as a member of the Prime Minister’s Business Advisory Group.

In June 2015, Andy was awarded the CBE for services to the national economy. He was named ‘Most Admired Leader’ by business magazine, Management Today in 2014 and received the ‘President’s award’ from the Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce for his work in the region. He holds three honorary degrees from Birmingham City University, Aston University and the University of Birmingham.

Simon is the Assistant Director Development within the Planning and Development service area for
Birmingham City Council. As a qualified Architect Simon is Birmingham City Council’s lead design
advisor championing design quality within the built environment.

Having responsibility for ‘Specific Specialist Areas’ such as the City Design Team, City Centre Planning
Management, City Centre Development, Enforcement and Householder Simon encourages and
enables the highest standards of Place Making, Planning, Architecture, Urban Design, Arboriculture,
Historic Conservation and Landscape Design across all new development in the City for the benefit of
all the citizens of Birmingham.

Simon is known for his ability to successfully combine Architecture and Urban Design to create
holistic environments and is responsible for recent Masterplans such as ‘Birmingham Curzon HS2
Masterplan for growth’, ‘Birmingham Smithfield Masterplan’, ‘Langley Sustainable Urban Extension’
and most recently the ‘Rea Valley Urban Quarter Masterplan’.
This includes acting as the focal point on design issues and stimulating design quality through multiagency

project team working and close interaction with external developers, key stakeholders and
partners in relation to the design of new development being promoted and managed through the
Planning and Development Service that reflects the international standing of the City of Birmingham.
Simon is listed in the Birmingham Central University ‘Sphere of Influence’ the 50 top influencers
within the architecture and landscape sector to graduate from the Birmingham School of
Architecture.

Martin is an experienced Director and chartered Engineer with a demonstrable history of delivering quality projects in the construction industry. Skilled in all aspects of Construction, Design Management, Preconstruction, Business Development and Business Improvement.

During his 34 years of diverse experience, Clive has previously been engaged as Façade Technical Director at LABC Warranty & Premier Guarantee, and Technical Director at Saint Gobain and Façade Director at global multidisciplinary engineering consultancy practices CBRE, Ramboll and Gifford.

Clive has extensive technical knowledge and project management delivery experience. Supplying solutions to a wide range of complex projects in both new build and refurbishment sectors, in support of the residential, commercial, education and transportation industries.

Joining our Panel will be Professor Andrew Quinn is Professor of Climate Adaptation, bridging the disciplines of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science. His research focuses on the interactions between infrastructure, particularly rail and transport systems, renewable energy and extreme weather events/climate change and how these impact on the resilience of communities and services. Andrew was lead author of the International Union of Railways (UIC) climate change adaptation framework, helping railway organisations globally to improve their preparedness for extreme weather and climate impacts and has presented on the adaptation of transport systems at CoP24 and CoP26.

Andrew is Deputy Director of Education for the College of Engineering & Physical Sciences. The role provides strategic leadership for the College’s education delivery, particularly ensuring excellence through quality assurance and staff development. Andrew works closely with the University of Birmingham’s Higher Education Futures Institute to encourage and support pedagogic research, staff training and educational enhancement. Andrew’s educational research focuses on how students receive and perceive the feedback they are provided with during their courses in order to assist them in maximising their learning experience.

To help manage risk and provide additional support to its members on insurance matters, FIS has partnered with specialist insurance consultants Construction Shield and AWL Homeproof Limited.  Mark heads up the team at ConstructionShield and has a background in developing insurance products and has previously worked on mutual products with the NFU.  

Details

Running a contracting business is fast paced and it can be hard to find the time to break stride and modernise our processes. But the truth is that with the profound labour shortages we face and escalating costs we need to start rethinking our processes and find a way to better measure, manage and refine every aspect of what we do. At the same time, the Building Safety Act captures this with a requirement to implement a digital information plan, it advocates the need for one source of the truth, but the reality right now is that in the confusing and chaotic world that is digitisation, it can feel like a mess of confusing and unaligned solutions.

At this event, FIS will be joined by construction software specialists Causeway and County Contractors to look at how to get started with creating a digital information plan.

– Overcoming barriers to digitisation and creating your own digital spine
– Identifying risks and breaking down your processes for digitalisation
– Creating digital checklists
– Paperless Construction and practical steps to ensuring information is accessible to all
– The benefits of clear reports in relationship management (and getting paid)

The event will be interactive and involve live demonstrations and showcasing the work that County have done to revolutionise their business.

FIS will at this event be launching the latest edition of the FIS PPP Quality Risk Management Toolkit and we will be looking at how companies can embed and code this into their business.

Event Details

Back in 2021 the CITB and the STEM Ambassador programmes came together to offer the construction sector and supply chain businesses one united support programme for its ambassadors and employers.

The partnership showcases the essential work our Go Construct STEM Ambassador programme is doing to help thousands of volunteers across the UK to access events, feedback and resources; ensuring they are fully equipped to make an impact on young people. 

Being a Go Construct STEM Ambassador not only helps encourage the next generation of construction workers across the UK in schools, workplaces, events and career fairs, but also brings plenty of personal benefits too, with CPD sessions, achieving continuous personal and professional development with training, experience and the opportunity to learn new skills all while making a real impact on lives of young people. 

This session will give an overview of the Go Construct STEM Ambassador Programme, its benefits and how to get involved and signed up on the day.

Find out how the STEM Ambassador Programme and the Construction and Built Environment Ambassadors can link together to support even more effective STEM and Careers engagement. Join us for a construction ‘flavoured’ overview of the STEM Ambassador programme followed by a Q&A session.

The session will cover:

• Intro to the Go Construct STEM Ambassador
• What is going on ‘virtually’ regarding STEM Engagement – how STEM Ambassador Hubs can help
• Instructions and walk-through on how to register and use the STEM Ambassador website
• How Construction and Built Environment Ambassadors can link with the STEM Ambassador Programme
• A brief spotlight on construction-focussed STEM opportunities

This session will be virtually interactive and you will need to be able to access MS Teams, as well as opening additional pages on your web browser.

Event Details

When it comes to proving proof of competence on average 86% of the industry is not digitised, in some cases vocational qualifications are not given the importance they deserve usually through no fault of the qualification holder, 76% of the skills developed by individuals are not captured, 82% of work experience is not documented, detailed or validated, data is not easily accessible and stored in multiple places, how many certificates have you got gathering dust in a cupboard?

The My Professional Pass system provides an individual account free of charge where any of the items listed above can be recorded, a repository linking all data that can be accessible to whoever the individual wishes to view. Employers can have access to individual records of competence from recruitment to retirement. Organisations can organise and register their own events and training notifying participants and issuing certificates.

Register with FIS for this event and learn how digitisation can change the way people and organisations prove competence.