CPA Weekly Notes – 29th May 2026

Issue No. 1203, 29th May 2026 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

Sponsor the CPA Autumn Lunch 2026 
Preparations are now underway for our Autumn Lunch 2026, which will take place at the Brewery on the 5th of November. Tickets will go on sale later in the summer, but we are already looking for sponsors to help support this special event. If your company would be interested in becoming a sponsor, please take a look at the sponsorship form and get in touch with Fabi for more information.

CPA Webinar Recording now Available.
Thank you to all those that attended the CPA webinar for our Construction Industry Forecasts – Spring 2026. The webinar recording can be accessed on the CPA website here.

Weekly CPA Meeting Calendar 

• Amanda Long, Deputy CEO will co-facilitate a cross-industry consultation roundtable on the Construction Product Reforms.  Additionally, Amanda will also be chairing the next meeting of the Industry Working Group on Steel Tariffs and Quotas on behalf of the CLC.  
• Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, will be attending and presenting a meeting at KTLG.
• Mark Wilkinson, CPA Technical Manager is attending the OPSS Business Reference Panel.

Economics Update

CPA Weekly UK Economic and Construction Update
The latest weekly update can be found here it includes:

• CPA View on Middle East Conflict and Potential Effects (28 May 2026)
• RIBA Future Trends Survey (April 2026)

The CPA’s Spring Forecasts were published on 5th May and can be found here.
The State of Trade Survey 2025 Q4 was published on 14th May and can be found here.

Government Update

GSR and White Paper Consultations
The CPA has made a number of submissions on the current consultations including coordinating the response for the Construction Leadership Council, and direct CPA a responses from the Technical Committee, The Sustainability Group. Hanna Clarke, CPA Digital Manager has also submitted a response from SLG 5 competence. 

HSE E-Bulletin Published 
The latest bulletin from the HSE on behalf of the Building Safety Regulator has been published. It contains pieces on:

• The latest building control Gateway Two update for the 12-week rolling period to 1 May 2026.
• Building Advisory Committee appointments
• Review of Approved Document B 
• Planning Gateway One (PGO) marking its fifth anniversary.
• An invitation to participate in online research sessions on the gateway process

The newsletter can be found here.

CPA Consultation Tracker 
With an increasing number of consultations being launched by government, the CPA has launched a tracker with those consultations that are relevant to CPA membership. It can be found for members here.
New consultations will still be reported the Weekly Notes for a limited time. 

Industry News

BBA/UKAS
Many members will be aware that for a number of months now UKAS has suspended BBA activities.
Information has been sparse despite us raising the issue with Government Departments at very high level. We understand this does not affect current certificates but does effectively stop recertification and any new work. We also understand that this is not a technical matter but procedural. It is now subject to the Accreditation Regulations 2009.  When a dispute such as this arises, these regulations call for an independent board to adjudicate on the issue.  We understand this is underway but it is unclear what progress has been made.
We are deeply concerned on several levels about the lack of information being provided concerning this issue, and any progress towards resolution.
We are also concerned that there seems to be little or no appreciation of the severe damage this is doing to the supply chain and the wider industry. We are working through a number of channels for answers, including with the CLC.  We are also very concerned as to what plans are in place to manage and address the impact in the event that the suspension continues after the independent board has concluded.
We want to make clear we will continue to press for answers and action as well as acknowledgement of the damage this situation is causing at the highest level.  In the meantime, if your business has been directly affected and can supply a factual account we want to pass this information on to Government and Ministers. Please email CPA Senior External Affairs Manager, Rob Lee here.

British standard on construction products competence published for public consultation
BS 8670-2 Built environment – Core criteria for construction product competence – Code of Practice has been published for public comment this week, closing 13 July. The standard aims to bring consistency across all how all disciplines working with construction products and product information throughout its life cycle. It does this by describing the core principals that should be included in all competence frameworks, training and qualifications. It also may impact how organisations delegate responsibilities with construction products in the organisations and their supply chain.
BS 8670-2 originates from the white paper that CPA published on behalf of WG 12 – Construction Products Competence – that has since been superseded by SLG 5 – Construction Products Manufacturers under the Industry Competence Steering Group, and has contributions from much of the CPA membership and colleagues across the Industry Competence Steering Group.
BS 8670-2 is available for comment here.

CPA in the News

BS 8670‑2 Explained: The Story Behind the UK’s New Construction Product Competence Standard
The Construction Products Association and the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) have both made clear that competence in product knowledge is now a market expectation, not just good practice. The BS 8670‑2 is aimed at removing ambiguity.
Construction.co.uk| 26/05/2026 | online

Houses are not homes: a question for Andy Burnham
Labour’s 1.5m homes target requires roughly 300,000 net additions a year for five years. The actual rate is closer to 200,000. The OBR’s most recent forecast puts this Parliament’s likely delivery at around 1 million across the whole UK, not just England, and the Construction Products Association has said the government will miss the target “significantly”. Planning applications, the earliest reliable indicator of future supply, are running at less than half the level required.
North West Place | 26/05/2026| Online