EWS | DIGEST IN BRIEF Nuaire fan out of this world Nuaire claims to be the first ventilation company to be specified on an outer-world project with one of its products selected for the International Space Station (ISS). A window-mounted XS fan module with built-in anti-gravity shutters will provide air changes for the astronauts on board the $150bn station. Nuaire reported one astronaut as saying it would be nice to get some air movement through the station, as it can get quite stuffy at times. Hopefully, it doesnt get too draughty. In anticipation of more demand from outer space, the company has set up a galactic enquiries team. Trade bodies launch new pre-qual system Build UK and the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA) have launched a pre-qualification system to cut bureaucracy and reduce the cost to contractors of tendering for jobs. The trade bodies say the current system is extremely complex and costs the industry up to 1bn a year. Multiple schemes mean the sectors 180,000 specialist contractors produce two million pieces of paper every year to get onto tender lists. They plan to produce a Common Assessment Standard based on existing questionnaires, including BSIs PAS91, which will cover 10 key areas and include desktop and site-based assessment standards. Brexit forces construction to depend more on public sector Developers spending less because of economic uncertainties The construction industry is increasingly reliant on public sector spending in the face of falling confidence among private clients, caused by Brexit, market analyst Glenigan has said. According to its latest figures, thesectors largest three clients in 2018 werethe departments for transport, health andeducation. The Department for Transport has topped Glenigans rankings of the industrys top 100 clients for the past two years but, while it let asimilar number of projects in 2018, the overall value of its spending fell by 37% compared with the previous year. The 285 contracts awarded by the Department of Health in 2018, however, were worth 15% more than a year earlier and included more large construction projects. The Department for Education rose six places to third in Glenigans top 100, as total construction spending increased by 74%. Together, these government departments were responsible for letting 5.2bn of construction contracts. As commercial spending is hit by continuing economic uncertainties, including Brexit, leading developers are spending less. As a result, they are sliding down [our] rankingof the industrys top 100 clients, and being overtaken by government departments, Glenigan said. Spending at the Ministry of Defence shrank 59% last year, while contract awards at the Environment Agency and Home Office also reduced. There was a 144% surge at the Ministry of Justice, however, as new prison projects were procured. The devolved governments in Wales and Scotland had previously featured among the top 100 clients, but their construction spending shrank by 61% and 10% respectively last year, according to Glenigans contracts data. Farcical approach to payment condemned The government must legislate to solve the issue of late payment in construction and related sectors, according to Nick Howlett, chair of the Federation of Environmental Trade Associations (Feta). He told Fetas annual lunch that relying on voluntary codes of practice is farcical. We applaud the governments initiative to force companies to report their payment stats, but we await any signs they are prepared to do anything about the underlying problem, he said. Howletts remarks come after a warning from the Cabinet Office to large contractors that failing to pay their supply chains on time would result in them being barred from bidding for public sector work. EU is wide open to illegal refrigerants The European Union is at the mercy of criminals illegally trading refrigerant gases and needs to introduce a licensing system urgently, according to a new report. Non-governmental organisation the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) said the aim of the F-Gas legislation to scale back use of global warming gases was being undermined by poor enforcement and that a thriving black market was now being fuelled by rising HFC gas prices. The EUs doors are wide open to large-scale, illegal HFC trade, driven by quick profits, low risk of punitive measures and the absence of a system allowing customs officials to determine if an HFC import is legal or not, said EIA campaign head Clare Perry. A functioning licensing system is urgently needed and member states need to significantly and demonstrably strengthen enforcement. In its report, Doors wide open: Europes flourishing illegal trade in hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the EIA also called for changes to legislation that would prohibit use of disposable cylinders. It reported that customs data revealed HFC use exceeded the F-Gas quota by more than 16% last year, which it said was equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from more than four coal-fired power plants. 8 May 2019 www.cibsejournal.com CIBSE May19 pp08-09 News.indd 8 26/04/2019 16:55