In our first look at the latest goings on across the construction sector for 2026, there’s news on this year’s Open Doors week, the latest industry outlook from S&P Global and a consultation on the government’s proposed tax reporting changes. 

CITB Open Doors Week

The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) have confirmed details and dates for this year’s Open Doors Week. 

Aimed at inspiring the next generation of construction workers, Open Doors offers a rare and unique chance to go behind the scenes of the industry, giving the public access to live construction sites, offices, factories and training centres across the UK.

Running from Monday 23rd - Saturday 28th March, events will be held both in-person and virtually. You can find more information about registering for Open Doors week 2026 here. 

Activity and new work down, but showing signs of recovery

S&P Global has published its latest UK construction Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), highlighting a decline in business activity and new work orders at the end of 2025. 

However, while both of these measurements were down, December’s rates of contraction had risen from the record lows seen in November. Civil engineering was the lowest performing category in terms of construction activity in December, with both housing and commercial activity also notably down. 

The S&P PMI suggested that fragile client confidence and subdued underlying demand were key factors in the downturn, as well as many firms noting a delay in investment decisions ahead of the November Budget. 

Construction bosses optimistic for the year ahead despite activity downturn

Despite the lack of new orders, S&P Global’s latest survey also signalled optimism amongst construction companies surrounding 2026. 

Around 37% of the survey panel predicted a rise in output levels during the year ahead, compared to 20% that forecasted a decline, marking the highest level of business confidence for five months. 

Amongst the reasons cited for this positive outlook were new work in the utilities sector, related to water and energy infrastructure investments, lower interest rates and improvements in domestic economic conditions.

Consultation opens on simplified Construction Industry Scheme

During November’s Autumn Budget, the government announced a technical consultation on legislative changes to simplify the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), coming into effect from 6th April 2026. Read the proposed changes below:

“The government intends to amend the Income Tax (Construction Industry Scheme) Regulations 2005 (‘the CIS Regulations’) to:

  • Exempt payments made to local authorities or public bodies from the scope of the CIS
  • Require construction contractors to file a nil return  when they have not paid any subcontractors in a month, unless they have notified HMRC in advance that they will not make any such payments that month”

The consultation on these proposed changes is now open. The government is calling for technical feedback to ensure the regulations operate as intended, and to identify areas which need further clarification. You can read more and submit your responses here.