Adapting to Tariffs and Turbulence: Your Strategic Edge Starts Here
With the new Trump tariffs and mounting global economic pressures, many businesses are facing renewed uncertainty.
It’s hard to ignore the current global trade tensions and how tariff increases are reshaping the economic landscape. Their effects are rippling through the UK’s construction and housebuilding sectors.
Construction firms, particularly those reliant on imported materials, are experiencing unprecedented—and potentially unnecessary—volatility. Supply chain disruptions are leading to unexpected costs, delayed deliveries, and increased pressure on project timelines and profit margins.
This disruption is not isolated. Approximately 30% of the materials used in UK construction projects are imported, meaning thousands of projects across the country face escalating risks due to volatile international markets.
The impact is real, widespread, and likely to grow:
1.Rising Material Costs
Prices for key imported construction materials have increased significantly, directly inflating project budgets. Firms locked into fixed-price contracts now face the difficult decision of absorbing increased costs or risking the viability of contracts.
2. Project Delays
Supply chain instability is causing bottlenecks, forcing contractors to pause or slow down work. Delays at ports, customs clearance issues, and unpredictable delivery schedules are contributing to longer project timelines and higher operational overheads.
3. Investment Uncertainty
Securing project finance is becoming increasingly complex as investors and developers grapple with market uncertainty. This has led to deferred or even cancelled projects, further destabilising the market and undermining growth prospects in the short term. A prolonged period of economic uncertainty could exacerbate these pressures, making resilience and adaptability essential.
In this environment, stability, clarity, and local control are paramount. Companies that can harness the benefits of a fully UK-based supply chain, domestic market expertise, and agile project management will gain a competitive advantage, maintaining project delivery certainty while others struggle to adapt.
How Can Brookbanks Help?
Bookbanks is uniquely positioned to help companies and clients achieve this stability. As one of the few leading consultancies in this sector to be entirely UK-owned and operated, our strategic advantage is built on resilient, locally rooted expertise and a fully domestic supply chain network. We help mitigate the impact of global disruption by:
The government has already injected funding / changes into the UK planning system, and our Land, Development and Communities Group is proactively working with clients to advance a range of major developments through the planning process.
Brookbanks doesn’t just provide advice—we deliver clarity, confidence, and actionable strategies that turn uncertainty into resilience.
As global uncertainty rises, partnering with organisations that prioritise local expertise and proven stability isn’t just smart business—it’s essential.
If you’re looking to strengthen your projects against volatility and secure long-term resilience, Brookbanks is ready to help you move forward with clarity and confidence!
Check out our teams!
Civil Engineering Group
Cost & Commercial Group
Infrastructure/Abnormal/Site-Wide Cost Planning. We have vast experience in structuring, maintaining and managing budgets of hundreds of million pounds, en...
View More
Development Management Group
We are one of the UK's leading partners to blue chip developers, funders and land promoters. From securing planning consents for major house building schem...
View More
Land, Development and Communities Group
Our Land, Development and Communities Group (LDC) has built an enviable reputation across our industry as leading providers of a variety of services with t...
View More
Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Group
Our Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Group has a renowned team of award-winning, energy-centric building services specialists.
We are a creative te...
View More
Structural Engineering Group
Our Structural Engineering Group can trace its origins back to its formation in 1984. From the outset it quickly gained a reputation for producing practica...
View More
More News
The PSDS Era Ends – Decarbonisations Goes On
June 25, 2025
On 12 June 2025, the UK Government confirmed no new funding will be made available under the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS). Existing projects awarded funding under Phase 3c and Phase 4 will continue to be supported until completion in March 2027 and March 2028 respectively.
Spending Review 2025: A Step-Change Moment
June 12, 2025
The 11th June 2025 Spending Review marked a profound shift in the government’s approach to housing, planning, and infrastructure — placing long-term affordability, delivery certainty, and strategic investment at the centre of economic policy.
Need for Speed – Planning Reform Latest
June 4, 2025
The Government’s Planning Reform Working Paper proposes a series of bold measures to accelerate housing delivery, including stronger local authority powers, penalties for delayed build outs, and new transparency requirements for developers.