At a glance
🏛️ Tougher payment rules and a ban on retentions edge closer as the Commercial Payments Bill advances through Parliament.
🏛️ Final days to influence fire safety guidance, with the Approved Document B consultation closing this week.
💰 ONS data shows modest construction output growth, underpinned by repair and maintenance rather than new build.
🚆 A £725bn infrastructure strategy keeps rail, energy and social infrastructure at the centre of the medium-term pipeline.
🌱 New whole life carbon framework raises the bar on how projects are designed, procured and reported for net-zero.
Today’s update: legislative reform on payments and building safety is converging with a stable-but-muted output picture and a long-term infrastructure push built around a £725bn, 10-year programme. Alongside this, regulators and industry bodies are sharpening expectations on procurement efficiency and whole life carbon accounting. Here’s what you need to know to stay ahead today.
Ongoing Stories
🚆 Returning to the theme of long-term infrastructure delivery, the UK’s new £725bn 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy reinforces earlier concerns over skills, productivity and delivery models, but now sets out a decade-long pipeline across rail, roads, energy and social infrastructure that clients and contractors must plan against. (Source: UK Government)
🏛️ Following earlier coverage of planning and regulatory reform, the consultation on changes to Approved Document B (Fire Safety) is now reaching its 1 July deadline, meaning developers and building owners have limited time left to shape the next phase of fire safety requirements. (Source: Mayer Brown)
🚆 Building on previous analysis of infrastructure delivery risks, the CMA’s findings on up to £5bn in annual savings from reforming road and rail procurement now sit with government, which must respond within 90 days of 21 May and could trigger structural changes in how major schemes are let. (Source: Mayer Brown)
Top 5 Headlines
🏛️ Commercial Payments Bill could reshape construction cashflow
The Commercial Payments Bill is progressing through Parliament with proposals to cap payment terms at a maximum of 60 days, subject to limited exemptions. It would introduce interest on late payments at 8% above the Bank of England base rate, ban retention deductions in construction contracts and bolster the powers and reporting reach of the Small Business Commissioner. For contractors, consultants and supply chains, this points to a structurally different working capital environment and tighter discipline on payment practices. (Source: Mayer Brown)
🏛️ Deadline looms for responses to fire safety guidance overhaul
A joint MHCLG and Building Safety Regulator consultation on updates to Approved Document B (Fire Safety) closes on 1 July 2026. The exercise covers changes to fire safety regulations affecting both new construction and the management of existing buildings. The outcome will set the technical and compliance baseline for fire design and refurbishment strategies in the coming years. (Source: Mayer Brown)
💰 ONS signals modest but steady construction output growth
Latest ONS figures show UK construction output rose 1.6% in the three months to April 2026, with repair and maintenance up 3.4% and new work up 0.3%. Monthly output in April edged up just 0.1%, again largely driven by repair and maintenance activity. The data underline a market still in growth but relying more on existing asset work than new build, with the next detailed release due in August for June 2026 performance. (Source: ONS)
🚆 £725bn 10-year infrastructure strategy anchors sector pipeline
Returning today with more detail, the UK government’s 10-Year Infrastructure Strategy outlines £725bn of planned investment across rail, roads, energy, housing, schools, hospitals and justice facilities. Flagship schemes include HS2, Sizewell C, the Lower Thames Crossing and multiple carbon capture and storage hubs, with infrastructure cited as the strongest-performing segment amid softer commercial and residential markets. This provides a critical forward view for suppliers weighing capacity, investment and bidding strategies over the next decade. (Source: UK Government)
🌱 New Whole Life Carbon Framework raises bar on project emissions
The UK Green Building Council has launched a Whole Life Carbon Framework to support consistent measurement and reduction of both embodied and operational carbon across projects. The framework is intended to help align construction activity with national net-zero targets by standardising how emissions are assessed through the asset lifecycle. Project sponsors and design teams should expect growing pressure from clients, investors and regulators to apply these methods at concept stage and through procurement. (Source: Mayer Brown)
Also in the news
🚆 The CMA’s study into road and rail procurement identifies potential annual savings of up to £5bn through reforms, with a formal government response due within 90 days of 21 May 2026 that could influence future contracting models. (Source: Mayer Brown)
🌱 Market soundings suggest infrastructure activity remains comparatively resilient, offsetting softer conditions in residential and commercial segments as investors lean into energy and transport-linked schemes. (Source: UK Government)
💰 Analysts note that with the next ONS construction output release not due until August, April’s 1.6% three‑month growth and repair-led profile remain the key reference points for short-term market planning. (Source: ONS)
🏛️ Legal commentators point out that the Commercial Payments Bill’s proposed ban on retentions would fundamentally change long‑standing risk allocation between tier one contractors and their supply chains if enacted as drafted. (Source: Mayer Brown)
🌱 The new Whole Life Carbon Framework is expected to filter quickly into client brief requirements and funding criteria for major schemes as net-zero scrutiny intensifies. (Source: Mayer Brown)
The Daily Build is written for people shaping the UK’s construction and infrastructure pipeline. If this briefing is useful, consider forwarding it to colleagues before the morning project review. Staying aligned on these shifts can sharpen your next bid, contract negotiation or investment case.