Modern Building Services

MODERN BUILDING SERVICES FEBRUARY 2022 9 NEWS ANALYSIS CHAS , the supply chain risk management expert, highlights ten issues that will affect construction supply chains in 2022 by Alex Minett , Head of Products & Markets at CHAS. 1. The Building Safety Bill The Building Safety Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, is set to change how certain buildings are constructed, maintained and made safe. It will include regulato-ry reforms on fire safety and quality of construction products and will introduce a devel-oper levy. Virtually everyone involved in the design, construction and management of higher-risk buildings will be affected. It is expected that the Bill will receive Royal Assent between April and June 2022 with the provisions coming into force in stages. The HSE will oversee the new building safety re-gime and is already urging affected parties such as designers to prepare. For more infor-mation, subscribe to the HSE’s free BSR eBulletin here: https://public.govdelivery.com/ accounts/UKHSE/signup/15087 2. New framework for Environmental protection The Environment Bill became the Environment Act 2021 when it received Royal Assent on 9th November 2021, introducing a post- Brexit framework for environmental govern-ance, primarily in England. The Act paves the way for further laws and guidelines such as legally binding targets around air pollution, biodiversity, water quality and waste which will be defined in due course. Businesses of all sizes can prepare by reviewing how they currently monitor andmanage environmental processes and ensuring environmental management remains high on their agenda. 3. Net Zero targets From 1st October 2021, it became mandatory for all companies bidding for government contracts worth more than five million pounds a year to commit to achieving net zero emissions by 2050. Under the new rules, set out in Public Policy Note 06/21, in-scope organisations need to produce a carbon reduction plan detailing where their emissions come from and what environmental management measures they have in place. While some large companies already self-report Scope 1 (direct) and Scope 2 (indirect owned) carbon emissions under the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regula-tions, the new targets require them to go further. This includes committing to achieving Net Zero by 2050 and reporting Scope 3 emissions such as business travel, employee commuting, transportation, distribution and waste. The requirements currently only apply to government contracts, but they could become an advisory part of the Common Assessment Standard in 2022. ➜ Ten issues that will affect construction supply chains in 2022