CPA Weekly Notes – 6th March 2026

Issue No. 1191, 6th March 2026 FOR MEMBERS ONLY

Association Activities

CPA Spring Lunch – Last Few Seats Remaining 
Join us for the CPA Spring Lunch on April 23, 2026, at Hilton Park Lane, London. This event is one of the most significant networking opportunities in the construction industry, attracting influential professionals from all areas of the construction industry. Whether you are a manufacturer, supplier, client, or contractor the CPA Spring Lunch provides a chance to connect and build valuable relationships. Reserve your table or seat now as sales are expected to finish very shortly.

Sponsorship Opportunities at CPA Spring Lunch 2026
Take advantage of our sponsorship opportunities at the CPA Spring Lunch 2026. By partnering with us, your brand will gain maximum exposure before, during, and after the event. This is an excellent way to showcase your commitment to the construction industry and reach a wider audience. By becoming a sponsor, you will not only support this prestigious event but also position your brand for future success. Let’s make the CPA Spring Lunch 2026 an event to remember! For more details on how to become a sponsor, please reach out to Fabi. For details about sponsorship see here.

Chancellor Delivers Spring Statement 
See the CPA reaction to the Spring Statement in full here.

Weekly CPA Meeting Calendar 

• Peter Caplehorn, CPA Chief Executive, will meet with directors at the MHCLG, OPSS and Building Safety Regulator to discuss product issues including the role of the Principal Designer; will meet with the Builders Merchants Federation to discuss its Data Yard initiative and impact on CPA members; attend a meeting of the BSI’s Retrofit Standards Task Group to develop a framework of retrofit standards; and join a regular meeting of the Construction Leadership Council’s Task Force.
• Mark Wilkinson, Senior Technical Manager, will meet with the DBT / OPSS to progress our White Label project; will chair a regular meeting of the BSI’s CB/3 committee re the Regulation and Standards for Construction Products; and attend a meeting of the CEN / CENELEC Coordination Group on Construction committee.
• Jane Thornback, CPA Sustainability Policy Advisor, will attend a meeting of the Green Construction Board’s Infrastructure Working Group,
• Hanna Clark, CPA Digital & Policy Manager, will have a variety of meetings with industry colleagues and civil servants around both competence and digitalisation of product information.
• Rob Lee, CPA Senior External Affairs Manager, will join the Enterprise Forum meeting with Joshua Reynolds MP and Charlie Maynard MP and attending the British Plastics Federation at their Parliamentary Reception.

Economics Update

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

• S&P Global UK Construction PMI (February 2026)
• DBT UK Brick Deliveries (January 2026)
• Bank of England UK Mortgage Approvals (January 2026)
• Nationwide UK House Price Index (February 2026)
• Vistry Group Full-year Results (March 2026)
• Taylor Wimpey Full-year Results (March 2026)

The State of Trade Survey 2025 Q4 was published on Monday 9th February and can be found here.
The CPA’s Winter Forecasts were published on Monday 26 January and can be found here.

Government Update

Statement from the Interim Chief Construction Adviser
The Chief Construction Advisor Thouria Istephan has release a statement regarding her work. It includes her priorities during her term in office and her next steps. some of her priorities are listed as:

• reform of regulation for construction products
• standards for the construction of buildings and professionals involved in construction
• how evidence is gathered and learning from near misses
• supporting the development of the permanent CCSA role

The Statement can be read in full here. The CPA has already met with and has an ongoing dialogue with the Interim Chief Construction Advisor.

Product Safety White Paper Published and Consultation Begins
The Government has published its White Paper consultation on Construction Product Reform. This has been eagerly anticipated following on from the Green Paper on Product Reform and more recently the Single Regulator Prospectus. The CPA will be engaging in detailed discussion with our members as it will define how the product sector will effectively be governed for the foreseeable future. The consultation can be found here.
As with the Green Paper last year the CPA is in discussion with officials at MHCLG on engagement events that our membership will take part in. We will advise when that has been finalised.

PAS 2000
It has been announced that PAS 2000:2026, Construction products – Bringing safe products to market – Code of practice, has now been published. Its free to download and can be found here.

Industry News

The Built Environment Competence Hub is Now live
The Built Environment Competence Hub, managed by BSI and developed in collaboration with the Industry Competence Steering Group (ICSG) and the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) is designed to bring industry together in a central space to strengthen competence across the UK built environment. Read the CPA blog here.

CPA in the News

Prices up, deliveries down in latest materials figures
The figures were largely expected, said Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association (CPA), because deliveries were relatively strong a year ago when housebuilding was gradually recovering, “before slowing considerably” in April 2025. In addition, the extremely wet weather in January 2026 “would have affected housebuilding starts early in the year”, Francis added.
Construction News  | 04/03/2026 | online

Spring Statement Forecasts 1.1% Growth This Year
Noble Francis, CPA Economics Director, said: “The Chancellor’s Spring Statement was always expected to be low profile, with little in terms of new policy, especially compared with the Autumn Budget in November. However, the recent, escalating situation in the Middle East provided a very difficult backdrop, overshadowing the fiscal update.”
Roofing Today | 04/03/2026 | online

City slashes bets on rate cuts after energy price shock
Noble Francis, economics director at the Construction Products Association and a professor at UCL, has cautioned that the Strait of Hormuz’s closure will likely raise oil and energy prices…“If there is a quick resolution, oil prices may not remain high for long, so it could just have a temporary direct impact on the UK economy and construction materials, with a brief upward blip in prices,” he said.“However, if the conflict and disruption persist and even spread, this could significantly impact materials prices in the medium-term. This would have a significant negative impact on UK construction at a time when construction demand is subdued … and when site viability is already a big issue due to high costs.”
Telegraph | 02/03/2026 | online
also in Yahoo Finance, Fix Radio, MSN UK

Warnings over impact of materials price rises on UK construction jobs if Middle East conflict drags on
Construction Products Association economics director Noble Francis said higher energy prices may lead to cost increases for materials, especially energy-intensive materials such as concrete or steel. But he said the impact on the UK industry would depend on how long the conflict lasts, with a sustained war between Iran and the US and Israel potentially leading a “significant impact on materials prices in the medium-term”.
Building | 02/03/2026 | online

Ravago XPS Insulation becomes first full range CCPI certified
The CCPI is a voluntary framework developed by the Construction Products Association and administered by Construction Product Information Ltd. It sets clear standards for the accuracy, clarity, and accessibility of construction product information. The assessment provides architects, engineers, contractors, and merchants with confidence that data is accurate, up-to-date, and unambiguous.
Total Contractor | 20/02/2026 | online

The Hidden Cost of Inconsistent Product Data in a Post-BSA Era
The Code for Construction Product Information (CCPI), initiated by the Construction Products Association (CPA), was developed to raise standards in construction product information and address misleading or ambiguous claims. Through third-party assessment, CCPI aims to create a clearer benchmark for accuracy and transparency – supporting architects in their specification decisions and reducing the need for repeat validation
ADF | 20/02/2026 | online