Since the coronovirus pandemic, many of you told us that you've found it difficult to tackle the subject of rising prices with your clients. Factors including COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, congestion on shipping routes and Brexit have challenged the free flow of materials around the world from areas of production. This has reduced supply in the UK and pushed prices up.
The supply of building materials is now much improved and costs are levelling off. However, we know that pricing for jobs can still be tricky as materials prices are still on the up due to inflation and the effect of the cost of living crisis on things like wages.
Your clients may be surprised to find their final bill is much higher than the work originally quoted because of these changes. So to help you explain this and avoid any disruptions and disputes, we've put together a letter for our members to share alongside their quotations.
Member resources
- We have produced a template letter for members to share with clients to provide them with independent information about the situation. This letter includes a recommendation for building firms to include a ‘change clause’ in contracts to account for changes to the time, price, or materials.
- Download FMB contract templates for domestic building work, which have been updated to incorporate such a change clause.
- Access more information in our blog Fine print flexibility: The importance of adaptability in construction contracts, which covers tips on managing changes to projects through contracts and quoting.
Further information
The CPA and BMF co-chair the Construction Leadership Council’s Product Availability Group, which brings together manufacturers, merchants and builders. You can read the latest full Construction Product Availability Statement on the CLC website.
The FMB’s National President, Jan Etchells, is part of CLC’s Product Availability Group, along with some other FMB board members. It’s an opportunity to make the case right at the door of the merchants and manufacturers, and what you tell us is fed into the group’s work.
Please keep sharing your experiences with the FMB, either via your Hub Director, Area Board, the FMB’s Facebook group, or by emailing [email protected].
