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

The Construction Industry Scaffolders Record Scheme announced on 8 September 2026 that it will end its licensing agreement with the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, with new and renewed scaffolding cards set to be issued without the CSCS logo from 1 June 2027 ^[1]. The announcement, confirmed on the CISRS website and reported by Scaffmag, landed at ScaffEx26 in Manchester and immediately divided opinion on the exhibition floor ^[2]. Qualifications, training programmes and assessment routes are stated to be unchanged; the card design is not ^[3].

What CISRS has announced and why

CISRS says the decision centres on the scope of the CSCS licensing arrangements. A requirement introduced in March 2024 restricts cards issued under the licence to construction use, but a significant share of scaffolding work takes place outside construction entirely ^[4]. A recent consultation of NASC members found that an average of around 35 per cent of their work took place in non-construction settings, rising to as much as 80 per cent for some firms ^[5].

From 1 January 2027 the scheme will rename itself the Competence in Scaffolding Record Scheme, retaining the CISRS initials. Its departure from CSCS is planned for 1 June 2027, at which point new and renewed cards will carry a revised design without the CSCS logo ^[6]. CISRS says the scheme currently has around 120,000 cardholders worldwide, including approximately 70,000 in the UK ^[7]. Existing cards will remain valid until their expiry dates, and all current qualifications will remain valid ^[8].

CISRS says employers will continue to hold a single card as evidence of scaffolding competence across construction, utilities, marine, aviation and petrochemical work, avoiding the duplication that separate sector cards would require ^[9]. The scheme also plans to issue cards increasingly online ^[10].

Two readings: simpler recognition versus site-access risk

The case in favour comes from CISRS and the National Federation of Builders. The NFB's chief executive Richard Beresford said that making sure the same skills are recognised in the same way across all sectors of the built environment is necessary to avoid costly duplication ^[11]. CISRS frames the move as preserving one competence card for a workforce that already crosses sector boundaries daily ^[12].

The cautionary reading comes from the exhibition floor itself. Several people who spoke to Scaffmag at ScaffEx26 were initially unconvinced, with questions centring on card recognition, site access and the possibility of competing requirements for scaffolders and their employers ^[13]. The friction is structural: Build UK's published training standard currently supports the Construction Leadership Council recommendation that the industry specify card schemes carrying the CSCS logo, with no equivalents accepted ^[14]. The CISRS announcement does not set out how that requirement will be addressed for the new cards ^[15]. Scaffmag reported that CISRS was holding meetings with union representatives during ScaffEx26; the outcome of those discussions was not known at the time of writing ^[16].

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

Most NASC-form contracts, principal contractor pre-qualification questionnaires and public-sector framework agreements specify CSCS-logo cards as a condition of site access. The EEM public-sector scaffolding framework, worth an estimated £207 million over four years and scheduled to commence in September 2026, explicitly requires suppliers to employ scaffolders with all relevant CISRS qualifications; NASC membership is also recommended ^[17]. If the client-side standard does not update in step with the card redesign, contractors could face disputes at the site gate even where their workers hold fully valid and current CISRS qualifications.

For scaffolding managers and commercial teams, the practical exposure sits in the gap between CISRS's planned June 2027 departure date and any revision to Build UK's standard or principal contractor procurement rules. That gap is not yet defined. Managers preparing tenders or renewing framework agreements between now and mid-2027 should treat card-recognition language in contract schedules as a live risk item rather than boilerplate. Our guide to CISRS progression routes covers the qualification side of the card in more detail for those planning renewals or first-time applications. [INTERNAL LINK: https://scaffskills.com/guides/cpd-for-scaffolders]

Three things a scaffolding manager should check now

The announcement creates a clear window for commercial preparation before the June 2027 changeover. The three checks below apply whether you manage a single gang or a multi-contract business.

A card is evidence of competence, not a substitute for it; the debate ahead will test whether the industry's procurement systems can keep pace with that distinction.