Daily briefing
National Construction News briefing: Wednesday 14 October 2026
15 stories from the last 24 hours, two events and deadlines today, one date for the week ahead and five closing dates from our recent stories.
Stories from the last 24 hours
Government to regulate heating oil market as record numbers apply for £9,000 heat pump grant
Ministers have accepted the Competition and Markets Authority's call for a regulatory regime covering heating oil suppliers, while record numbers of households applied to the Boiler Upgrade Scheme following the uplifted grant for oil-heated homes.
Former TB+A managing partner David Arnold awarded CIBSE Gold Medal
Troup Bywaters + Anders' former managing partner and 1994 CIBSE president was one of five Gold Medallists among 29 members honoured at the institution's 2026 President's Awards Dinner in London.
Salix reports 25,000 social housing measures and 560 public sector projects in 2025-26
The government-backed delivery body's annual report records a year of Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund, Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and Home Upgrade Grant work ahead of its planned merger into a new Warm Homes Agency.
AutoJare cordless drill import rejected at border over charger plug fire risk, OPSS reports
The Office for Product Safety and Standards has published a high-risk product safety report on a cordless drill whose charger plug is not designed for UK use, does not meet BS 1363 and has no fuse.
MCS opens consultation on new product standard for home battery storage
The certification body has published a draft MCS 042 product standard for battery storage, with comments due by 10 November, as installations in 2026 pass 60,000 by the end of September.
CIBSE presents 29 medals at 2026 President's Awards Dinner, up from 19 last year
Five Gold, seven Silver and 17 Bronze Medals went to members in London, with former presidents David Arnold, John Field and Peter Kinsella among the Gold Medal recipients named by the institution.
Wynne Construction wins Wales STEM Award for Maths in the Workplace schools programme
The North Wales contractor took Educational Programme of the Year (Private Sector) at the 2026 Wales STEM Awards and was highly commended with Careers Wales for collaboration, after reaching 2,766 pupils in a year.
Advanced's Axis AX shortlisted for Detection Solution of the Year at Fire Buyer Awards 2026
The Newcastle-based fire system manufacturer's UL-listed Axis AX range is up against three rival products in a reader-voted category, with voting closing on 30 October and winners named online on 19 November.
Styled Home Design completes design-only refurbishment of The Cricketers pub in Cambridge
The interior design studio supplied a design pack for the pub and Thai restaurant on Melbourne Place, leaving the venue's new owners to procure and install the work with their own team.
Lighthouse Charity urges construction workers to talk money and prepare for Making Tax Digital
The construction wellbeing charity's 'It All Counts' campaign offers budgeting advice, emergency food shops and rent support, and points self-employed workers to a free course on HMRC's new digital tax rules.
HSE launches noise and vibration campaign urging employers to act before damage is done
The regulator's Assess, Control, Protect campaign names construction first among the sectors where noise and hand-arm vibration are common hazards, and builds on a pledge targeting zero new HAVS cases by 2035.
Three SMEs picked to trial asset monitoring and passenger sentiment AI at Glasgow Airport
Connected Places Catapult has chosen Beam Connectivity, Createc and Wordnerds for the fourth cohort of its Innovate UK-funded Connected Airport Living Lab, with the programme running until 31 March 2027.
Governance and data standards, not technology, hold back transport digital twins, Catapult finds
A Department for Transport-commissioned report from Connected Places Catapult finds UK transport digital twin adoption uneven and still largely at pilot stage, with fragmented governance and inconsistent data standards the main barriers.
Kingfisher names OBI chief Sebastian Gundel as next CEO from February 2027
The B&Q and Screwfix owner has appointed the chief executive of German home improvement retailer OBI to succeed Thierry Garnier, who steps down on 31 December 2026 after resigning in May.
Sizewell C-funded Leiston bike hire scheme passes 5,000 miles in first year
The Pedal to Zero community scheme run by Net Zero Leiston has grown to 22 bikes and added a hub at Persimmon Homes' Aldhurst View development since launching in September 2025.
Today
British Construction and Infrastructure Awards
Takes place today at JW Marriott Grosvenor House Hotel.
Highways UK
Starts today at NEC Birmingham.
This week
RIBA Stirling Prize
Takes place on Thursday 15 October.
Closing soon
The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2026.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Limited's ITT for the Provision of Repairs Services Tender, valued at £32,197,500 including VAT, also closes on 16 October at 12:00.
Largest construction works tenders closing 5 to 18 October 2026
That consultation runs until 21 October.
Public-sector buyers have 121 construction works tenders closing on Find a Tender between 9 and 22 October 2026, with the 105 single contracts that carry an estimate valued at £431.0 million in total, according to Cabinet Office open data.
About this briefing
Published on weekday mornings. Every item comes from a story National Construction News has already published and checked against its sources, from dates organisers have published, or from our data trackers. See the events and awards calendar, or get the week's stories by email with the weekly newsletter.