Weekly Policy Update |
up to Friday 29th May 2026

Policy Updates

Gold Standard Verification for the Department of Education

Congratulations to the team at the Department for Education who have achieved Constructing the Gold Standard Full Verification for its CF25 Construction Framework, the first to be procured under the new Procurement Act. Gold Standard Verification for the Department of Education – Constructing Excellence

The Missing Voices in Construction Safety: Why Frontline Knowledge Matters

Constructing Excellence and ARCOM kicked off its collaboration with a deep dive into safety culture, showcasing the work of Dr Emmanuel Aboagye-Nimo of Birmingham City University.  The key question: how do we create a stronger safety culture when the people delivering the work are too often the least heard? The session highlighted the need to connect formal systems with the realities of site delivery, and to make more space for frontline experience, practical insight and shared learning. The Missing Voices in Construction Safety: Why Frontline Knowledge Matters – Constructing Excellence

Policy Update

Government response: low carbon industrial products consultation

The government has published its response to last year’s consultation on a policy framework to grow the market for low carbon industrial products. The government will issue new guidance for buyers and producers on life cycle assessment (LCA) based approaches to reporting, and on product classification models for steel, cement and concrete, and procurement considerations.

A report issued with the response examines the quality, consistency and reliability of data used in LCAs for steel, cement and concrete.

Government issues report on accuracy of EPC assessments

This week the government published a 2025 report produced by UCL Energy Institute and Alan Pither Limited into the accuracy of energy performance certificates (EPCs). The report identifies that overall, EPCs tend to overestimate energy demand by around 16% for gas‑heated homes, more for electrically heated homes. The report concludes that improving EPC accuracy will require more dynamic data updates, refined modelling assumptions, and better assessor practices, particularly as the system transitions toward the new Home Energy Model.

UK Parliament’s Housing Committee writes to Minister on Housing Quality

This week the UK Parliament’s Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee issued a warning to Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook on how the government’s target of 1.5 million new homes must not be pursued at the expense of quality. The committee cited reports of major defects, damp, and mould in new builds and demanded a rigorous “stress-test” of building regulations to ensure they can withstand future overheating risks.

Surviving drought: reclaim the rain report from House of Lords Climate Change Committee

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee released a report that warned that England faces a potential water supply deficit of five billion litres per day by 2055. Recommendations include lowering daily water usage targets to 105 litres per person, making water companies statutory consultees on all major planning decisions, and investing heavily in leak-reduction and on-farm reservoir storage.