Story 1: ⛽ HMRC’s New Advisory Fuel Rates Land With the Biggest Hike in Years — and Most Construction Tech Firms Aren’t Ready
What happened: HMRC’s new advisory fuel rates, effective from 1 June 2026, include substantial increases across all petrol and diesel engine sizes with petrol vehicles under 1400cc rising from 12p to 14p per mile, mid-range 1401–2000cc engines jumping from 14p to 17p, and large petrol engines over 2000cc climbing from 22p to 26p per mile while diesel rates and LPG also see significant increases, driven by Brent crude staying stubbornly around $100 a barrel following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. Yahoo Finance
Why it matters : Construction technology companies typically carry a meaningful fleet exposure founder vehicles, sales teams visiting sites, technical consultants on client visits and businesses should update mileage reimbursement systems promptly to ensure claims submitted from 1 June use the new rates, as exceeding the advisory rates without a formal dispensation creates a taxable benefit. The previous March 2026 rates can be used for up to one month so until 1 July 2026 but payroll and expense teams need to be updated now. A brief note to every client with a fleet or regular mileage claims this week is a visible, timely advisory service that takes five minutes and prevents an avoidable compliance issue. Construction DiveBricks & Bytes
HMRC’s Mandatory MFA for Agent Accounts Is Coming by End of June Is Your Practice Ready?
What happened: HMRC has confirmed it is in the final stage of testing multi-factor authentication (MFA) for agent accounts, following a string of cyberattacks on agent accounts, with a full system-wide rollout planned for the end of June 2026 meaning every accountant accessing HMRC services on behalf of clients will need to complete a one-time security code step on every login, covering both the Agent Services Account and all legacy online accounts used for self-assessment, corporation tax, PAYE, and VAT. Contech
Why it matters : Firms need to ensure whoever is responsible for managing their HMRC online accounts is aware of the change and has considered how they will manage security codes within the firm, particularly for practices where multiple staff share login credentials which is common in smaller practices but will require restructuring under MFA. This is a direct operational change for your practice, not your clients but it has knock-on implications: the introduction of the additional page in the sign-in journey may affect automated processes or third-party software that interfaces with HMRC as part of a firm’s sign-in workflow. If you use any automation tools to interact with HMRC (including the API-based workflows we’ve discussed building for this briefing), now is the time to test them against the new sign-in flow before June’s end. GoFileBricks & Bytes
DCW 2026 Raises the Most Urgent Question in ConTech: Will AI-Enabled Construction Still Need Main Contractors?
What happened: Digital Construction Week 2026, which opened this morning at ExCeL London, features over 450 speakers across 230+ CPD sessions — with the most provocative headline session being “Will an AI-enabled construction industry still need main contractors?” alongside sessions examining whether BIM models could automate regulatory compliance, whether digital twins are genuine intelligence tools or expensive mirrors, and a direct interrogation of why BIM remains non-intuitive despite a decade of adoption. AccountingWEB
Why it matters for clients: The question of whether main contractors survive the AI transition is not academic it has direct financial implications for every construction technology company in your portfolio. For decision-makers at DCW, the event is a live read on market maturity: which tools are moving from pilots into repeatable workflows, what clients are specifying, and how delivery teams are adapting to new expectations around accountability and data quality. If AI genuinely compresses or eliminates layers of the construction supply chain, the total addressable market for ConTech platforms changes shape significantly and the valuation, revenue model, and go-to-market strategy of your clients may need to be revisited. This is the kind of strategic conversation that a specialist accountant who understands their sector can have. A generalist one cannot. Consultancy.uk
Sources: Fleet World / Accountancy Daily / RossMartin (HMRC AFR hike, effective 1 June 2026); AccountingWEB / ICAEW / ICAS / CIOT (HMRC MFA rollout, end of June 2026 target); Construction Management / DCW / Digital Construction Plus (DCW 2026 opens 3 June 2026).
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