CISRS card renewal and the CSCS logo: what the 2027 deadline means for scaffolders and managers

The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme has given formal notice to end its licence with the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, setting a departure date of 1 June 2027 ^[1]. Unless agreement is reached, CISRS cards renewed after that date will not carry the CSCS logo ^[2]. The dispute involves CISRS, CSCS, Build UK, the Construction Leadership Council, the Scaffolding Association and an alliance of training centres, and it escalated significantly in the first week of October as each body set out a conflicting public position ^[3][4].

What CISRS says and why it served notice

CISRS says it received legal advice that the scheme was in breach of Clause 4 of the Construction Leadership Council's Industry Card Schemes requirements, which states that cards will not be issued for non-construction occupations or those visiting sites ^[5]. Because CISRS cards are routinely used by scaffolders working in petrochemical, marine, aviation, nuclear and events environments as well as construction, the board concluded it risked having its licence revoked ^[6]. Serving its own nine-month notice was intended to create time for a negotiated solution rather than face a 90-day forced exit ^[7].

NASC president Sarah Klieve, a CISRS board member, confirmed on 4 October that the notice was served partly to give CISRS a stronger hand in negotiations. She said the board's aim was to remove the prospect of scaffolders having to carry multiple cards and companies having to put systems in place to recognise them ^[8]. CISRS maintains there is absolutely no intention of diluting its standards or opening scaffolding work to people without industry-recognised qualifications ^[9].

Two readings: CSCS and the Scaffolding Training Alliance push back

CSCS group chief executive Sean Kearns described the notice as unexpected. He rejected the interpretation of the CLC requirements, arguing that scaffolding remains an occupation within construction even where the same skills are applied in other industries, and that similar wording has been present in CLC requirements since 2017 without producing a conflict ^[10][11]. He said other CSCS Alliance schemes accommodate occupations that span sectors by issuing CSCS-logoed cards for construction and, where appropriate, alternative non-logoed cards for work outside construction ^[12].

The Scaffolding Training Alliance, representing principals of CISRS-accredited training centres, published a fact-check on 28 September disputing the termination risk. It said the 90-day period is simply the standard notice period within the affiliate agreement and that there had been no threat of termination ^[13]. The Scaffolding Association published an open letter on 22 September saying its own member survey found no evidence of meaningful consultation across the wider scaffolding contractor base, including among respondents who are also NASC members ^[14]. The Association also said it had received clarification via Build UK that the CLC requirements are not intended to prevent someone holding a CSCS-logo card from working in another sector or workplace ^[15].

Why this is a contractual question, not just a training one

Build UK's Training Standard currently requires workers in construction occupations to hold a card carrying the CSCS logo, with no equivalents accepted ^[16]. Unless CISRS withdraws its notice, new and renewed CISRS cards issued from June 2027 will not carry that logo ^[17]. Major construction clients would then need a clear contractual basis for accepting the revised card, and that question has not yet been resolved publicly ^[18]. CISRS said on 22 September that it is developing API connections to allow contractors and clients to verify cards through their own HR and site-access systems regardless of the eventual CSCS position, but Build UK has not yet confirmed whether its members would accept those cards ^[19].

For scaffolding businesses, the gap between a card being technically valid and a client contractually accepting it on site is where commercial exposure sits. Subcontract agreements, framework terms and pre-qualification questionnaires often specify CSCS-logoed cards by name. Managers reviewing those documents now will want to check whether their current wording locks them into a requirement that could create access problems if the schemes separate. For a fuller picture of how card status links to CPD obligations during and after the transition, the ScaffSkills guide to CPD for scaffolders sets out the renewal cycle and what evidence clients typically expect at https://scaffskills.com/guides/cpd-for-scaffolders.

CISRS did confirm on 22 September that existing CISRS cards carrying the CSCS logo will remain valid for their full five-year term, protected under its contract with CSCS ^[20]. Qualifications, training standards, assessments and training centres are also due to remain unchanged whichever route is taken ^[21]. A second CISRS and NASC webinar was scheduled for 8 October to provide a further update to the industry ^[22].

What a scaffolding manager should check now

Three actions are worth taking before the next CISRS update in October, regardless of which way the dispute resolves. First, audit the card expiry dates across your workforce. Any card expiring before June 2027 renews under the current arrangements and will carry the CSCS logo. Cards expiring after that date may renew into a different regime if the notice is not withdrawn ^[23]. Second, review client and framework contract wording. Identify every clause that specifies a CSCS-logoed card and flag it for your commercial or legal team. If the schemes separate, those clauses become the point of dispute, not the card itself ^[24]. Third, track the outcome of the CLC Clause 4 negotiation. CISRS has said it will withdraw its notice if the wording is amended to confirm that scaffolders can hold a single card covering construction and other sectors ^[25]. Build UK has said it will work with CSCS and the CLC to ensure a CSCS-logoed card remains available for scaffolding occupations ^[26]. Monitoring those discussions is the earliest possible warning of how the transition will land.

A competence card is a commercial document as much as a training record, the contract clause that specifies it matters as much as the qualification behind it.