SPRA Contractor Open Day Invitation at Renolit UK for Single Ply Professionals
Single ply roof contractors are being invited to take up the opportunity to attend the SPRA Renolit Contractor Open Day at from 10:15am—13:15pm on 5th November 2025 at Renolit UK, Cramlington, NE23 8AQ.
This is a friendly, free invitation to all single ply roofing professionals, whether you are an employee of a SPRA contractor member or not.
Get Ahead of the Game
The morning will start with a talk by Anthony Hogan, SPRA Technical Manager, on Five Things You Should Know About Single Ply Roofing. This is a great opportunity to brush up your technical knowledge and ensure quality installations.
Stay Informed
Ronan Brunton of SPRA will update contractors on competency and opportunities for single ply training.
Register Now
To find out more and register your interest, email enquiries@spra.co.uk.
Who Should Attend?
This event is aimed at anyone working for roofing contractors in buying/procurement, contracts management, design, estimating, site management and supervision, and surveying for single ply roofing.
Mental Health First Aid Course
Structured to help anyone engaged to better serve the needs of those who are experiencing mental health concerns, this Course will be delivered by Revd Kevin Fear, who was a Minister in Secular Employment working in Health & Safety in the construction industry. The details are below. Booking is through Eventbright and the cost is £45.
There are four Sessions to the course, spread over two consecutive weeks in November. To complete the course ALL FOUR SESSIONS must be attended.
Dates and times are:
Monday 10 November – 09:30 to 1pm
Thursday 13 November – 09:30 to 1pm
Monday 17 November – 09:30 to 1pm
Thursday 20 November – 09:30 to 1pm
Here is the link to book – https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mental-health-first-aid-on-line-tickets-1668357324669?aff=oddtdtcreator
Training & Competency Development
SPRA are running a number of training and competency development opportunities. These include Specialist Applied-Skills Programme (SAP) as well as upskilling, assessment and training (SUP/OSAT) for contractors’ installers.
These high-quality specialist training programmes for single ply roofers can lead to the Level 2 NVQ Diploma in Waterproofing Systems – Single Ply Membranes. SPRA contractor members benefit from reduced course rates and CITB registered companies can also access CITB grant funding.
New SPRA SAP starting at Welwyn Garden City in January. The dates for the 5-week training course are as follows:
26th-30th January 2026
16th -20th March 2026
22nd -26th June 2026
24th– 28th August 2026
26th-30th October 2026
Funding is available for registered companies with CITB. Enquire and register your trainees now at training@spra.co.uk
Wind Load Calculation Protocol (WLCP)
These online sessions based on existing SPRA published guidance are very popular with members and non-members. They consist of a set of three 2-hour sessions online. The sessions are based on the SPRA guidance document Wind Loading – Protocol for calculations (S11b/19) with extensive reference to the appropriate standards and other industry guidance that underpin this document. SPRA members again benefit from reduced course rates.
Contact SPRA for further information enquiries@spra.co.uk
Wishing all SPRA members a safe and productive week
SPRA and other Trade Associations show support for the CCPI
Leading trade associations, including SPRA, across the manufacturing and supply sector have signed up to support CCPI. In signing the Trade Associate pledge, trade associations are committing to support and promote the Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI) and its registration and assessment process to their members with the aim to drive a transformational step change in construction product information and management. This is an important move to build back trust in construction product information and marketing, and drive positive culture change across the sector.
Important Note
SPRA members should not and cannot in any way imply to any third party in PR/marketing that they are registered and have been assessed through the CCPI process as a result of SPRA being an Associate CCPI member. They must go through the full CCPI process with CPI Ltd directly.
Source: CCPI
Build UK Update
Common Assessment Standard
Following publication of the latest version of the Common Assessment Standard on 1 July, the Building Safety section is now mandatory for all companies that carry out work under the Building Safety Act. A number of Build UK members have specified that companies in their supply chain must have successfully completed this section by 1 October 2025.
Those members include BAM, Bowmer + Kirkland, Galliford Try, Kier, Mace, Morgan Sindall, Tilbury Douglas, VINCI and Wates, and companies working for any of these organisations should check that they have now completed the Building Safety section. Our guide to the Common Assessment Standard question set includes guidance on answering the questions, including the evidence that can be submitted to support a response and where further information can be found.
Companies that have achieved the Common Assessment Standard from any one of the Recognised Assessment Bodies do not need to obtain certification again from any others. Instead, they can agree to share their data at no cost with the other Recognised Assessment Bodies so it is visible to more Contractors and Clients. Don’t duplicate: giving permission to share your data is quick and simple and will help businesses across the supply chain to save time, reduce costs and win work.
The final report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry included a recommendation to introduce a licensing scheme for Principal Contractors wishing to work on Higher-Risk Buildings (HRBs). Build UK has met with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to present the Common Assessment Standard, which is already used by over 21,000 suppliers to demonstrate their organisational capability. As a next step, we have been asked by MHCLG to host a joint roundtable with members that undertake the role of Principal Contractor on HRBs to discuss the objectives of a licensing scheme and how existing initiatives such as the Common Assessment Standard might be used effectively.
Source: Build UK / CAS
Inclusive PPE Standard
The BSI has published BS 30417, a free new standard providing practical guidance on how to ensure PPE is inclusive and appropriate for all users. It covers selection and procurement, fit testing and adjustments, and the provision of training and information to help companies meet their legal duty to provide suitable PPE.
Source: Build UK / BSI
Excessive Noise Risks
RAAC Update
The Government has issued an update on the remediation of schools and hospitals with reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC), which states that 60% of the schools and 50% of the hospitals affected by RAAC have had it removed entirely or are in the process of doing so.
Source: Build Uk / Uk Gov
Build UK Publishes Guidance on Gateway Three
Building on our Gateway Two guidance, Build UK has published an overview of Gateway Three and the information and documents that must be included within an application to theBuilding Safety Regulator (BSR) for a Completion Certificate for a Higher-RiskBuilding (HRB). Gateway Three is a new application process which requires all the information to be submitted, even where it was previously provided as part of the Gateway Two application.
The Build UK guide is aligned with the BSR application portal and sets out the full list of questions that must be completed, including whether they are multiple choice, free text or a PDF document upload, to make it as easy as possible for members preparing and submitting a Gateway Three application. If a Partial Completion Strategy was agreed at Gateway Two and part of the building is intended to be occupied before work is completed on the rest of the building, then a Partial Completion Certificate must be applied for in relation to the work that has been completed. As is the case at Gateway Two, the BSR will carry out an initial assessment of the Gateway Three application to ensure that all the documents required have been submitted, which is known as the validation stage.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published updated guidance on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations in relation to the fire performance of flat entrance doors in existing blocks of flats. Designed to help Responsible Persons comply with their obligations to check that fire doors are regularly checked and remain suitable in accordance with the fire risk assessment originally undertaken, the update clarifies that the regulations do not require all existing flat entrance doors to be replaced to satisfy current standards for new blocks of flats as required by theBuilding Regulations.
The BSR and the Leasehold Advisory Service have launched a free online building safety training programme for Resident Management Companies to help them understand the Building Safety Act and their legal obligations for managing safety in High-Rise Residential Buildings.
Source: Build UK / BSR
Inspiring Careers in Construction
Construction needs to recruit almost 50,000 extra workers a year, and one of the best ways to show what our industry has to offer is to participate in Open Doors. At our Open Doors Coordinators meeting last week, we outlined our plans to take visitors behind the scenes of construction during Open Doors 2026 from Monday 23 – Saturday 28 March.
We highlighted the benefits of hosting events, including direct recruitment, developing relationships with local schools and colleges, and sourcing candidates for work experience opportunities – as well as playing your part in showcasing the range of careers available in construction. 88% of the record 7,000 visitors in 2025 stated that they were more likely to consider a career in the industry after their visit, and you can all help us to recruit the next generation by opening up your sites, offices, training centres and manufacturing facilities across the UK.
Events for Open Doors 2026 can be registered on the Open Doors website from Monday 6 October, and further information can be found in our latest Open Doors update.
Source: Build UK
Contract Terms Recommendation
- Fitness for Purpose – Do not include a ‘fitness for purpose’ standard of care for design (except in the process sector)
- Unquantifiable Risks – Do not include delay/loss and expense risk where not reasonably ascertainable for dealing with asbestos; fossils, antiquities and other objects of interest or value; unexploded ordnance; and the carrying out by statutory bodies of work in pursuance of their statutory obligations
- ‘Specified Perils’ – Do not include that ‘Specified Perils’ (as defined in JCT) will not give rise to extension of time where caused by the (sub-)contractor
- Breach of Contract – Do not include a blanket indemnity for breach of contract
- Uncapped Liabilities – Do not include uncapped (sub-)contractor liability (save for certain aggregate cap carve-outs)
- Performance Securities – Do not use a pure on-demand performance bond; a Parent Company Guarantee (PCG) which does not include a ‘no greater liability’ clause and equivalent rights of defence; or a collateral warranty which does not include a ‘no greater liability’ clause.
Build UK have published comprehensive guidance to help implement the recommendation, explaining why each term should not be used and setting out ways to manage the underlying issues more effectively, with specific guidance for JCT and NEC contracts. The recommendation is non‐binding and Build UK members are free to negotiate their own contractual terms with their clients.
Source: Build UK
CPA State of Trade Survey – Q3 Questionnaire
From CPA Head of Construction Research Rebecca Larkin
The CPA’s State of Trade Survey for Q3 is now open. Please can I ask you to fill in (or send on to someone else in your organisation or your members to complete) on the state of trade in your materials or products sub-sector during the July-September period of 2025.
The deadline is the end of Monday 6 October and we would encourage you to respond so that we can present a comprehensive view of our industry’s near-term performance. The survey can be found here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CPASurvey25Q3. All responses are kept strictly confidentially and results will be presented on an aggregate basis only.
CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update
The U.S. tariff and global trade issues information has been paused, as there have been no further updates or changes in recent weeks. However, if tariffs and international trade become significant issues once again, then the CPA will restart the tariff information updates.
The latest weekly update is available here including:
- New Construction Minister (September 2025)
- RIBA Future Trends Survey (August 2025)
- Insolvency Service Construction Insolvencies (July 2025)
The CPA’s Summer forecasts were published on Monday, 28 July, and are available from the CPA Website. If you prefer not to receive these emails, then let me know.
Government Update
Ministerial Responsibilities Finalised
After the recent reshuffle it often takes a little time for individual ministers responsibilities to be finalised. This has now happened and responsibilities have been confirmed for all Ministers. Chiefly for our industry are the two junior Ministers and their responsibilities who are as follows:
Samantha Dixon MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy) MHCLG
Building safety, regulations, Building Safety Regulator and remediation, Net Zero and energy efficiency, Grenfell Inquiry response, Grenfell Community, Tower and Memorial, Fire policy and operations, Resilience, recovery, and emergencies, Elections policy, Planning casework.
Chris McDonald MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Minister for Industry) DBT & DESNZ
DBT responsibilities include:
advanced manufacturing, automotive, aerospace, chemicals and plastics, construction, infrastructure, maritime and shipbuilding, steel, materials and critical minerals, Industrial Development Advisory Board, defence
DESNZ responsibilities include:
Office For Clean Energy Jobs, green jobs and skills, green growth sectors, energy sector supply chains, energy infrastructure investments, industrial decarbonisation and emissions trading, including fuel switching, carbon leakage, industrial energy bill.
DESNZ Survey Request
The UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) Product Standards team invites CPA members to take part in a short survey on Ecodesign requirements for standby, off-mode and networked standby. The aim of this survey is to gather evidence on the potential impacts if the UK aligns with the EU’s updated Regulation (EU) 2023/826, and to compare these with the current GB requirements under Regulation (EC) No 1275/2008. The EU’s updated rules would increase the stringency of requirements and bring additional products into scope. Your input will help DESNZ assess the implications for UK businesses and inform future policy.
The survey can be accessed via the following link: https://survey.alchemer.eu/s3/90904374/Standby-Networked-Standby-Survey. It will ask some questions about your organisation, your product portfolio, and your views on the current and future requirements. A separate Excel file is provided for you to add technical and sales volume details about your products.
All responses will be viewed only by DESNZ and its research agencies and combined to build an anonymised, aggregate picture. If you are a trade association, you are welcome to provide association-level responses and/or coordinate input from your members.
Consultation on Late Payments
The Department for Business and Trade has launched a consultation seeking views on proposed legislative measures to ensure companies pay their suppliers quickly and on time, including measures to address the use of retention clauses in construction contracts. This is an important consultation for construction both in terms of the proposed options for retentions and the wider general payment measures. DBT wants CPA members to recognise that retentions may not be a direct issue for our manufacturers, but payment certainly is. The consultation runs for 12 weeks and closes on 23 October 2025. Further details can be found here.
Industry News
Update from the Building Safety Regulator:
Members will know that the CPA and a handful of Construction Leadership Council representatives have weekly meetings with the Building Safety Regulator and over the past year those discussions have been very focused on the Gateway 2 delays. These have been immensely challenging conversations for both the BSR and industry, simultaneously recognising the need to raise the standards of applications whilst the construction sector has incurred serious economic repercussions because of project delays. This update (excerpt below) from the BSR and CLC hopefully reflects a turning point and progress, knowing that much still needs to be done:
The Government, the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) and firms in the construction industry, are committed to working together to deliver buildings that are safe for those who live and work in them. For the past two years, the CLC has been working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) and the BSR to address the Grenfell Inquiry recommendations, improve competence, and transform industry culture and performance in relation to building safety.
The CLC began weekly meetings with the BSR in July 2024, to address industry concerns in relation to the operation of the building control regime for new Higher Risk Buildings (HRBs). These meetings focused on reducing the delays in the building control application approval process at Gateway 2 and Gateway 3, including through providing clearer joint guidance on the process and information requirements, as well as ensuring greater engagement between the BSR and applicants. As a result of those discussions and the subsequent task and finish group established by the CLC, a suite of Guidance was recently published. The guidance suite was developed for industry via a collaboration between the CLC, BSR and industry stakeholders. The aim of the guidance is to help both those involved in submitting and assessing Building Control Approval applications at Gateway 2. While the guidance was developed for new build HRBs, many of the principles will also be helpful for existing HRBs.
Meetings continue to take place on a fortnightly basis between the CLC and the BSR to work through issues on an ongoing basis and find solutions collaboratively with further guidance for industry to follow in due course.
Following the recent announcement about the future of the BSR, Andy Roe, formerly the Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade, will be the Non-Executive Chair of the BSR, which will ultimately become an Executive Agency of MHCLG. An Innovation Delivery Unit and a new Fast Track Process for new build applications have also been introduced.
There is still much that needs to be done to fully enable the efficient operation of the building safety regime…. We look forward to working with you more over the coming months and will be in touch again shortly.
Review of Government Buying Standards (GBS)
The Government is reviewing the Government Buying Standards – these are guidelines that state that any new government procured building should be BREEAM Excellent, and any major refurbishment should achieve a BREEAM Very Good rating. There are also GBS for product groups such as windows, wood products, paints and varnishes, domestic gas boilers, Showers, taps, toilets, and others. Defra has issued a stakeholder survey here and will be convening webinars in September. Find the GBS for different product groups here. For further information contact Jane Thornback.
Regulatory science challenges to the uptake of innovation for Net Zero in retrofit
CPA is a project partner in this Innovate-UK funded network project to explore the regulatory challenges to the uptake of innovation for Net Zero in Retrofit. This one-year project is now entering its third quarter and the Network (BRE, National Retrofit Hub, National Energy Foundation) will convene an open meeting for anyone interested in learning about progress on 29 September 2025 from 13.30 to 15.00. Register at RetroNetZero RS&IN – BRE Group Events. For further information contact Jane Thornback
Source: CPA
Changes to CITB Funding
CITB has announced a number of changes to its grants and funding system with the aim of making it easier for employers to access financial support for training and development. With an increasing number of employers claiming funding, the changes are designed to help streamline the support that CITB provides to the industry.
- From 1 September 2025, any short qualification achieved at an ‘Award’ level will receive the grant value of £240, rather than £600. CITB has confirmed that this reflects the fact that the cost of undertaking ‘Award’ level qualifications is generally lower because they typically have a shorter duration with fewer modules to complete.
- The Skills & Training Fund will close from 30 September 2025, and the Employer Networks will become the single route for employers to apply for funding to develop their businesses. Employer Networks fund up to 70% of training costs whilst reducing the administrative burden for employers by identifying suitable training and providers and supporting the booking process.
- The grant uplift for specific supervisory and management qualifications to replace Industry Accreditation cards will now be removed at the end of December 2025, rather than the end of March 2026, after supporting more individuals than expected. Employers will receive a grant of £600 for these qualifications once the uplift is removed.
CITB is planning to launch a newonline portal this month to make it easier for employers to apply for apprenticeship and qualification grants and track the status of their applications. More skills and training news can be found in our latest Recruit, Train and Retain update.
Source: CITB
Women In Construction Leadership & Management Courses
In a sector where demand for talent is at an all-time high, womenremain an untapped force. The latest CITB Apprenticeships Paper (Feb 2025) warns of a 250,000-worker shortfall by 2028, yet female representation in construction apprenticeships is still frustratingly low.
The challenge isn’t ability. It’s access. Women complete training, but too often face cultural and structural barriers that make the leap from classroom to site, then site to senior roles harder than it should be.
The Leading with Motivational Intelligence Executive Diploma, delivered by Women in Construction: The Power Within Her, equips women to lead differently and change the game from within. Backed by the Scottish Qualifications Authority and eligible for full CITB funding, this accredited course gives you the tools to:
- Lead teams and projects in high-pressure environments
- Build inclusive, high-trust site cultures where diverse talent thrives
- Mentor and motivate apprentices through the challenges of on-site work
- Navigate and influence workplace change with confidence
Who This Is For:
- Women in construction roles ready to step into leadership
- Employers committed to retaining diverse talent
- Organisations that see inclusive leadership as a competitive advantage
Course Format:
- Live Zoom sessions + modular online content
- 24/7 access to expert mentors
- Fully accredited and CITB-funded
The industry needs more than just workers. It needs leaders who can turn today’s apprentices into tomorrow’s experts.
Source: WIC