In a statement issued on 9 December, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has confirmed its support for Build UK’s Roadmap to Zero Retentions and encouraged industry to implement the new minimum standards when using cash retentions. The CLC’s support marks another significant milestone for the roadmap, which sets out specific actions in a phased approach for the construction industry to achieve zero retentions.

Recent milestones delivered as part of the roadmap include publication of the retention policies of major public sector clients in November to provide increased transparency. This followed publication of the Minimum Standards on Retentions in July which aim to reduce the existing challenges with cash retentions.

The CLC has urged construction firms and clients to adopt the minimum standards, which incorporate and build on the CLC’s commitment to abolish cash retentions.

Andy Mitchell, Co-Chair of the CLC, said:

“The CLC believes that adopting the minimum standards will enable the industry to make progress towards the objective of achieving zero cash retentions by 2025. It will demonstrate commitment to the supply chain, whilst allowing the industry and its clients to adapt and improve standards of quality. Therefore, the CLC urges firms within the industry and construction clients, in both the public and private sectors, to support the roadmap and adopt the minimum standards, as a pragmatic means of improving prompt and fair payment practices and helping to create a stronger and more sustainable industry.”

Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive of Build UK, said:

“It is encouraging to receive the endorsement of the CLC for the work that we are doing to move towards zero retentions as part of our roadmap. Achieving zero retentions is a vital part of becoming a more collaborative and efficient sector, and our roadmap sets out practicable steps for the industry to implement as we move towards this goal.”

CPCS has published its requirements for the renewal of cards gained via Industry Accreditation (IA) or ‘grandfather rights’.

This is in response to the Construction Leadership Council’s (CLC) Industry Card Scheme letter, which makes it clear that all cardholders should hold a minimum NVQ Level 2, with a transition process to support them set to be in place by January 2020.

CPCS, now owned by NOCN, has worked with its Management Committee to agree the following process, which affected card holders will be required to undertake:

1. CPCS will continue to issue affected workers with a blue Competent Operator card. All affected cards will have a fixed expiry of 31 December 2024. This will provide operatives with five years to meet the CLC requirements. Once they have completed the Competency Interview (see below) or gained an NVQ in each of the family groupings for the Plant Categories they hold, their card will be extended to the full five year validity.
2. Affected cardholders will be required to complete a single Competence Interview which will cover all categories of plant noted on their card. If the cardholder has gained a blue card via IA, and has not previously achieved a VQ in the relevant Construction or Plant related occupation(s), they will be required to achieve the NOCN CPCS Competence Interview by the 31 December 2024.
3. To arrange a Competence Interview, card holders should contact their local CPCS Test Centre and pay a maximum fee of £160.

Cardholders who have already achieved the relevant VQ, but haven’t yet notified CPCS, should do so as soon as possible by submitting a copy of the relevant certificate to enquiries@jobcards.org

Further information is available on the CPCS website.

Build UK has published its latest accident statistics report, which collates information received from our Contractor and Trade Association members on incidents reportable to the HSE.

View the full report.

Build UK has published the results of this year’s SmartCard Audit which saw over 49,000 cards audited across 745 sites. Just over half of cards were read using smart technology and the report sets out some of the challenges facing the industry, including the number of card schemes enabled with smart technology and the range of technology used.

In 2015, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) set a requirement for all card schemes carrying the CSCS logo to introduce smart technology by 2020. Smart technology allows companies to quickly and easily identify that an individual has achieved the agreed standard of training and qualifications in their occupation.

This year’s annual Build UK and CECA SmartCard Audit took place on 25 September 2019. You can read the full report here.

Build UK recently attended the CITB Employer Roadshow in London, which was well attended by employers.

The London Roadshow included presentations from employers who set out how CITB had helped their business’ training needs:

• Kisiel Group – Annie Summun presented how CITB’s Skills and Training Fund had equipped the company to train and upskill its workforce. Further information on how small businesses can access CITB support is available here.
• Tideway – A £4.2 billion infrastructure project, also known as the Super Sewer, has set up a pre-employment programme, to attract new and diverse talent from local communities. This included a case study of an employee who had been unemployed for 12 years and joined the company through the programme.
• Keltbray and Transport for London (TfL) – Holly Price (Keltbray) and Laura Miller (TfL) presented on how they were working together to deliver one of CITB’s Construction Skills Fund hubs and were working with the local community to encourage new industry entrants.
• Berkeley Homes – Stav Aristokle-Hill presented on Berkeley’s apprenticeship programme, having recently been awarded Large Employer of the Year at the CITB Apprenticeship Awards.

CITB also presented the following information:

• Apprenticeships: Off-the-job training myths
• An update on grants and funding from CITB – presentation
• The attraction campaign FutureMade which would be launched in the New Year.

CITB also used the opportunity to promote its local advisor network and to encourage businesses to contact their adviser who could provide assistance with claiming funding via the Skills and Training Fund.

UCAS has been running the UK’s higher education admissions service since 1961. Each year it helps around 700,000 students apply to nearly 400 UK universities and colleges, managing 3 million applications.

UCAS run a number of events throughout the year for universities and employers to get in front of students, and we are delighted to say that UCAS is offering Build UK Member employers a 15% discount on the stand cost at any of their 10 biggest events.

Between March and July around 80,000 students will walk through the door at the locations below, providing you the opportunity to showcase what a career in construction has to offer:

• Manchester – 3 and 4 March
• London – 23 and 24 March
• Bristol – 9 and 10 March
• Sussex – 13 March
• Exeter – 17 and 18 March
• Cardiff – 24 April
• Tyneside – 30 April
• Sheffield – 18 June
• Birmingham – 22 and 23 June
• Liverpool – 1 July

The construction sector is currently not represented at any of UCAS’ events so this is great opportunity to ensure students know about the opportunities within the construction sector.

The events also provide the opportunity to:

• Data collect – scanning a student’s ticket for quick and easy data collection with engaged students.
• Send pre and post event emails – reaching all those registered to attend the events letting them know you will be there or following up afterwards.
• Provide ‘Apprenticeship Bites’ talks with students and careers advisers.

If you are interested in taking up this amazing opportunity, please contact Alice Cook.

Build UK partner B&CE are calling on construction employers to make sure they’re doing everything they can to prevent debilitating conditions associated with vibrating hand-held power tools.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has recently updated its guidance on controlling the risks of vibration at work. This serves as a timely reminder of the importance of acting before it’s too late to look after people’s health-at-work, also known as occupational health.

Employers have a legal duty to look after their employees’ health-at-work, which includes controlling risks and preventing diseases such as hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). These conditions can affect employees’ abilities to do tasks at work.

HAVS can be caused by excessive use of hand-held tools such as drills, breakers and grinders. Prevention is critical. It can take up to 10 years to develop but once the condition develops, it can’t be reversed so it’s crucial that employers and workers know what to look out for.

Symptoms of HAVS include:

• tingling and numbness in the fingers
• whitening (blanching) in the fingers, becoming red and painful when the blood flow recovers
• loss of dexterity
• muscle, bone and joint problems in the hands, wrists, arms or shoulders.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) can also be caused by exposure to vibration. CTS is a painful condition caused by a major nerve being compressed in the wrist. Symptoms include tingling, numbness, pain and weakness in the affected hand, which is often worse at night.

What do employers need to know?

The updated HSE guidance, a 2nd edition of L140, details what employers must do to comply with the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005. There have been minor changes to the guidance – such as altering the layout to emphasise control of exposure and removing the requirement for people to be automatically assessed by a HAVS qualified occupational health nurse every 3 years if they have no symptoms – but no changes to HSE’s policy.

The key is to reduce the risks from vibration to the lowest level possible. Employers must:

• carry out a risk assessment to measure or estimate their employees’ vibration exposure
• control this exposure
• make sure employees have the correct information and training
• provide health assessments to make sure symptoms are spotted as early as possible.

Both HAVS and vibration-induced CTS are reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).

Pippa Dolman, Occupational Health Manager at B&CE, said: “The laws and regulations around occupational health can be complicated but employers shouldn’t be put off. Looking after people’s health-at-work brings huge benefits to both business and society beyond the obvious importance of individuals’ wellbeing. I’d urge construction employers involved with vibrating power tools to make sure they’re up to speed with this updated guidance to prevent serious hand health problems.”

B&CE, provider of The People’s Pension, believes everyone working in construction has the right to a healthy working life and future, and is working with industry and policymakers to raise awareness of the issues.

Find out more about the risks of vibrating hand-held power tools and how to reduce them.

Build UK has reached the latest milestone on its Roadmap to Zero Retentions by publishing the retention policies of major public sector clients that procure construction services.

Obtained by Build UK directly from each public sector client, this information brings much-needed transparency to the construction sector by enabling the supply chain to understand whether to expect cash retentions in contracts on projects procured by Government departments, ministries, agencies and public bodies. It includes the retention percentage generally included in contracts between the client and its Tier 1 contractors, as well as when the money should be released.

A number of public sector clients have a policy of generally not withholding retention, including High Speed 2, Highways England and Network Rail. However, there are significant complexities in the various policies, including exceptions that exist for certain types of project and the use of retention bonds. Details can be found on the Build UK website.

Build UK’s Roadmap to Zero Retentions sets out specific actions in a phased approach for the construction industry to achieve zero retentions. Going forward, Build UK aims to include information on private sector clients, seek commitment from key clients to implement the Minimum Standards on Retentions published earlier this year, and develop alternatives to retentions.

 Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive of Build UK, said:

 “It is encouraging to see that some public sector clients do not hold cash retentions. The practice has proven problematic for all parties in the supply chain and increased transparency is an important step towards a more successful construction industry. There is still work to be done and Build UK has set out exactly what needs to happen in its Roadmap to Zero Retentions.”

Stephen Blakey, Commercial Projects Director at Network Rail, said:

 “In 2011 Network Rail committed to abolish retentions from its capital works contracts and in collaboration with our supply chain has been driving industry change to deliver on that commitment. Building on the success of our Fair Payment Charter, new Supplier Protection clauses are now part of the standard terms and conditions for our capital works contracts. These conditions specifically bar the use of retentions in the supply chain.”

From today (Monday 7 October) registration for employers to take part in Open Doors 2020 officially opens.

Open Doors Week aims to inspire more people into the construction industry by letting them go ‘behind the scenes’ to discover the diverse and rewarding range of career paths the industry has to offer, as well as changing people’s perceptions of construction.

Companies can take part by registering a site and opening their doors to the public from Monday 16 March to Saturday 21 March. This year Open Doors is looking to encourage a diverse range of sites across Great Britain to open, and the offices, factories and workshops that all play an integral role in helping the industry thrive.

Last year Open Doors 2019 attracted more than 6000 people to more than 290 sites, offices and factories throughout Great Britain, including Balfour Beatty’s Glasgow Queen Street Station redevelopment, and Willmott Dixon’s BIM Cave in Birmingham.

The current skills shortage in construction is one of the most pressing issues within the industry. Open Doors provides a fantastic opportunity to inspire and recruit the next generation and career changers to choose a career in construction.

Open Doors is delivered by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), supported by industry partners the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and the Home Builders Federation (HBF), community partners the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), and media partner Construction News (CN).

Suzannah Nichol MBE, Build UK Chief Executive, said: “Whether someone is fresh out of school or considering a career change, a visit to a live construction site or workplace offers the industry a great chance to inspire a new generation of leaders. After the success of Open Doors 2019 we’re keen for the entire supply chain to get involved and showcase the breadth of challenging and rewarding careers the industry has to offer.”

Nick James – Strategic Partnership Director, CITB said: “Open Doors gives people the chance to visit a huge variety of construction sites around the country, where they can see for themselves the many fantastic careers available in our sector. CITB is proud to once again be a partner in this excellent initiative and I encourage companies to register their sites, so we can build on the huge success of the 2019 campaign”.

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. Build UK is the leading representative organisation for the UK construction industry. By bringing together Clients, Main Contractors, Trade Associations representing over 11,500 Specialist Contractors and other organisations committed to industry collaboration, Build UK represents in excess of 40% of UK construction – BuildUK.org.
2. To register your interest in participating in Open Doors, see the Open Doors website.
3. To find out more about CITB, see the CITB website
4. To find out more about the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), see the CCS website.
5. To find out more about Construction News, see the Construction News website.
6. To find out more about the Home Builders Federation, see the HBF website.
7. To find out more about the Careers & Enterprise Company, see the CEC website.
8. To find out more about the DWP, see the DWP website.
9. Twitter: @OpenDoorsWeek #opendoors20 #inspiringconstruction #loveconstruction

The implementation of Reverse VAT has been delayed by 12 months following successful lobbying from a coalition of industry organisations including Build UK.

Reverse VAT, which makes payment of the tax the responsibility of the customer rather than the supplier, will now come into effect on 1 October 2020 – a year after it was initially planned (1 October 2019).

The industry demonstrated the power of collaboration, with FMB fronting the campaign and Build UK working behind the scenes to successfully affect change. In a letter to HMRC in August the coalition made the case that the impact of the changes were not fully understood within the industry in addition to the ongoing uncertainty caused by Brexit.

HMRC acknowledged that the extended implementation was down to industry efforts to highlight concerns that the sector would not be ready for the changes in October.

Companies in the supply chain should use the extra time wisely; you can read more about the change and how it will affect your business, including our practical guide here and video here.

Build UK partner The People’s Pension, provided by B&CE and one of the UK’s largest master trusts, has been granted authorisation from The Pensions Regulator.

Achieving this status provides reassurance to its members and official confirmation of the strength of its governance.

Overseen by The Pensions Regulator, trustees of master trusts were given 6 months to apply for authorisation and to show their pension scheme met the 5 criteria laid out in legislation:

1. demonstrating the people running their scheme were fit and proper
2. the master trust was financially sustainable
3. the funder of the scheme could support it
4. the master trust had adequate systems and processes in place
5. a continuity strategy had been prepared.

Commenting on becoming authorised, Patrick Heath-Lay, CEO of B&CE, said:

“We are delighted to receive master trust authorisation; it’s reward for all the hard work that has gone into building The People’s Pension into one of the UK’s largest master trusts, now serving more than four-and-a-half-million savers and 88,000 employers across the country.

“For our members and employers, authorisation offers peace of mind. But at The People’s Pension we know that this is just the beginning – rightly – of much closer ongoing regulation of master trust provision.”

The People’s Pension has long called for tougher regulations from The Pensions Regulator. It means that only stronger, well-governed master trusts – like them – will exist, offering more financial stability and protection to pension savers.

The People’s Pension is a good home for employers of all sizes and from all sectors looking to bring their old pension schemes together through consolidation or switching provider. The workplace pension offers a quick and easy solution to help employers set up and manage their pension.

By moving to The People’s Pension, you can benefit from:

• A communications toolkit to help talk pensions with your employees
• A company that invests its profits for the benefit of its customers
• An Independent Trustee who puts members first
• Support from an award-winning, UK-based customer service team

Find out how The People’s Pension can help with pension consolidation or switching pension providers.

Earlier this year, we announced that the Open Doors dates for 2020 will be Monday 16 – Saturday 21 March.

Open Doors offers a unique chance for members of the public to go behind the scenes of live construction sites, offices, factories, and training centres across Great Britain, and discover how the communities they live in are shaped and constructed by an industry with a diverse range of career paths to offer.

2019 was our biggest year yet with 290 sites opening across Great Britain in March, and we hope to keep the momentum from this year going!

For 2020 we are really excited to announce that we have a number of new partners joining the Open Doors Programme to help expand its reach.

Firstly, we are delighted that The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) have signed up to help push the Open Doors message through their network of schools. The CEC’s mission is to prepare and inspire young people for the fast-changing world of work, supporting schools and colleges by linking them to employers and helping them deliver world class careers support for all young people. Open Doors will be promoted via their Enterprise Coordinators (ECs) and LEP Skills Leads, focusing on how it meets the Gatsby Benchmarks.

The CEC is also looking for Enterprise Advisers to help schools and colleges develop their careers strategy providing strategic support.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) will also be partnering with us this year, to allow their wide membership base of home builders in England and Wales to participate and showcase their projects. We look forward to seeing what the household names in the home builders sector open to members of the public!

Finally, our final new partner is the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), who is responsible for welfare, pensions and child maintenance policy. As the UK’s biggest public service department, it administers the State Pension and a range of working age, disability and ill health benefits to around 20 million claimants and customers. Through their network of advisors, they will encourage career changers, ex-military, and ex-offenders to check out the construction sector and see what it has to offer!

Open Doors 2020 is delivered by Build UK in partnership with CITB, supported by our industry partners the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) and the Home Builders Federation (HBF), and our community partners the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) and the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Our primary media partner is Construction News (CN).

If you want to see a roundup of what 2019 achieved, check out our Open Doors report.

Build UK is delighted to welcome the Construction Plant-hire Association as Build UK’s latest Trade Association member to join.

The Construction Plant-hire Association (CPA) is the leading trade association for this sector in the UK and CPA Members supply 85% of hired plant to the construction industry.

Established for 75 years, the CPA has over 1,600 members and is the UK’s principal point of contact for all issues relating to use of construction plant.

Build UK, alongside four other construction industry bodies, has re-written to the Prime Minister warning against the impacts of a ‘No Deal’ Brexit.

Build UK CEO, Suzannah Nichol, countersigned the letter along with ACE, CECA, CPA and the Federation of Master Builders urging the UK Government to agree the arrangements for trading with the EU as a matter of urgency.

Read the letter in full here.

The Competence Steering Group and the Industry Response Group have published their interim report titled Raising the Bar: Improving Competence, Building a Safer Future. The executive summary is available here.

The report brings together more than 150 institutions and associations with the aim of improving safety for residents and ‘raising the bar’ for those who design, construct, inspect, maintain and operate Higher Risk Residential Building (HRRBs).

In launching the interim report, Graham Watts, chief executive of the Construction Industry Council and chairman of the Competence Steering Group, said:

“It is clear that industry organisations have accepted the need to change. The working groups are proposing to raise the bar through a more rigorous approach, including training, assessment, reassessment and third-party accreditation. Combined with a new oversight layer, we think adopting our measures will result in a paradigm change to improve competence and industry culture.”

The interim report has been published for consultation, ending on 18 October 2019, following which a final report will be issued. Responses to the report should be sent to enquiries@cic.org.uk.

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The August edition includes:

Reverse VAT

The JTC Newsline includes information for Tier 2’s as to whether they need to register to send in monthly VAT returns, as well as the latest information from HMRC.

Build UK has published a practical guide to help members prepare. Please do get in touch at membership@builduk.org if you have any questions on it.

Off-Payrolls Working Rules to Change

From April 2020 any business that is ‘large’ will have to use new tests to decide whether a worker, working for them through his own limited company, is really an employee of their business using the HMRC online check employment status for tax (CEST) tool. The firm using the actual worker will responsible for doing the test. They must report any

decision to the worker and to any intermediary agency which provided the company that provided the worker.

Capital Gains Tax

Currently capital gains tax (CGT) is payable by UK residents by 31 January following the tax year of disposal. From April 2020 this will reduce to 30 days from the date of completion for residential property.

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

At the end of July, the Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA) held a stakeholder networking event, updating the industry on their work to ensure that the demand of 66,000 new homes needed each year in London is met.

Following on from the presentation delivered at the Build UK Skills Briefing in June, Jules Pipe (Deputy Mayor for Skills, Greater London Authority) set out the three levels of support provided to the Mayor’s Construction Academy (MCA):

• MCA Quality Mark – this demonstrates the quality of curriculum, work readiness and links with employers. There are now four new quality mark providers, taking the total up to 24
• MCA Hubs – These are improving the supply of skilled workers and raising awareness of careers in construction. They lead organisations local to the area of operation, bringing together training providers and job brokers to make sure skills needs are met at a local level.

A second round of funding of £1.5m will be available in the autumn. This will be for three purposes:

• applications from new hubs (particularly in south west London where there are no hubs)
• expansion of existing hubs
• support for employment brokerage.

• Capital Investment – Skills for London has a capital fund of £82m. There is £7m specifically for construction skills, modern methods of construction and precision manufacturing. Only providers who have achieved the MCA Quality Mark are eligible to apply.

All seven MCA Hubs provided an overview of their activity:

• College of North East London
• London Borough of Barking & Dagenham
• London Borough of Camden
• London South Bank University
• London South East Colleges
• Transport for London and Ealing
• Hammersmith and West London College

To ensure the MCA Hubs are successful, all seven are seeking employer engagement, particularly to:

• send details of vacancies in the hub areas
• provide work experience opportunities
• provide details of the skills they need to recruit for.

Building Mental Health, the Supply Chain Sustainability School and Workforce Integration Network will be engaging with all seven Hubs and provided an update on their work.

With two workers in construction taking their own life every working day, Building Mental Health has an online free resources portal, as well as a tool box talk available. They also provide a five-step programme, and employee assistance 24/7 and construction industry helpline app which is available free of charge.

The Supply Chain Sustainability School will be made available to colleges to upskill existing lecturers/Further Education colleges and give new opportunities for young people entering industry. Each SME gets their own learning management system to see which members of the team have completed training.

The Workforce Integration Network aim to improve employment experience of underrepresented groups particularly young black men. They launched in March 2018 with Tideway. The Black Training Enterprise Group (BTEG) is developing a free, practical toolkit for organisations, which is funded by the Mayor.

For more information please visit the Mayor’s Construction Academy website.

The Northamptonshire Construction Training Group (NCTG) has secured funding from CITB to offer frequently attended training courses for only £10 (+ VAT) per delegate. All CITB Registered Employers with operatives in the Northamptonshire area can participate, including those who are also registered with specialist Training Groups.

To benefit you need to:

• Be a CITB Registered Employer
• Become a NCTG member (cost of £75+VAT per annum)
• Book your spaces and pay £100+VAT per delegate per course, then on completion of the course you will be refunded £90+VAT per delegate.

Below are the current courses scheduled in the upcoming months:

To find out more information and how to book, visit the NCTG website.

Build UK has submitted it’s response to the Government’s consultation Building a Safer Future. Read the response here.

Build UK members are continuing to improve their payment performance based on data submitted under the Duty to Report on Payment Practices and Performance.

Build UK began publishing this information just 12 months ago, ahead of the Cabinet Office confirming its intention to take account of payment performance when awarding major public sector contracts. Since then, the average time taken to pay invoices by Contractor members has reduced by 5 days to 40 days, with the average percentage of invoices paid beyond terms falling from 34% to 25%.

Construction is the only sector that is benchmarking performance and the increased transparency is starting to change the industry’s culture and drive improved practices. Companies across the supply chain are taking action to improve their payment systems, creating the opportunity to tackle the wider issues associated with the high risk, low margin construction business model.

For the first time, Build UK has included within its table the percentage of invoices paid within 60 days, in order to reflect the increasing use of this metric within the industry.

Build UK also continues to provide information on the payment performance of central Government departments. Across Government, 96% of invoices are paid within 30 days with 12 of the 16 departments paying over 95% of their invoices within 30 days.

Build UK Deputy Chief Executive Jo Fautley said:

“Over the past year, Build UK members have taken significant steps to improve payment performance within their organisations, demonstrating the value of increased transparency. Whilst there is still work to be done, with a number of companies recently being suspended from the Prompt Payment Code, this issue is now firmly under the spotlight at a senior level and these latest results show that the industry is serious about tackling it.”

Chair of the Construction Leadership Council Andy Mitchell said:

“I welcome the publication of the latest payment results of Build UK members. Construction remains the only sector that has taken the initiative to publish its results in this way and, with Build UK’s leadership, firms in the sector are changing the culture of late payment and improving payment performance.”

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The July edition includes:

Imminent introduction of Reverse VAT

The JTC Newsline includes information on what you should be doing to get ready for when Reverse VAT comes in on 1 October, as well as a flowchart to help decide whether to reverse charge VAT or send out an ordinary VAT invoice.

Build UK is currently working on further guidance and consulting with members on the impact Reverse VAT will have. Input and feedback on the potential impact this will have on businesses is welcomed from all members via membership@builduk.org.

Making Tax Digital

HMRC have announced that a small number of businesses that pay their VAT by direct debit and have signed up to Making Tax Digital (MTD) have not had their last non-MTD payment collected. If your business has not had its payment collected by this date, you should contact the VAT helpline.

Tax-free Childcare

HMRC are currently running a campaign to remind people that they could get up to £2,000 per child, per year, towards childcare costs.

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

In response to feedback received, CITB is updating their Employer Portal for Short Duration grant reconciliations.

New features will allow users to easily reconcile their Short Duration grant payments and claims.

With these changes in place, you’ll be able to:

• filter the list of Short Duration grants by status
• select a date range to view a specific period
• download reports.

This enables easier reconciliation of Short Duration grant payments with your own training management and finance systems! You can find out more by visiting my.citb.co.uk

Don’t miss out on your grant payments!

Make sure you are not missing out on grant payments by including your CITB Registration Number on your bulk upload form when submitting a grant claim.

If you claim grant through the bulk upload route, you must ensure that your registration number is correctly entered on every line in order to receive grant payments. If you miss this number out, your file may still upload successfully but no payments will be made.

You also need to provide your levy registration number if you make bookings through an Approved Training Organisation (ATO). The ATO must submit this number with the trainee’s Achievement on the Construction Training Register. This ensures that you will automatically receive your grant payment.

You can find out more information on CITB’s grants and funding here.

Since 2012, The People’s Pension has grown to serve more than 4 million members from more than 85,000 UK employers of all sizes, becoming one of the largest workplace pension schemes.

Provided by not-for-profit organisation B&CE, The People’s Pension uses any profit it makes to improve products and services for its members – all driven by B&CE’s core values:

• Keeping our promises
• Creating simplicity
• Showing compassion

From summer 2019, The People’s Pension will switch from a low-cost management charge of 0.5% per year, already below the qualifying workplace pensions charge cap of 0.75%, to a banded pricing structure.

The percentage charge will now fall as a member’s pension pot grows, potentially saving them thousands of pounds over their lifetime:

• The first £3,000 of a member’s savings will be charged at 0.5%
• Savings above £3,000 and up to £10,000 will be charged at 0.4%
• From £10,000 and up to £25,000 will be charged at 0.3%
• Above £25,000 and up to £50,000 will be charged at 0.25%
• Any remaining savings above £50,000 will be charged at 0.2%

Everyone will have access to the same rates, providing a long-term incentive to stick with saving and consolidate multiple pots. By saving over their working life with The People’s Pension, average earners could see their lifetime Annual Management Charges (AMC) fall by more than half to just 0.23% (i) , potentially increasing their pension pot at retirement by:

• Almost £55,000 when compared to a lifetime AMC fee set at the charge cap of 0.75% (ii)
• Almost £30,000 when compared to a lifetime AMC fee set at the already low 0.50% which members of The People’s Pension currently pay (iii).

B&CE believe in creating simple financial products that meet people’s needs. Their roots are in construction, and they set up a Charitable Trust in 1991 to help give back to construction workers in need – so far paying out over £3m.

Perfect for employers of all sizes, their scheme meets all the legal needs of auto-enrolment and provides a secure workplace pension solution supported by award-winning customer service.

Find out how The People’s Pension can help your business here.

i. All modelling assumes: earnings £30,000 per annum (UK media fulltime annualised wage £29,588, ONS 2018), timeframe 45 years, contributions at 8% of qualifying earnings, investment returns 5% per annum, inflation 2.5% per annum.
ii. An extra £54,535.60 added to a pension pot when compared to flat-rate AMC of 0.75%. Assumptions: average earner requires 2/3rds of salary as a retirement income and receives full state pension of £8,767.20 a year (2019/20 prices).
iii. An extra £28,398.14 added to a pension pot when compared to flat-rate AMC of 0.5%. Assumptions: average earner requires 2/3rds of salary as a retirement income and receives full state pension of £8,767.20 a year (2019/20 prices).

Applications for the final round of Transforming Construction competition open on Wednesday 28 August 2019. A total of £36m is available for successful projects, with previous winners including MMC, robotics, AI and digital design.

The Transforming Construction competition is part of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, part of UK Research and Innovation, which forms part of the long-term government plan to raise productivity and earning power in the UK. The fund is central to the government’s commitment to increase funding in research and development by £4.7bn across all sectors over 4 years, £170m of which is dedicated to construction including the Construction Innovation Hub and the Active Building Centre.

Investments are in world-leading research and highly-innovative businesses, addressing the biggest industrial and societal challenges today.

The final funding available to the construction sector is for R&D projects exclusively, with a split of £26m for demonstration projects and£10m to fund collaborative R&D projects.

The closing dates are*:

• £26m Demonstration fund – 1 November 2019
• £10m Collaborative Research & Development fund – 6 November 2019

Successful projects are expected to begin on 1 April 2020.

The scope of the competition covers specific themes for each fund. Applications should ensure they cover at least one of them. These are as follows:

£26m Demonstration fund:

1. Demonstrations of MMC and Platform based DFMA solutions (P-DFMA) and
2. Whole Life Performance (including active buildings) that support the TIP and TIES strategies

£10m Collaborative R&D fund:

1. Digital Information Management, tools and standards
2. Modern methods of construction and P-DFMA – tools, frameworks, integration
3. Whole life asset performance, including active buildings
4. Business models, procurement, analytics, bench marking and metrics
5. Financial, assurance, warranty and lending

Projects are expected to work closely with and share information with programme stakeholders including the Construction Innovation Hub and the Active Building Centre. It is desirable that suitable Demonstration Projects are captured as future CLC Case Studies that can be showcased to inspire the industry.

Applicants should note that projects must be business led, and that academic institution cannot lead a project, and that where applicable should utilise Project 13 methodologies and Gemini principles.

This is expected to the final competition round for funding, so potential applicants should begin considering their proposals before it’s too late.

Recent winners can be seen here. Information on how to apply will be available shortly.

*dates subject to change

At the Build UK Skills Briefing, Jonathan Chivers (CITB) and Alice Cook (Build UK) discussed their plans for the redevelopment of the Construction Ambassador programme, aiming to enhance the existing programme to promote construction as a viable, attractive and rewarding career choice.

For Build UK this is part of our overarching project Inspiring Construction, aiming to inspire the next generation to choose a career in construction, by creating a clear and succinct Route into Construction.

The project will undertake a comprehensive review of what is offered to industry by the current Ambassador programme and make the necessary improvements to ensure a functioning and reliable process.  In addition to the delivery model, the review will encompass all resources, collateral and promotional materials to support the Ambassador’s engagement and delivery.

At a workshop session at the Skills briefing, the attendees were asked what they think the future of Ambassadors should look like.

Thoughts from the room:

• the message delivered needs to appeal to what is now important to Generation Z. This means we need to deliver the sustainability message and how you can help to ensure our future buildings safeguard the environment.
• We need to make sure we are taking in practical elements, such as simulators for children to engage with.
• Find a way to ensure it always relates back to the subjects they enjoy.
• Build UK needs to engage with the Client’s in the industry so that the programme meets their needs as well.

Build UK and CITB will now look to further discussion with STEM to work more collaboratively and ensure there is no “reinventing the wheel”.

If you have any further comments, please contact Alice Cook.

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The June edition includes:

Imminent introduction of Reverse VAT

HMRC has now published their guidance, and further information can be requested from the JTC directly. Build UK is currently working on further guidance and consulting with members on the impact Reverse VAT will have. Input and feedback on the potential impact this will have on businesses is welcomed from all members via membership@builduk.org.

Making Tax Digital

Further points raised include Making Tax Digital (MTD) which is now at the end of its first quarterly period, meaning payments due to HMRC must now be submitted digitally. Software should already be in place to facilitate this, and businesses should be registering now for MTD, if they haven’t already.

Employer Bulletin

There are several useful notes from the Employer Bulletin are included, ranging from cash allowances and payroll information through to tax-free childcare and VAT claims on commercial vehicles.

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

Build UK has reached a major milestone on the roadmap to zero retentions by publishing new minimum standards for the use of cash retentions.

By providing detailed drafting guidance for members to incorporate the minimum standards into both JCT and NEC forms of contract, Build UK is aiming to reduce the challenges associated with the existing use of cash retentions.

The Minimum Standards on Retentions are based on a number of principles, including:

• Any arrangements for retention are no more onerous than those implemented by the client in the Tier 1 contract
• Retentions are only deducted from payments made in respect of permanent works
• Any retention is deducted from the payment immediately following practical completion
• Retentions should be progressively phased out on the basis of contract value.

Fair and transparent payment practices are essential for a successful construction industry, but the practice of cash retentions has proven problematic for all parties in the supply chain. The practice of ‘passing on’ retentions in order to secure cash flow, coupled with the loss of monies held in retention due to insolvencies, has a negative effect on cash flow across the industry. The abuse of retentions can also undermine the spirit of trust and collaboration that is needed to improve efficiency.

That is why Build UK supports the industry ambition to move to zero retentions by no later than 2025, and we are calling for Government legislation to abolish cash retentions supported by our industry-led Roadmap to Zero Retentions with milestones to show that progress is being made. Unfortunately, despite consulting on this issue in 2017-18, Government to date has made no commitment to deliver policy change.

Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive of Build UK, said:

“Whilst the lack of Government response is disappointing, Build UK is proactively delivering on its roadmap to zero retentions. We believe that clients, contractors and the supply chain can all implement these practicable steps as part of the transition over the next few years. The construction industry needs to change, and achieving zero retentions is a vital part of becoming a more collaborative and efficient sector.”

For further information, visit www.BuildUK.org/retentions

A fully qualified workforce was the big-ticket item from Graham Wren, Chief Executive of CSCS, at the Member Skills Briefing on 12 June.

Graham updated Build UK members on the most recent changes to the CSCS to ensure that only those with a recognised construction related qualification (or those on the pathway to achieving one) are able to hold a card.

The changes have seen the number of cards issued as the result of a recognised qualification rise from 30% to 70% in five years and Graham’s presentation set out CSCS’s plans to reach the 100% mark soon.

The changes were introduced following the findings of Construction 2025 and the subsequent formation of the Construction Leadership Council (CLC).

In 2015 the CLC announced that the construction industry should specify and promote card schemes carrying the CSCS logo with no equivalents accepted. This is known as the One Industry Logo action.

Graham confirmed that in order to qualify for the CSCS logo all card schemes must develop plans by 2020 to meet the CLC’s requirements. These include ensuring all cards issued must demonstrate the achievement of a nationally recognised construction related qualification.

Changes

As a result of the CLC’s requirements, CSCS stopped issuing the Construction Related Occupation card in 2017 and more recently announced the withdrawal of the Construction Site Visitor card. Most recently, it has announced that it will stop issuing cards obtained through Industry Accreditation (IA) and has put in place plans for current IA cardholders to demonstrate they hold a qualification.

Construction Site Visitor card

All Construction Site Visitor cards issued from 3 September 2018 will expire on 31 August 2020 and are non-renewable. CSCS will stop issuing the card from 28 February 2020.

Attendees were reminded that sites should not turn away the occasional site visitor or those who were attending to perform a non-construction role. This was often the case where sites were operating 100% carded policies. In the future these visitors should be properly inducted and escorted, if necessary.

Industry Accreditation

Following the withdrawal of the Construction Site Visitor card the only cards remaining which do not require a qualification are those which were issued and are still being renewed under IA, also known as Grandfather Rights.

All IA cards renewed from 1 January 2020 will expire on 31 December 2024 and will not be renewed. CSCS will cease renewing IA cards from 30 June 2024.

Fraud and Smart Technology

As part of CSCS’s efforts to tackle fraudulent applications they have begun working with Awarding Bodies to introduce online verification of certificates. Every qualification certificate will be electronically checked against the awarding organisation’s database before a card is issued.

Graham also reminded the members that electronic card checks are the most effective way to identify expired or fraudulent cards.

The new service

At the end of 2019, CSCS will be launching changes to card application services including a new contact centre together with a streamlined online card application system. CSCS will be making further announcements over the next few months to keep the industry updated on their progress.

CITB has been the first to admit it has not always been plain sailing with the Construction Training Register and Directory…

Since the launch in April 2018, both the Directory and Register have struggled to serve their purpose as effectively as hoped, but there is evidence they are starting to have a positive impact.

In just ten months the number of automated grant payments has increased dramatically. In the first four months of operation, just 928 grant payments were recorded. Since then, 39,000 automatic grant payments have been made. This means more money flowing into the industry to help employers train their workers.

The number of courses listed on the Directory has increased with 27,748 courses now online and the number of achievements on the Register has skyrocketed too, with almost 60,000 being listed as of April 2019.

CITB continue to work on making the Directory more accessible, as well as bringing on board more courses and providers. In the last two months, the number of people using the directory has tripled, and by January 2020 CITB anticipate the directory will be fully operational with grant payment completely automated.

To support employers, CITB has also released updated guidance on how to become an Approved Training Organisation (ATO) and a flowchart which sets out the process an organisation must go through to become an ATO and have their course approved for employer grant payments.

More detail on what CITB is doing to improve the Training Directory can be found in its latest Business Plan.

Build UK is continuing its work with Construction Industry Publications (CIP) to ensure the Construction Health & Safety (H&S) and Environmental manuals include industry recognised health, safety and environmental policies and standards.

This integrated approach aims to improve the knowledge and practices of those on site without duplicating information or publishing conflicting advice.

Build UK partner Construction Industry Publications (CIP) is offering all Build UK members an exclusive 30% discount (excludes the six monthly updates) on its online combined Construction Health & Safety and Environmental Manual CIP Knowledge, and also on hardcopies and CDROMs.

The latest updates include:

• Guidance on site welfare provision and site visits for schools and local communities.
• An explanation of EN 388 Glove Standard
• Includes updated Build UK Training Standard and 17 new H&S Toolbox Talks and a new Environmental one on Modern Slavery
• New section on Crane Forks, Nets and Lifting Cages
• Updated guidance on the use of Drones
• A new section is added on the measurement of embodied energy or carbon
• A new section has been added on ‘bees and wasps’
• Information on London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone
• Updated register of Legislations.

Martin Worthington, Member of the Drafting Panel and SHEQ Director of Build UK member Morgan Sindall Construction and Infrastructure Ltd, said:

“For good practical up to date advice on health and safety matters, the Construction H&S Manual is a must for everyone involved in construction. Working with Build UK will ensure it is even more relevant on a day to day basis as the ‘go to’ source of information for all things health and safety. It will also keep the manual up to date with industry practices, and provide the more collaborative approach we all want.”

Details of subscription prices for the CIP Knowledge, which start from £246 per annum for a single user, can be found on the website. Build UK members can claim their 30% discount using the promotional code BUILDUK. Build UK members also have the opportunity to take out a free one month’s trial of the online version by registering on the CIP Knowledge.

At the Build UK Forums in May, Sarah Beale, Chief Executive of CITB, highlighted the progress that had been made against Vision 2020, whilst also recognising there was more to be done.

In 2017, 76% of industry voted to keep CITB, with a big BUT; significant reform.

The reform programme had seen success so far including:

• Divesting products which didn’t support the core aims of CITB, such as CPCS
• Reshuffling the Board to better represent the industry
• Introducing three advisory Nations Councils, with significant SME representation
• Delivering 78 Trailblazer standards through the Apprenticeship Working Group. Where it had taken months to get a standard approved by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education before, the CITB group had directly impacted on how quickly and easily employers had their Standards approved.

Sarah emphasised that even though major achievements had been made, this wasn’t without challenges along the way. Internal reorganisation of CITB had been more difficult than anticipated, and the new Grant Scheme was not quite meeting the needs of the industry.

To meet the industry, need of “Levy In, Skills Out”, CITB had agreed to fund training which would make a difference to skills shortages. In 2017, CITB had cut grant back too far, and later this year, will reintroduce Leadership and Management grant and associated Training Standards, after listening to industry feedback.

Training Directory and Communication

Sarah noted that there were two fundamental things that CITB still needed to get right; fixing the Training Directory and communicating better.

The Training Model was launched in April 2018, with the competence register available holding 12 million operatives’ training records. CITB continued to develop the Training Directory using employer feedback and in the last two months, the number of people using the directory had tripled. CITB has listened to industry and is updating the Training Directory to include bulk uploading, and is working to have the Directory working as it intended by January 2020.

CITB has recognised that they need to communicate better and from next month will send out a monthly dashboard, highlighting its achievements against its recently launched Business Plan.

With an additional 169,000 workers needed by 2023 – not taking into account Brexit, an ageing workforce, and other industries poaching talent – there is a lot to be done!

Sarah highlighted the “big six” areas of focus set out in the Business Plan:

• A career destination – A new campaign will be launched in the summer, in a phased approach. The campaign will target specific groups, such as college trained craft students, who had not yet joined the industry, and focus on the highest areas of need first.
• Site-ready workforce – Using the 26 hubs created using the Construction Skills Fund, 17,000 people will be provided with work experience opportunities. The hubs will also be expanded to provide similar opportunities in rural areas, and in Wales and Scotland.
• Growing apprenticeships – Fewer craft apprenticeships are being delivered, and CITB will explore how SMEs could be incentivised to offer them.
• Learners into workers – 45,000 students are on construction courses at college and only 14% find a job in the construction industry afterwards. CITB aims to bring 18,000 more people into the industry via this route.
• Helping SMEs – The Skills and Training Fund will be expanded to support medium sized companies, in addition to the small companies which were already eligible for the funding. To ensure the fund is used to address genuine industry skills needs, repeat users would only be able to claim funding which addressed that industry need.
• Assessors – A further 220 assessors will be sought in key occupations.

CITB will be consulting employees in the coming months before the start of the consensus process next year.

Sarah Beale’s full presentation is available here.

The Government have published a new consultation on Building a Safer Future: proposals for reform of the building safety regulatory system. The consultation is available here.

Please respond to Louis Lyons with any comments and views by Friday 5 July, to ensure that Build UK can consolidate members views and feedback ahead of the consultation closing on Wednesday 31 July.

Build UK is delighted to welcome Sheppard Robson as Build UK’s latest Professional Services member to join, and the first Architectural firm to become a Build UK member.

Sheppard Robson is one of the UK’s most established architectural practices, with a reputation for thoughtful and responsible designs.

In the practice’s 80-year history, Sheppard Robson has designed award-winning architecture, interior design and masterplanning projects around the world, building a strong reputation across numerous typologies – including office, education, residential, healthcare, science and retail projects.

From their offices in London, Manchester and Glasgow, the founding principles of innovation and sustainability continue to shape the work of the practice and its interior design group (ID:SR), reinterpreted and enlivened by the creative talent of their designers.

The work of the practice benefits from an ability to have a constructive dialogue with clients and end-users, as well as collaborating closely with other members of the project team throughout the design and delivery of a project.

A more collaborative way of working makes for better-run, more efficient projects – and it all starts with how you word the contract, says Build UK Chairman and Deputy COO at Mace, Mark Castle.

It’s been a common refrain on these pages that there’s not enough collaboration in the construction sector.

Collaboration is not merely a nice thing to have. Finding better ways of collaboration between clients, consultants, contractors and the supply chain is at the heart of changes that need to take place if we are to transform the sector and escape operating on wafer thin margins.

Nowhere is this lack of collaborative working more obvious than through a legal lens, where we see a range of contractual practices that actively inhibit a spirit of collaboration.

Although the industry has had standard forms of contract such as JCT and NEC in place for years, we commonly see amendments more than doubling the number of pages in contracts. This has become seen as ‘normal’, the result of a history of project and relationship conflict and – given that low profit margins mean no margin for error – a desire to pass risk onto others in the value chain.

Of course there are reasons why this way of doing business in the construction sector has evolved as it has. We are dealing with very big and complex projects, subject to a multitude of risks both within and beyond our control, and those risks have to be managed somehow. Add to that the fact that public sector work – representing a significant proportion of the investment in the built environment – is subject to intense public scrutiny about appropriate use of taxpayers’ money.

But we have to face up to the fact that a confrontational contractual and commercial approach creates myriad inefficiencies and frictions, resulting in a downward spiral of extra costs, lower margins, and a further desire to shift risk in a way that is inequitable at best, and unreasonable at worst.

I won’t claim that the solution is simple. There are a number of elements that must come together in the bigger picture to drive a more transparent and collaborative approach, if we are to see a seismic shift in industry performance, including integrating design work at all stages in the process and ensuring sensible cost plans from consultant quantity surveyors.

Creating a new normal in contractual practice will be essential.

That is why Build UK is leading the way with the publication of a recommendation on best contractual practices that identifies six terms that should not be included in contracts in order to improve collaboration across the sector. These are: Fitness for Purpose, Unquantifiable Risk, ‘Specified Perils’, Breach of Contract, Uncapped Liabilities and Performance Securities.

This recommendation, which is available on the Build UK website, represents months of work with representatives across the sector and a concerted effort to articulate common ground between clients and the supply chain, which ultimately can encourage a fairer allocation of risk and deliver better project outcomes. The approach has been designed to ensure compliance with competition law and specialist legal advice on this has been obtained.

To be clear: it’s a non-binding recommendation. Build UK members must consider on an individual basis whether they wish to reject the terms in their own contracts and Build UK will not be monitoring or enforcing implementation of the recommendation.

From our consultative work so far, we have seen that there is wide support for not using these six contract terms. True, what we are recommending will require change; some clients and contractors are using these terms. But we are hopeful for widespread adoption.

Ultimately, by eliminating what Build UK and its members perceive to be poor market practices, the industry can spend less time negotiating contracts and become more sustainable in terms of productivity, innovation and profitability.

In the bigger picture, it will directly take us a step towards achieving targets in the Construction Sector Deal, the government’s strategic roadmap for putting construction on firmer footing.

There are many other reforms needed in the way we work, but if we can begin to reset the norm for fair contractual practice, it will be a great start.

This article was originally published in Building Magazine.

The Construction Industry Publications (CIP) is committed to driving best practice and increasing environmental standards across the sector and in 2007 they launched the Environmental Manual, providing the sector with a “go to” guide on environmental legislation and policy. The Manual is written by Built Environment Industry experts, many of whom are Build UK members and provides users with practical examples for implementation regardless of business size.

The Environmental policy and regulation landscape are constantly evolving and CIP is committed to ensuring that everyone in the sector is kept abreast of policy, regulation and best practice examples to ensure that as an industry everyone is playing their part in protecting and enhancing the environment.

This month CIP has launched ‘Environmental Insights’ as part of their continued commitment to ensuring the industry stays up to date with developments. This free bi-monthly newsletter will provide key updates, thought leadership and dates for your diary.

You can register to receive these bi monthly updates here.  The manual and the new Environmental Insights will provide more ideas and examples of best practice to ensure even more sites set higher Environmental standards in the coming months and years.

Don’t forget that Build  UK members can claim a 30% discount on the online Construction Environmental Manual CIP Knowledge, and also on Hardcopies and CDROMs, using the promotional code BUILDUK. Build UK members also have the opportunity to take out a free one month’s trial of the online version by registering on the CIP Knowledge website. Discounted Hardcopies and CDROMs of the Manual can be purchased from the CIP Bookshop website www.cip-books.com using the promotional code BUILDUK.

For further information or to take out a subscription, please contact Sarah Kenny at CIP.

Build UK member Citation is working with companies in the construction sector to help them prepare for the forthcoming Good Work Plan legislation which will come into force in April 2020.

Key elements of the Good Work Plan include protecting workers right, ensuring fair payment and increasing transparency in the business environment.

Citation will be holding events to discuss the forthcoming legislation on the following dates:

• 11 June – AJ Bell Stadium, Manchester – 09.00 – 11.00
• 26 June – Hampden Park Stadium, Glasgow – 09.00 – 11.00
• 3 July – Allianz Park, London – 09.00 – 11.00
• 16 July – Edgbaston Cricket Stadium, Birmingham – 09.00 – 11.00

The agendas for each event aim to give tips, amongst others, on how to:

• React to the Good Work Plan and understand its impact on the construction sector
• Find and keep the right people and reach the next generation of recruits
• Build your employer brand through work placement and apprenticeship opportunities
• Offer the opportunity to ask plenty of questions!

To register your place on any event, please email RSVP@citation.co.uk, call 0345 310 0650 or visit www.citation.co.uk/events.

The Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test for the construction industry is being updated on 26 June 2019.

From this date, the following changes will be introduced to the test:

Up to date with current practice and legislation

CITB has worked with construction health and safety managers and trainers to review all of the tests. Where needed, questions have been updated in line with current legislation and to fit the needs of workers and employers.

Level playing field

CITB worked closely with industry experts to level all of the questions within the operatives test so that all tests taken are of equal difficulty.

One score to pass

Behavioural case studies have been removed from the test. This means there is now only one section of questions to score, making the scoring simpler to understand. You can see the required pass marks here.

New questions and a new style

New questions have been added across all tests to better cover the wide range of daily health, safety and environment tasks and responsibilities. A brand-new drag and drop question style has been introduced to the Managers and Professionals (MAP) test.

Clearer instructions

Following feedback from test centres that many workers struggled with the instructions for using test equipment, CITB has improved the on-screen tutorial so that candidates can now learn how to operate the equipment during the test.

Materials to revise, not memorise

Revision materials have been updated to reflect all changes and the operative’s versions now include explanatory text and images as well as questions and answers. For all tests on or after 26 June 2019 you will need the new 2019 versions. If you are taking the test before this date, you will need the 2018 versions.

You can find further information on CITB’s website.

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The May editions includes:

• VAT Reverse Charge – From 1 October 2019 the way VAT is paid between businesses in the construction sector will change. HMRC will be releasing guidance and their new webpage which should be available in early June. Find out more information in this month’s newsletter.
• What does a reverse charge invoice look like?
• Court of appeal confirms definition of Managed Service Company Provider.

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

The Central London Ultra Low Emission Zone is now in operation to help tackle London’s toxic air. Owners of vehicles that don’t meet the new stricter emissions standards but wish to drive within the Ultra Low Emission Zone now need to pay a daily charge. This will be in addition to the weekday Congestion Charge.

The Central London Ultra Low Emission Zone covers the same area as the Congestion Charge. It is in operation 24 hours a day, every day of the year and you can find out about where the Ultra Low Emission Zone operates.  Check your vehicle on the online Vehicle Checker to see if your vehicle is affected.

If you are currently exempted from paying the Congestion Charge Zone, you may still need to pay the Ultra Low Emission Zone charge if your vehicle does not meet the Ultra Low Emission Zone standards. Some drivers and vehicles will qualify for a temporary discount from the charge. For more information, please visit Transport for London’s Discounts and exemptions webpage.

Daily Ultra Low Emission Zone charges:

• Cars, small vans motorcycles & minibuses: £12.50
• Lorries, coaches and larger vehicles: £100.

To pay the daily charge you can:

• Register for Auto Pay (£10 admin charge per vehicle per year)
• Visit Transport for London’s website and pay online
• Downloading the free official Transport for London app.

You can find out further information and details on Transport for London’s website.

Build UK has published a recommendation on contract terms which seeks to form a new common ground between clients and the supply chain on contractual practice in the construction sector.

It is widely recognised that the industry needs to work in more collaborative ways, and Build UK and its members have identified a number of contract terms that prevent this.

The recommendation, which is non-binding, sets out six terms which should not be used if better project outcomes are to be achieved. The terms cover the following areas:

• Fitness for purpose
• Unquantifiable risks
• ‘Specified Perils’
• Breach of contract
• Uncapped liabilities
• Performance securities.

Further details can be found on the Build UK website.

Build UK worked with representatives across the construction sector in developing the recommendation and there is widespread support for not using the identified terms.

In accordance with competition law, members are free to negotiate their own respective contract terms. However, Build UK believes that eliminating the use of the terms within the recommendation can encourage a fairer transfer of risk through the supply chain and result in a more sustainable construction industry.

The recommendation also directly contributes to achieving targets set out in the Construction Sector Deal, which specifically calls for improving contractual practices.

Mark Castle, Chairman of Build UK, said:

“We currently see various contractual practices being used in the construction industry that actively inhibit a spirit of collaboration. They create inefficiencies, conflict, and transfer risk in a way that is inequitable at best, and unreasonable at worst.  We at Build UK are challenging the status quo when it comes to contract terms. We believe that by eliminating these poor commercial practices, the industry can become more sustainable in terms of productivity, innovation and profitability.”

Geoff Hunt, Chief Operating Officer, Arup UK, India, Middle East and Africa, said:

“The built environment sector is complex and with such huge projects to deliver there is a lot at stake for all parties. This means that equitable contract terms that address the risk and opportunity for all stakeholders, and which are relevant for the project and the longer term relationships that our industry needs, are important. However, we need a more collaborative approach in which all parts of the value chain are working together as a team. Getting away from saying ‘this is the way things have always been’ is a good place to start and for that we should all expect better behaviours. So we wholeheartedly support the Build UK recommendation on contract terms.”

Build UK is now working with leading data and contract lead provider, the Builders’ Conference. Offering access to a comprehensive database with the latest information on contracts and market conditions and a 25% discount for Build UK members, this new partnership will provide valuable data and reports on the current and future state of the industry.

The first report for Q1 of 2019 on Contract Performance has now been published.

If 2018 was defined by an unprecedented degree of stability within the UK construction sector for new contracts, then the beginning of 2019 can be best described as almost remarkably positive.

For twelve consecutive months during 2018, according to data collected by Builders’ Conference the sector delivered new contract awards valued at upwards of £4.0 billion. January 2019 marked a notable increase on this value with the monthly total topping £7.424 billion an increase in value of just over 50% compared to December 2018.

But even the most optimistic of market watchers could not have predicted the results in February and March which delivered totals of £10.754 and £6.77 billion respectively to make the total value for Q1 2019 of £25.006 billion up 32.5 % from Q4 2018. The number of new construction projects starting also increasing by 9% in the quarter to 2,250.

Going forward, what may affect construction durability, is the period between submission of bid and start on site, which, according to recent Builders’ Conference research, currently runs on average at around 24 weeks. If this period extends due to the lack of clarity from negotiations in Europe, this may have a significant impact on how the UK construction sector finishes 2019.

Build UK contractor members contributed over £9.1 billion (36%) of all new construction contracts in the quarter. These included a £300 million mixed use regeneration scheme in Blossom Street on the edge of Spitalfields Market in London for British Land and a £98 million new hospital specialising in non-emergency procedures for Frimley Health NHS Foundation in Ascot, Berkshire.

For the sector to deliver such results at any time would be notable. But to do so when the UK’s future in Europe hangs in the balance, when the nation is gripped by economic uncertainty and when several of the sector’s biggest and best-known names have been forced to restructure and refinance, Q1 2019 performance truly is impressive. Furthermore, based upon the prevalence of forward bidding that would see contract awards extend beyond whichever date Brexit might finally take place, it seems that this positivity is set to continue.

Research by Builders’ Conference of their members indicates that what might impact upon that positivity is resourcing adequate materials & personnel to meet demands, particularly as a number of key issues have yet to be determined with Brexit negotiations over customs & borders.

The full report can be found on the Build UK website.

To find out more information about Builders’ Conference and the data on offer, click here.

Build UK’s trade association members met on Wednesday 24 April 2019 at the Chartered Institute of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) to discuss the challenges of delivering specialist training and to propose solutions for contractors.

Discussions explored the specific challenges for the delivery of apprenticeships, specialist training and training groups with a number of key issues identified:

• There was no ‘one size fits all’ method for delivering specialist training and solving the issues faced often required specific sector-based solutions
• Being a trainer or assessor was often not an attractive prospect to existing industry employees. It was proposed that industry work to develop the skill sets of professional trainers to provide them with the proficiency to deliver industry training, rather than reducing the number of existing skilled operatives from the industry.
• Industry is keen to collaborate and share examples of best practice to ensure operatives are able to access the most appropriate training opportunities for them.

Presentations were delivered by Graham McPhail, Head of Education and Training at the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), as well as Richard Miller, the Head of Qualifications and Standards at the National Federation of Roofing Contractors (NFRC).

Graham presented on the existing structure of the National Construction College (NCC). The decision was taken by the CITB Board to divest the NCC’s constituent parts to allow CITB to divest from the direct delivery of training and be more strategic in facilitating training provision. As of April 2019, Heads of Terms had been agreed for four of the seven areas of the NCC business: NCC training centres in the Midlands and Erith along with the National Specialist Accredited Centre and Assessment and Verification team. Transferal of ownership was expected to be completed by October 2019, with the remaining three areas (NCC – Bircham Netwon and Inchinnan and the Health and Safety team) expected to be completed by January 2020. Graham’s presentation is available here.

Richard provided a case study on how the RoofCERT scheme was working to provide assurance that operatives in roofing held the required knowledge, skills and experience to work effectively. The scheme looked to develop the quality of training, improve the perception of the roofing industry and have 5,000 roofers accredited by June 2021. Richard’s presentation is available here.

The Health, Safety and Environment (HS&E) test for the construction industry is being updated on 26 June 2019.

The HS&E test helps to raise the health, safety and environment standards for those working in the construction industry – giving assurance that the workforce, and those they work alongside are well prepared to be safe on the job.

The updates CITB are making on the 26 June 2019 are the result of two and half years working with industry and experts in other fields to ensure that the HS&E test continues to be fair, valid and reliable. If you are taking the test after the 26 June 2019, you will need to purchase the updated revision materials which are available from 15 May 2019.

To find out more about the changes visit www.citb.co.uk/HSEtestdev or email HSEtestdev@citb.co.uk

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The April editions includes:

• Reverse Charge VAT – including a helpful flowchart to help businesses supplying building and construction services decide whether to apply normal VAT rules or apply the domestic reverse charge
• Spring Statement – Making Tax Digital (MTD)
• Consultation on off-payroll working rules for the private sector.

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

On Thursday 11 April an agreement was reached between the UK and the European Council on a further extension to the Article 50 negotiating period until 31 October 2019. The key elements of this are:

• The extension should run for as long as necessary to ratify the Withdrawal Agreement, but no longer than 31 October (although under the terms of Article 50, a further extension is not precluded, but as per the process set out in the Treaty, this would require the unanimous agreement of the Member States)
• During this period the UK retains the right to unilaterally revoke Article 50
• If the UK is still a Member State during the period when the EU elections are due to take place (23 – 26 May), and it has not ratified the Withdrawal Agreement by 22 May, the UK must take part in the EU elections. If the UK does not do so, the UK will leave the EU on 1 June
• There will be no reopening of the withdrawal agreement
• There will be no negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU whilst the UK remains a Member State, although if the UK seeks an alternative arrangement from those that informed the development of the Political Declaration, then discussions could be held on altering this
• During the extended period, the UK must fulfil its Treaty obligations as a Member State, in accordance with the duty of sincere co-operation sincere cooperation in relation to the decision-making processes of the European Union.

The European Council will also review the situation at its next meeting in June.

Build UK will continue to update its Brexit Guide to help you prepare your business for Brexit by summarising the latest available information.

Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) have announced the launch of the first phase of a new pre-qualification (PQ) system designed to reduce inefficiencies that are costing the construction industry up to £1 billion a year.

The existing PQ system is complex and repetitive and a major barrier to improved productivity. The multitude of schemes currently in operation sees around 180,000 specialist contractors producing over two million pieces of paper every year for 5,000 contractors.

The new system will ultimately allow for greater consistency and efficiency in how companies become pre-qualified for work at the first stage.

The roll-out of this first phase of the new system includes:

• Publication of the Common Assessment Standard used to pre-qualify companies. Based on existing PQ questionnaires, including BSI’s PAS 91, this covers 10 key areas and includes desktop and site-based assessment standards.
• Confirmation of the first recognised assessment bodies to certify companies against the Common Assessment Standard. These organisations are Achilles, CHAS and Constructionline.

The system is being overseen by an Interim Cross Industry Body consisting of experts from organisations across the sector, including public and private sector clients, contractors and trade associations.

Once the new system is fully up and running, companies will not have to be certified by more than one recognised assessment body. A data sharing arrangement is currently being developed which will allow contractors to obtain PQ information from any one of the recognised assessment bodies. Contractors will be transitioning to the new system over the coming months.

Jo Fautley, Deputy Chief Executive of Build UK, said:

“The construction industry is making great strides towards more collaborative working and this new PQ system has been developed by industry, for industry, based on standards that clients, contractors and the supply chain have all agreed on. We look forward to the industry getting on board with it over the coming months so we can realise the efficiency gains for everyone’s benefit and boost overall productivity.”

Marie-Claude Hemming, Director of External Affairs at CECA, said:

“CECA has long advocated an industry standard approach to PQ and the new system which builds on PAS 91 will simplify the process and reduce duplication and cost. Change takes time and there will be a transition period, but this marks the start of the rollout of the new system which we anticipate will play a key role in the future delivery of world-class infrastructure.”

Ann Bentley, Chair of the Construction Leadership Council Business Model Workstream, said:

“The Construction Leadership Council welcomes and supports the proposed reform of the current PQ process – it is a real and practical way of reducing bureaucracy and improving quality in the procurement process. Companies will be able to demonstrate that they meet an agreed industry standard and clients and contractors will be able to rely on the certification. The CLC will be encouraging adoption of the revised standard throughout Government construction procurement.”

Further detail on the PQ system is available on the Build UK website.

Intelligent Fingerprinting showcased their revolutionary drug testing system for the construction sector at Build UK: A Smart Future, incorporating the AGM last year. Darren Hamshaw from Intelligent Fingerprinting has looked at how the construction market is reacting to fingerprint-based drug screening.

“According to the latest EMCDDA (European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction) country drug report, cannabis use among young UK adults (15-34) was 11.5% in 2018, while cocaine usage in the same group was at 4%. That’s not the highest usage rate in Europe, but it does show just how widespread drug misuse is and raises concerns when it comes to health and safety in the workplace. EMCDDA also reports [1] that almost 1 in 10 UK workers admits to recent drug use.

Drug testing clearly has a role to play in discouraging and identifying drug use amongst employees, particularly as tackling drug misuse is an important employer requirement in order to maintain a safe workplace. Since joining Intelligent Fingerprinting I’ve found that this is particularly the case in the construction sector, where any kind of employee impairment is worrying – not just for staff, but also for a firm’s customers and the wider general public. In a high-risk environment such as the construction business, there’s clearly a requirement for firms to deliver on their corporate responsibility obligations.

Because fingerprint drug testing is quick and easy to deploy – unlike traditional urine or saliva-based tests that can be invasive, time-consuming and undignified for both testers and employees alike – Intelligent Fingerprinting’s new approach is certainly attracting attention from construction businesses.  And because our portable drug screening system supports all forms of employee drug testing – from pre-employment screens and random drug tests to post-accident investigations – construction firms are finding that fingerprint-based drug tests provide a cost-effective and practical way of supporting their health and safety initiatives and enabling their drug misuse policies.

Supporting workplace drug policies with fingerprint-based tests

Like other workplace drug testing organisations, construction firms have to think carefully about selecting the drug test method that best meets the requirements set out in their drug policy. For example, while some employers have a zero-tolerance approach towards drug taking by employees at any time, other companies consider their employees’ leisure activities their own business, so long as they are fit for duty when they arrive at work. However, different drug testing methods provide different ‘windows of detection’, so employers need to choose the best approach to support their drug misuse policy. Some methods will indicate very recent drug use – for example just before an employee starts their shift – while others will detect use several days ago – such as at the weekend – even though the employee is no longer under the influence of the drug when they come to work.

Urine-based tests offer a longer window of detection, which means an employee could screen positive and possibly be suspended from work as a result of drug use a few days earlier, despite being fit for duty at the time of the test. Of course, any positive screening result should always be verified with a laboratory confirmation test.

In contrast, fingerprint-based testing, with its shorter window of detection, is proving particularly helpful for drug testing in the construction sector. It gives firms a rapid yet dignified way of identifying potential employee drug use in the period immediately prior to their working shift, helping them to meet their Health and Safety at Work obligations while also supporting their duty of care towards employees.

As some construction firms have found, fingerprint-based testing – with its quick sample collection and initial results available in just ten minutes – is seen as a faster and more convenient drug testing approach that can be used to support a healthier workplace. To learn more about how the solution could work for your construction firm, please contact Intelligent Fingerprinting.”

[1] United Kingdom drug situation: annual report to the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) 2012. Department of Health.

To recruit the next generation of our workforce, the industry needs to pull together and inspire young people of all ages to look at construction as an exciting and rewarding career choice. To help make this happen Build UK launched Inspiring Construction, subsequently supported by the Construction Leadership Council, which agreed that a joint industry skills plan is fundamental to delivering the skills needed now and, in the future.

Inspiring Construction brings together a number of projects that will be delivered by Build UK in 2019, supported by a reformed CITB.

Our Build UK projects are:

• Construction Ambassadors – We will re-develop the CITB Construction Ambassadors programme creating a strong effective programme that can be used by everyone in the industry to showcase the opportunities in construction. If you would like to become an ambassador in the future, let us know!
• Open Doors – Open Doors Week offers a unique chance to discover the different career paths in the construction industry, and to talk directly to people passionate about what they do. This year’s Open Doors Week ran from 18 – 23 March with a record 290 sites, offices and factories opening, with 6,000 visits booked – our most successful year to date. Planning for 2020 will get underway soon so watch this space!
• Work Experience – The new T level qualifications require formal work experience and we know that informal work experience inspires people to take the next step towards a job in construction. We are aiming to create an industry-wide work experience framework which will provide employers of all sizes with the support they need to offer at taste of construction to the next generation.
• Bridge into Construction – A college-based programme that ensures young people have the right foundations to enter the construction industry and provides employers with access to a talent pool of potential apprentices and new recruits. This academic year, we have nine colleges running the programme, partnered with Build UK members.
• Degree Apprenticeship System – To make it easy for school leavers to find an employer offering the training they are looking for, we are working with UCAS to create a portal specifically for students keen to embark on a degree apprenticeship. Our members have already met to begin setting up the system which will streamline the application process for both employers and students.

We will keep you updated on all our projects and if you would like to get involved, please contact our Inspiring Construction Project Manager, Alice Cook.

Build UK is delighted to announce both Lyndon SGB and SafeLane Global have joined Build UK membership as of 1 April 2019.

Lyndon SGB is joining as Build UK’s newest Contractor member. Dating back to 1919, Lyndon SGB (now part of BrandSafway) is the largest scaffolding and access firm in the UK, employing more than 1,000 scaffolders and support staff. They offer a full range of temporary access solutions, from tube & fitting, to system scaffolding solutions, to mast climber and hoists via Taylor’s Hoists.

Joining as an Alliance member, SafeLane Global clears unexploded bombs, land and sea mines and explosive remnants of war around the world. Its expertise includes working on construction sites to detect, identify and remove potential explosive threats. By underwriting the risk, managing the threat and delivering comprehensive solutions, SafeLane ensures reputational risk, project delays and financial loss are avoided for its valuable clients.

In April 2019, new employment laws in place will change how you work. There will be a rise in the National Living and National Minimum Wage, bigger pension contributions and a major overhaul to payslips. Build UK partner Croner, has provided information on the National Living Wage going up, as well as other laws you need to know about.

Here are legal changes you need to know about:

Monday 1 April: National Living Wage goes up

The National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage go up by 4.9% for all age groups:

• £8.21 per hour for workers aged 25 and over (up from £7.83)
• £7.70 per hour for workers aged 21 to 24 (up from £7.38)
• £6.15 per hour for workers aged 18 to 20 (up from £5.90)
• £4.35 per hour for workers aged under 18 (up from £4.20)
• £3.90 per hour for apprentices (up from £3.70)

Thursday 4 April: Businesses must publish gender pay gap reports

Private sector businesses with 250 or more staff must have published their gender pay gaps by Thursday 4 April (public sector organisations should have published their gender pay gaps by the Sunday 31 March).

Friday 5 April: Consultation closes on redundancy protection for pregnant employees

This one’s not an immediate legal change, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. If the law comes into force, a woman will get protection from redundancy from the point that she informs her employer she is pregnant until six months after her maternity leave. It may also apply to adoptive and other parental leave.

Saturday 6 April: Statutory sick pay goes up

The minimum sick pay that you need to give staff who are too ill to work increases from £92.05 to £94.25 per week. You need to give your worker sick pay if they have been too ill to work for four days or more, and you need to pay it for up to 28 weeks.

Employment tribunal penalties balloon to £20,000

Tribunals can now force bad employers to pay a whopping £20,000 penalty for repeatedly breaking employment laws. The number of employment tribunals in the UK has risen by 118% in recent years.

Pension contributions increase to 8%

Employees now needs to put at least 5% of their pre-tax salary into their pension. Employer have to put in an extra 3% (up from 2% last year). Or, depending on the rules of the company pension scheme, employers can pay the full 8%.

Changes to payslips

Itemised payslips must be given to all workers. Previously, payslips only had to be given to employees.

Itemised payslips break down workers and employees’ pay to show how much employers have given and what deductions have been made. This must include the amount and method of any part-payment.

The number of hours worked must be included if workers’ pay varies depending on the amount of time they have worked.

If workers aren’t given itemised payslips, a tribunal can declare that you have breached your workers’ rights and then force you to repay your workers in respect of any deductions made. And itemised payslips make it much easier for HMRC to spot and prosecute businesses that pay below the National Minimum Wage (which, as mentioned above, is increasing in April).

Sunday 7 April: Statutory pay for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental leave increases

The minimum pay employers need to give staff on maternity, paternity, adoption or shared parental leave increases from £145.18 to £148.68 per week. The average earnings that an employee has to make to receive these payments also increases from £116 to £118 per week.

Need help making changes?

As part of your membership with Build UK you can speak to a Croner expert for help with any of the above issues, including pay gap reporting, changes to payslips, worker rights, Brexit and the EU Settlement Scheme.

You can speak to Croner on 0844 561 8133 quoting the Build UK member code. For a full list of Build UK helplines and member codes, please email info@BuildUK.org.

Held from Monday 18 to Saturday 23 March, Open Doors 2019 saw the highest ever number of sites open!

The campaign, which is led by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB), aims to inspire young people and career changers to consider and explore a dynamic and exciting career in the construction industry.

Supported by Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Construction News and Go Construct, construction companies opened their doors at places ranging from hospitals to schools to housing to BIM caves, offering a unique chance for members of the public to go behind the scenes at live construction sites, offices, factories and training centres across Great Britain.

With 6,000 bookings made, thousands of visitors took advantage of the opportunity to see the range of careers and professions the construction industry has to offer.

The construction industry is looking to recruit 168,500 people in the next 5 years, and campaigns such as Open Doors are an ideal way to showcase what it is possible to do in construction. With Build UK members opening not just the live sites, but also offices and factories which provide a whole range of diverse opportunities, we can engage with students, career changers, and many more who may necessarily wouldn’t have considered construction as a career path before.

Visitors enjoyed the opportunity Open Doors creates, with one saying “I was able to ask lots of questions and I can’t wait to find my dream role within the industry”. This is what Open Doors is all about.

Open Doors is delivered as part of the Inspiring Construction campaign, and over the next year, keep your eyes peeled for some exciting things on the way, to inspire the next generation to choose a career in construction.

Visitors can now register their interest for Open Doors 2020. Let’s see if we can go bigger and better!

If you are interested in opening up your sites, offices or training centres for Open Doors 2020, please contact info@opendoors.construction

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The March editions includes:

• VAT Reverse charge: a letter to send to your subcontractors
• The 2019/20 PAYE tax code
• Making Tax Digital

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

Build UK members are continuing their work with Construction Industry Publications (CIP) to ensure the Construction Environmental manual includes industry recognised environmental policies and standards, guidance on the latest legislation and environmental toolbox talks.

This integrated approach aims to improve the knowledge and practices of those on site without duplicating information or publishing conflicting advice.

Build UK partner Construction Industry Publications (CIP) is offering all Build UK members an exclusive 30% discount (excludes the six monthly updates) on its online Construction Environmental Manual CIP Knowledge, and also on Hardcopies and CDROMs.

The latest update to the Construction Environmental Manual includes:

• References to the UK government’s 25 year Environmental Plan and the updated ISO 50001: 2018
• Recent new legislation
• Comment included regarding component packaging
• Revised and updated requirements for suppliers of construction plant
• Guidance on the liability to taxation of disposals made to unauthorised landfills.
• The cessation of the CRC scheme and the new reporting requirements

Jesse Putzel, Member of the Drafting Panel and Head of Sustainability at Build UK member BAM, said:

“For good practical up to date advice on environmental and sustainability matters, the Construction Environmental Manual is a must for everyone involved in construction. Working with Build UK members will ensure it is even more relevant on a day to day basis as the ‘go to’ source of information for all things environmental. It will also keep the manual up to date with industry practices, and provide the more collaborative approach we all want.”

Details of subscription prices for CIP Knowledge, which start from £246 per annum for a single user, can be found on the website. Build UK members can claim their 30% discount using the promotional code BUILDUK. Build UK members also have the opportunity to take out a free one month’s trial of the online version by registering on the CIP Knowledge website. Discounted Hardcopies and CDROMs of the Manual can be purchased from the CIP Bookshop website www.cip-books.com using the promotional code BUILDUK.

For further information or to take out a subscription, please contact Sarah Kenny at CIP.

T Levels are new courses which will be introduced from September 2020 for young people following their GCSEs. T Levels will be two years in length and offer students a mixture of classroom based and practical learning opportunities, combined with 45 days’ work experience. Completing a T Level will provide a student with UCAS points which they could use towards applying for a university place.

From September 2020, three T Levels will be available for students across England, including Construction Design, Surveying and Planning. Pearson have been awarded the contract to deliver the Design, Surveying and Planning T Level and will be working with a panel of employers over the coming months to design the programme content.

From September 2021, two further construction T Levels, On Site Construction and Building Engineering Services will be available.

Content for the On Site Construction T Level has now been agreed by the T Level Panel and it is expected that the content for this and Building Engineering Services will be put out to tender in the coming months.

The Government has announced which colleges will be delivering construction T Levels during 2020 and 2021.

There is still some concern from industry over how the T Levels will be supported by industry and  :

• How T Levels will fit into the progression route for young people, particularly in light of upcoming review of 4 and 5 qualifications
• How work placements can meet the needs of both employers and young people
• Whether young people will be competent in their chosen field at the end of their T Level and if not, how industry can support the young person to gain competence.

The Construction Leadership Council set out in its Skills Strategy and Action Plan that a structured work experience programme should be developed to support employers in committing to T Levels, which is supported by CITB in its Business Plan.

Further information on T Levels is available via the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

The Chancellor, Philip Hammond, set out his Spring Budget on 13 March. The budget featured positive support for construction and infrastructure, with a number of announcements building on the Industrial Strategy. The Chancellor also confirmed that the government will hold a Spending Review which will conclude alongside the Budget which will set budgets for resource spending, if an EU exit deal is agreed.

The following announcements will specifically affect the construction sector:

Clean Economy

The government intends to accelerate the shift to a clean economy, building on the Industrial Strategy, Clean Growth Strategy, and 25 Year Environment Plan.

SMEs are encouraged to respond to the call for evidence on a Business energy efficiency scheme to explore how Government can support investment in energy efficiency measures.

To ensure wildlife isn’t compromised in delivering infrastructure and housing, the government will mandate net gains for biodiversity on new developments in England to deliver an overall increase in biodiversity.

The government will introduce a Future Homes Standard by 2025, so that new build homes have low carbon heating and are energy efficiency, keeping consumers’ energy bills low.

Investing in the Future – Housing and Infrastructure

At Autumn Budget 2017, the government set out new policies to raise housing supply and the Spring Statement supports this. Government:

• launched a consultation on Infrastructure Finance, seeking views on how it can support private infrastructure investment in the context of the UK’s changing relationship with the European Investment Bank
• reiterated its commitment to publish the National Infrastructure Strategy which will set out its priorities for economic infrastructure and respond to recommendations in the National Infrastructure Commission’s National Infrastructure Assessment
• dedicate £717 million from the £5.5 billion Housing Infrastructure Fund to unlock up to 37,000 homes at sites including Old Oak Common in London, the Oxford-Cambridge Arc and Cheshire
• will guarantee up to £3 billion of borrowing by housing associations in England to support delivery of around 30,000 affordable homes.

Education and Skills

The Chancellor announced support for employers to continue to train the workforce of tomorrow. This included:

• From 1 April, employers who co-invest in Apprenticeships will see the rate they pay cut by a half from 10% to 5%
• From 1 April, Levy-paying employers will be able to transfer 25% of Levy funds across their supply chains, up from 10%.

A review of the latest international evidence on the impact of minimum wages, to inform future National Living Wage policy after 2020.

The full statement is available on the Government website.

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) has announced a  boost in funding to help employers take on construction apprentices.

From 1 April, CITB’s attendance grants to employers will increase to £2,500 per year, while achievement grants will rise to £3,500 for companies whose apprentice successfully completes their training.

This is an overall funding increase from £10,250 to £14,500 for each apprentice an employer takes on – an uplift of over 30% on existing rates.

CITB has decided to increase employer funding at a time when construction apprenticeships are falling. This is due to factors such as economic uncertainty caused by Brexit and employers adjusting to new apprenticeship reforms, including the Apprenticeship Levy.

But construction needs many more learners not only starting, but completing their apprenticeships and joining the workforce. CITB’s forecast shows the industry needs to fill some 168,500 new jobs over the next five years, and to grow much more of its own domestic workforce, given likely limits on future access to migrant workers.

In the coming weeks, CITB will share further measures to support apprenticeships in construction.

Sarah Garry, Skills Manager of Build UK said:

“We welcome the increase in funding for apprenticeships which should make a real difference for all employers, regardless of the size of their business. This is one piece of the puzzle. CITB and industry working together will ensure the apprenticeship process is easy to understand and is accessible for everyone.”

Click here to view CITB’s press release.

In recent months, following the announcement that CITB has put its National Construction Colleges (NCC) up for sale, some media coverage has given the impression that the colleges might be closing. In reality, CITB will step away from the direct delivery of training but is actively seeking excellent training providers to take on NCC’s facilities and talented instructors to continue to deliver quality training. And it will only step away when it has found the right buyer.

National Construction Colleges at Bircham Newton, London (Erith), Glasgow (Inchinnan) and Birmingham provide a huge variety of courses which have one thing in common: upskilling the workforce so workers best meet the challenges of this rapidly changing industry. According to the latest Construction Skills Network (CSN) report (due for publication on 25 February 2019), the industry is set to grow by 1.1% over the next few years and 168,500 new jobs are predicted. Yet changing migration patterns and the retirement of many older construction workers, plus increasing digitisation, means the challenge of attracting, retraining and retaining workers is more acute than ever.

Like every industry, construction is undergoing rapid changes due to digitisation and as such requires a workforce which is tech-savvy and open-minded about these changes. Embracing new technologies such as drones and virtual and augmented reality, BIM and offsite construction can make the industry more efficient and productive; it is essential that the workforce spends more time at the interface of technology and reality.

NCC recently invested in 16 state-of-the-art plant simulators at Bircham which allow over 100 trainees every month to practice operating excavators, cranes, crawler dozers, telehandlers, tractors and dumper trucks without causing wear and tear – and whatever the weather. The simulators offer environmental benefits by reducing the amount of carbon emissions associated with traditional plant machinery and electronically record progress and analyse how learners behave in different scenarios.

The simulators also demonstrate the adverse effects that different weather and time of day can have when operating plant – for example changing from day to night, or rain, wind and snow – as well as creating modern construction scenarios that cannot be replicated in a typical real-life training session. This ensures that when trainees finally operate real equipment they will have the confidence and skills to do so.

Graham McPhail, CITB’s Head of Education and Training, said:

“New methods of technology are playing an increasingly important role in construction and this investment has helped us modernise the way we train. Simulators are of particular value because they allow ‘differentiated learning’: students learn at their own speed, progressing further if making swift progress, and are given more time if their skills need to be improved. We are committed to ensuring the right training is in place to produce the highly-skilled workforce required in our industry.”

All NCC centres are open and fully operational and invite companies and individuals to book now to receive innovative, high quality training so they are best equipped to take advantage of an exciting future for the industry.

Build UK is pleased to announce a new partnership with Citation, who for over 20 years have helped small and medium-sized businesses with HR and Health & Safety support and expertise.

Build UK members can access their Health and Safety helpline from Friday 1 March, by calling 0345 844 4848. The H&S Helpline is staffed from 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday.

Find out more about how Citation can help you for all of your Health & Safety advice here.

For further information on Build UK helpline and services, please contact info@BuildUK.org

Great Portland Estates plc and Mace welcomed students and industry stakeholders from across Lon­don today to preview their newest development and to support the Build UK and CITB campaign to inspire young people into the construction industry.

Open Doors is an initiative that is led by Build UK, in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) to inspire young people to get into the Construction Industry. Students from schools and colleges were invited to attend the Open Doors launch amongst the industry leaders.

During the launch, students and attendees enjoyed a speech from Build UK Chairman and Mace Deputy Chief Operating Officer Mark Castle highlighting why Mace supports Open Doors and listened to presentations by Mace Group and Great Portland Estates on the project plans for the Hanover Square site. Build UK Specialist Contractor member GKR Scaffolding also spoke about their work on the project, making it the first Open Doors launch with Build UK members representing the Client, Main Contractor and key Specialist Trades actively participating. Visitors also participated in a behind the scenes tour of the site.

The Hanover Square site is perfectly located above the new entrance to Bond Street station for the Elizabeth Line. Once completed, the estate will provide 170,400 sq ft of Grade A office accommodation across three buildings, prime retail predominately fronting New Bond Street and restaurant space comprises 40,900 sq ft of the development, while six residential units totalling 12,300 sq ft are positioned on the junction of New Bond Street and Brook Street, as well as a new courtyard area for the public to enjoy.

Open Doors, which runs from Monday 18 March – Saturday 23 March across more than 280 sites, offices and factories throughout Great Britain, including Kier Group’s Christ the Word School in Rhyl, Balfour Beatty’s Dundee Regional Performance Centre for Sports and Willmott Dixon’s Whitehouse Medical Centre in Milton Keynes. Visitors can book through the Open Doors website.

Last year’s campaign saw over 275 construction sites in England, Scotland and Wales open to 5,200 visitors and Open Doors 2019 has already seen a huge amount of interest from schools, colleges and the public.

Suzannah Nichol MBE, Build UK Chief Executive, said:

“Open Doors Week 2019 is set to be another record-breaking year with fantastic, iconic sites, office and factories opening up across Great Britain. Open Doors offers businesses across the whole industry a super opportunity to showcase the vast array of jobs and careers available within it.”

CITB Policy Director Stephen Radley said:

“The launch of this year’s Open Doors event is significant in promoting the best the construction industry has to offer and we are pleased to partner with Build UK again. As construction modernises, the range of opportunities and of people that we need to attract is widening. We look forward to engaging with the next generation of workers.”

To find out more about Open Doors Week here.

Build UK’s latest Brexit guidance is available here. This guidance aims to help businesses prepare for Brexit by summarising the latest available information.

Build UK is delighted to continue their partnership with Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) for another year.

Sarah Garry, Skills Manager at Build UK said:

“Build UK is pleased to continue working in partnership with CSCS to ensure industry meets the Construction Leadership Council’s Requirements for a fully trained workforce. Over the coming year Build UK and CSCS will support employers to deliver safer and more productive work environments for the whole supply chain.”

Alan O’Neile, Head of Communications at CSCS said:

“CSCS is delighted to continue our long-standing partnership with Build UK. Only by working together can we make the long-lasting changes that are improving standards and safety on UK construction sites.”

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on the Build UK website and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The February edition includes the latest information on ‘Making Tax Digital’, what does this mean and how will it affect you?

• Exemptions from The Making VAT Digital (MVD) have been announced
• Joining MVD – Opt-in system
• Penalties

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.

Time to Talk Day takes place this month, and is a great way to get everyone having a conversation about mental health issues.

Build UK partner B&CE are working to raise awareness about improving mental health in construction, and supporting existing initiatives such as B&CE’s Charitable Trust.

The occupational health management scheme B&CE is developing, with the support of Build UK, won’t cover mental health at the beginning, as there are many types of conditions but no one single way of monitoring or measuring who might be at risk of developing a condition.  . Currently one type of assessment will not cover every condition. Once an appropriate assessment has been developed and validated, it will be added to the scheme.

According to the HSE’s latest figures, 14,000 construction workers suffered work-related stress, depression or anxiety in 2018. The conversation about mental wellbeing in the construction industry has already begun, with initiatives like Mates in Mind and Building Mental Health working to raise awareness and provide guidance.

In 2018, B&CE’s Charitable Trust awarded its annual Mowlem Award to Mates in Mind to support their work. Their Executive Director, Joscelyne Shaw, explained what the £20,000 grant meant to the charity:

“We’re delighted to be a recipient of the B&CE Mowlem Award. It recognises the work Mates in Mind and our programme’s partners, business and charitable champions, and their employees do in bringing about an improved understanding of mental health and wellbeing. It sends a strong message about the role that workplaces can play in supporting workers’ mental health.”

B&CE is inviting construction companies and occupational health providers to join the Occupational Health panel, who will be invited to share industry experience and inform specific aspects of the scheme. If you are interested in joining the panel, please click here.

Construction Industry Publications (CIP) has updated the Construction Contractual Handbook, an essential tool which sets out the law and contracts for specialist and main contractors alike, as well as anyone else involved in construction, in a compact and accessible way.

The Handbook:

• Includes a reminder about the formation of a contract
• Contains a chapter explaining some of the most common onerous clauses or changes that sub-contractors and main contractors might come across
• Addresses the need to maintain vigilance throughout the duration of the contract, ensuring certificates are issued at the right time, variations and any disputes are properly managed and claims procedures are followed
• Includes chapters on Scottish and Irish law
• Contains useful checklists as a reminder.

Essential information to help sub-contractors and main contractors navigate the contractual landscape can now be found in the recently updated Construction Contractual Handbook.

Simon Bingham, Chairman of Caunton Engineering Ltd and chairman of Build UK member British Constructional Steelwork Association’s, Commercial and Contracts Committee said:

“As a specialist sub-contractor, Caunton Engineering Ltd needs to be aware of unilateral and difficult to spot changes to contracts, and make sure that we remain vigilant throughout the duration of the contract.  The Construction Contractual Handbook will be an extremely useful tool for our commercial team.”

The Construction Contractual Handbook is now available for purchase from the Construction Industry Publications Bookshop.

For further information contact Sarah Kenny or telephone 0870 078 4400.

As there are now Apprenticeship Standards in place and available for delivery, CITB has confirmed that the following SASE apprenticeships will no longer accept registrations past the following dates:

Immediately

• Digital Engineering Technician (Level 3)
• Lifting technician (for Mobile, Tower and Crawler Crane) (Level 2)
• Piling (Level 2)
• Steelfixing Major Projects (Level 2)

30 April 2019

• Highways Maintenance (Level 2)
• Scaffolding (Level 2)

31 July 2019

• Floorlaying (Level 2)
• Formwork (Level 2)
• General Construction Operative (Level 2)
• Painting and Decorating (Level 2)
• Plastering (Level 2)
• Trowel Occupations (Level 2)
• Tunnelling (Level 2)

Further information can be found here.

Build UK is pleased to welcome Willis Towers Watson as the latest Professional Services member to join. As a leading global advisory, broking and solutions company Willis Towers Watson helps clients around the world turn risk into a path for growth.

Chief Executive of Build UK, Suzannah Nichol MBE, said:

“At a time when the appropriate allocation of risk is at the forefront of discussions within the construction supply chain, it is great to see leading broker and risk management experts Willis Towers Watson, join Build UK as a Professional Services member.”

Leader of the Willis Towers Watson UK Construction practice, Pauline Goreham, said:

“We are delighted to be joining Build UK as they lead the construction industry agenda in the UK. We look forward to joining the debate around risk, talent attraction and employee health and benefits and are confident that the breadth of knowledge and experience within Willis Towers Watson can add value to Build UK’s ongoing initiatives.”

Build UK contributed to a cross industry report looking at where the shortages of staff are in the construction industry. Read the full report here.

The majority of Build UK members have now published their payment results for a second time and there has been an improvement across the board over the last six months.

Using data submitted under the Duty to Report on Payment Practices and Performance, which requires all large companies to report on their payment practices every six months, Build UK is benchmarking its members on the average time they take to pay invoices and the percentage of their invoices paid beyond terms. Across Build UK members, the average time taken to pay has fallen from 45 to 43 days and the average percentage paid beyond terms has reduced from 30% to 26%.

There was widespread recognition of the need to improve payment practices when Build UK published the first set of results last July and the increased transparency has started to change the industry culture and drive improved practices.  Build UK members have focussed on developing their systems, implementing clear policies and training their staff in order to improve their performance and support their supply chains.

With company reports needing to be approved by a named director, the Duty to Report has ensured that the issue of payment is now firmly under the spotlight at a senior level.

Mark Castle, Chairman of Build UK and Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Mace, said:

“These improvements demonstrate the importance of increased transparency on the issue of payment. Build UK has held a mirror up to its members who have responded by taking significant steps to review and address performance within their organisations. There is still a lot of work to be done – for example, encouraging further transparency around disputed payments – but these results are a clear move in the right direction and show that the industry is serious about tackling this long-standing issue.”

Information on Build UK’s eligible Client, Contractor and largest Specialist Contractors can be found on the Build UK website. Detailed information on all businesses that are required to report can be found on GOV.UK.

Build UK partner Croner has listed some of the changes employers should be mindful of in 2019.

Pay Reporting

New legislation will require UK businesses with more than 250 employees to report the pay gaps between their CEO’s and the average employee. Alongside this, companies will be required to publish supporting and explanatory information to ‘justify’ their CEO salaries.

For a second year, companies with 250 employees will be required to publish their gender pay gap figures on 4 April 2019. Although many will be doing this for a second time, these figures are expected to be heavily scrutinised in order to determine whether efforts have been made to address previous highlighted discrepancies.

With the deadline fast approaching, if you haven’t already, you should start preparing your reports now. Where pay gaps become apparent, consider what justification can be given and what actions can be taken to narrow these gaps.

Financial Increases and Payslips

National minimum wage is due to increase by 4.9% from £7.80 to £8.21 for workers over the age of 25. Workers under 25 will also receive an increase of wages from 1 April 2019.

From 6 April 2019, statutory sick pay (per week) will rise from £92.05 to £94.25.

Also on 6 April, new legislation will change how UK employers provide payslips to their workforce. Under this new legislation, employers will need to provide itemised payslips to all workers. The new payslips must include the number of hours worked where the workers’ pay varies by the amount of time they have worked.

In preparation of this change, you should review your payroll systems to ensure they are up-to-date and in line with the new changes.

Auto Enrolment Contributions

From 6 April the minimum contributions for auto-enrolment pension schemes will increase for both employers and employees. Under these new requirements employers must contribute a minimum of 3% of an eligible worker’s pre-tax salary to their pension pot, with the individual contributing 5% themselves.

EU Settlement Scheme

Britain is set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. As it stands Brexit shouldn’t have a great deal of impact on employment law as the government have committed to keeping the majority of the EU laws relating to employment.

If Britain is to leave the EU with a deal, EU nationals with 5 years UK residency by 31 December 2020 will be entitled to apply for ‘settled status’. Those with less than 5 years’ residency can apply for ‘pre-settled status’.

In the event of a no-deal, the dates for the settlement scheme will change and a new immigration policy will be put into place with effect from March 2019.

Practical steps you can take include reviewing your workforce. Do you employ EU nationals currently or plan to do so in future? You should also remain well informed of the ongoing Brexit developments and the implications it may have on your business short term and long term.

Need help preparing for the changes?

As part of your membership with Build UK you can speak to a Croner expert for help with any of the above issues, including pay gap reporting, changes to payslips, worker rights, Brexit and the EU Settlement Scheme.

You can speak to Croner on  0844 561 8133 quoting the Build UK member code. For a full list of Build UK helplines and member codes, please email info@BuildUK.org.

Inspiring Construction is a joint campaign between Build UK and CITB, launched in September 2017, to inspire the next generation to choose a career in construction.

Build UK is delighted to announce that CITB has awarded funding to develop and launch a portal for students to apply for degree apprenticeships through, an extension of this campaign.

During a talk, given by Build UK Chief Executive Suzannah Nichol when launching Inspiring Construction, one of the schoolchildren expressed he was interested in a quantity surveying degree apprenticeship and Build UK set about trying to match him with an employer.

The process that then started was a frustrating and lengthy one for student Charlie and Build UK saw first-hand how this could be putting off potential applicants from progressing and completing the Apprenticeship application forms. Charlie’s experience gave Build UK the idea that the industry needs a gateway for students to apply for apprenticeships through, as well as a Clearing House model. It is so easy for students to apply to go to university in one central place, and to help solve the industry skills shortage, the industry needs to make it easier to access the full pool of individuals who are interested in pursuing construction careers.

Build UK has had initial discussions with UCAS about how we could work with them to create this portal. A Member Task Group will be set up to help develop the product and Build UK looks forward to developing a system that works for the entire industry.

We are looking for industry input on this project and would like to encourage you to complete this survey to help us create a system fit for purpose.

This project supports the Construction Leadership Council’s skills plan to attract the next generation, creating a Route into Construction for a diverse and talented workforce.

Members can access the Construction Industry Joint Taxation Committee’s (JTC) monthly tax guidance newsletter as a key benefit of Build UK membership.

Members often register the difficulties they face in complying with changes to taxation rules and regulations and can now access the JTC newsletter which is publicised monthly on News and includes guidance on challenging issues and direct responses to taxation queries.

The January edition includes:

• Making Tax Digital
• HMRC agree not all directors have to file a tax return
• Staff Christmas parties: can you obtain tax relief on your office Christmas party?

The full newsletter can be viewed here. If you have a query relating to items in the newsletter, please contact Liz Bridge.